The Final Reality: Children of Earth
by AngeLhearteD
Summary: To fight for life you must believe in life. Cast out from their homeworld, the Fated Children must join with eight other warriors in order to save their planet, and all of humankind. A tale of love and hate, encompassing generations.
1. A Cry for Help

**The Final Reality:**

**Children of Earth**

**_By 'AngeLhearteD'_**

**-Disclaimer-**

_Hi everyone… AngeLhearteD here! Not my real name, obviously. I'd just like to state the obvious for you all. I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters included in this story. They are all solely the property of Square© and all rights are theirs to the characters and names associated with them. Do I wish I owned the Final Fantasy brand…? Well…don't you? Seriously, please don't sue me…I have no money, plus I'm doing this entirely for leisure and am NOT gaining any personal benefit like money out of it. Squaresoft© owns Final Fantasy and all related characters and environments and names etc. The rest of the characters are mine though...you know, all the un-Final Fantasy names! Oh and I nearly forgot…I'm writing this thinking this storyline is of my imagination…so sorry if I'm actually copying someone else's idea…I honestly don't mean to, so please don't get mad at me. I'm sorry if I'm copying…if I am I don't realise or mean to intentionally, right? That's all…so please enjoy and don't forget to review for me!_

**-End Disclaimer-**

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**Chapter I: A Cry for Help**

The world as we know it is changing. The seas are rising. The planet's atmosphere, which has for so long protected us from the harmful penetrations of the sun's rays and other toxic materials, is beginning to dissolve in parts. The sun…our glorious mighty sun…it is shrinking. It is compressing, and will eventually burn out just as any other star does on reaching the end of its life.

You are wondering how this affects you. As you read this, you are saying to yourself: 'The sun has another million or so years left to burn brightly!' You are thinking: 'The seas will never rise to dangerous levels!' You are thinking: 'The world is generally a safe place'

Ah youth! Safe from what I ask you? Do you mean safe from the sun for another million years? Yes, I consent that you think right. Safe from the slowly rising levels of the mighty oceans, for, say, quite a long period of time also…? What a clever youth you are, to think that!

…But is the planet safe from the outside threat of other worlds…?

Well youth…why is it that you stare at me so? You think I talk folly? Nonsense talk? The talk of science fiction? Ignorance they say is bliss. But how can it be so for you, who are young and have the future of the next generations on your inexperienced shoulders? For you are now the next generation…but your struggles to identify yourselves as part of the world will eventually lead to you contributing, I dare hope, to a better world for which the generations after you will be able to prosper in.

Why do you stare at me as though I have claimed that the world will end in the next 5 minutes? You do not believe me do you? You do not believe that the world, our planet Earth…She is under threat. She is in danger. She calls and cries out for help…She can see things in space that we humans cannot see. She calls for the help of her inhabitants…who for so many years have caused her nothing but pain, digging deep into her soils and sending up toxic fumes into her atmosphere, when all She has done has provided for us a means of life…She loves her inhabitants. She loves them and watches over them. But we harm her, constantly. We harm her trees. We harm her skies. We pollute many of her once crystal clear oceans. Yet She is reluctant to hate us…

'_They are only human and must learn from their mistakes…'_

Yet we harm her again and again. Ah mankind…when will we see the true extent of the damage that we have caused and are still causing to our precious Earth? She cries out for help…She cries out for help, for She who has protected us for so long is in need of protection now. They are coming, youth. They are coming to invade and spoil her lands forever. They are coming to do more damage than we could ever intentionally manage. She is crying out for help…

Now I ask of you youth, child of the next generation, child of this Earth; I ask you…will you listen…?


	2. A Prophecy Forgotten

**Chapter II: A Prophecy Forgotten **

Before civilisation settled in large cities, before factories were built to pollute the sky and waste was dumped to pollute the Earth's waters, back in ancient times, there lived a group of peoples who believed in oneness with the planet. They believed it was their responsibility and took it as their right to make sure that the Earth, which had been created so that they might prosper in their numbers and pass on their knowledge, remained unspoilt and as natural as possible. These peoples were known only as 'The Soul'. That is what they asked for others to call them…The Soul of the Earth.

These peoples were a good lot, who believed in fair and equal treatment of all creations…however; they harboured a grave secret…one that closely concerned their precious Earth. They had good reasons for why they were so determined to keep their planet unspoilt…a reason not known to most mortal men and women, even now.

In ancient writing, there tells of a prophecy, a prophecy that foresees the ending of the world. It is old, a prophecy that has over the years faded into legend, and legend into myth and myth into a forgotten tale. By the passing of the cruel relentless flow of time, only a few sentences from this writing remain decipherable. The location of this writing is unknown. Perhaps that is for the best…for it not only states how the end of the world will come about, but also gives one the knowledge of how to gain immense power, and the strength to govern over all. The peoples of ancient times, those known as 'The Souls' kept these scriptures from the eyes of all who were not part of their group. They made a pact and swore that none of them would ever let such knowledge fall into unworthy, greedy and sinister hands. They hid the scriptures…and no one knew the location…save for those few peoples.

Unfortunately the other common folk who also lived at that time were a suspicious and superstitious lot. There was a growing fear at that time, a fear of the darkness and evil and corruption. They were afraid and began to point accusations at others in their fear…for strange happenings were being reported in the land at that time…strange flashes of light and shadows moving in the dark. They began to accuse people…and the most likely targets were 'The Soul'. They were a secretive, quiet kind of people and fear drove the others of the land to make hasty and unjustified accusations. Soon enough people were accusing 'The Soul' of being involved in some evil craft, and on a fateful night the common folk came with torches of flame from all directions to these people's huts in order to rid their world of what they branded as 'evil'.

The peoples known as 'The Soul' did not stand a chance. They were outnumbered. They sacrificed themselves to put the fires out…for fire harms the Earth's soils and causes her pain. Their attempts were in vain and the trees and the soils were all set alight with flame and for the first time the planet felt pain and fury…her inhabitants had betrayed her and killed innocents, innocents who for so many years had kept a watchful eye to make sure She was not hurt.

The common folk dragged whatever living person they could from the fires and demanded them to confess their craft. The leader of 'The Soul' was interrogated and tortured when he exclaimed they dealt with no craft. Then a man came to him and demanded the location of the scripts…and the leader knew his peoples had been betrayed by one of their own kind…and it was then he knew the greed of mankind and its potential to cause a grievous harm to fellow mankind and to the Earth.

He never spoke the location of the scripts. All his peoples were slain, the women, the children, none were spared. Or so it seemed. The common folk searched far and wide for the scripts but their searches were in vain. For the Earth had seen what humankind could be, and she had kept from them this dangerous knowledge. She would never suffer any unworthy heartless to find the ancient writings. In time the scriptures were forgotten and still the Earth watched and waited, and watched and waited, for the right time to uncover the secret to those worthy so that She may be rested of the burden.

She still watches and waits, She still watches and waits even now when She is in danger of the ultimate invasion from outside realms, realms that will wipe out her humankind, and will destroy her essence. She is waiting for her children to rise from their cradles of ignorance and act out. She is waiting for the right One to lead the others so that the scripture's knowledge will never be revealed to those with corrupt and evil intentions. For not even the Earth knows the full consequences of the merging of realms…

Humankind must know the prophecy once more. The time of reckoning is near. For centuries the secret has remained dormant. But the Earth senses the oncoming threat that humankind is too blind to see. The words of the prophecy have been faded by time. What is now readable of the ancient scripture is thus:

**The world is changing. The fine lines between fantasy and reality are growing ever fainter. The borders will be breached. A mysterious force is beginning to dominate over the particles of the universe. Over centuries this force has been pulling the matter in space together, compressing it, and it is circling around Earth, the planet of life. She will see the threat. She sees it now. She is waiting for her Children to rise. She is waiting for the One. The end of the world is nigh and many of humankind shall turn to treachery in a false belief it shall save them from their impending doom. Madness shall consume all. Humankind shall fall into shadow. The Earth has only one hope. Mankind has only one hope. The few Chosen shall rise to defend the planet from the intrusion of the Dark Forces and fight to stop the merging and collision of the realms…**

_The Sleeping Children...will rise from the Earth's Heart._

_Those known as the Children of Fate, to join with the Children of Earth._

_Those who have not passed over, to aid those from the Fantasy Realm._

_The One who stands alone in the twilight and bestows light to smite the Dark._

They are coming Children…you must protect your Earth…

They are coming Children…the borders will be breached…

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Okay, I know, I know, you're all thinking OMG what the heck is this loony girl on about, but please, don't freak. I'm hoping it will start to make sense eventually. I must warn you this story will start off rather slowly and eventually pick up pace. So if you're looking for a nice short tale, sorry to tell you you've come to the wrong place! I hope you will read on though, and put up with the slow pace at the start. Next chapter will have people in it, so please, read on!_


	3. The Hardships of being Human

_Thanks so much for the reviews! I feel so much more important than my usual worthless self! Once again I don't own Final Fantasy etc, and if Square see this, just tell me you're cross and I'll disappear and take my story far, far away too to some Compressed area of Time never to come out again and no-one will hear another word of it…deal?? Please don't sue…hey I'm just a poor little teen. Anyway…what are you all reading this ramble for, go on with the story!_

**Chapter III: The Hardships of being Human**

'…Are you even listening to me?'

_Oh God I can think of a million places I'd rather be than here, listening to this_…

'…Miss LillyMoore?'

_A million things I'd rather be doing_…

'Miss LillyMoore?!'

…_A million and one things_…

'VREYA!!!'

Vreya finally lifted her eyes reluctantly and met the cold hard gaze of her Chemistry tutor. It was impossible to ignore the woman any longer, and Vreya didn't want to be the cause of the teacher blowing up. She shifted her feet in a bored fashion, and caught sight of her friends at the door. She desperately wanted to join them, but once again Ms. Jennings was having a go at her. Letting out a quiet sigh she said, with the automatic tone of a robot:

'Yes Ms. Jennings'

'Were you listening to a word I just said? Oh this is ridiculous girl! How many more times must I have this talk with you? I am seriously concerned with your grades! This is the third test we've had this year and you've strung three straight fails!'

_Oh rub it in why don't you? Like I asked for your concern…I get enough from my parents!_ Vreya thought.

'Yeah well…' Vreya said in irritation, hoping that was enough of an excuse and the teacher would get off her case-but really she knew this teacher wouldn't let her go so easily.

Ms. Jennings folded her arms across her chest and glared at her student. She couldn't believe it…only a few months until the final examinations and with grades like those she was achieving, she seriously doubted the girl would even land herself in any university.

'Yeah well what?' she snapped.

Vreya looked at her teacher a moment. She had mousy features, was a relatively small woman with dull frizzy hair and tightly pursed lips. Vreya couldn't believe a mouth that small could cause her so much grief. She averted her gaze and said curtly:

'Yeah well…I've got a lot on my mind…'

_…The dreams…the guy…_

'………' Ms. Jennings blinked a moment, staring in disbelief at the young girl.

'A lot on your mind.' she repeated, then again 'A lot on your mind! Is that your excuse?! Vreya we all have a lot on our minds, but that's just life! These grades are pathetic! Don't you do the slightest bit of studying?!'

_Grrr…I don't need this right now! I just…she doesn't understand…those dreams have been causing me so much hell…always the same with the same outcome…I can't stop it…I can't get it out of my head! I just can't concentrate! _Vreya thought, frustrated.

'I didn't revise' Vreya said, hoping Ms. Jennings would just shut up.

_Please God, please, please, please… _

'And what about the two times before that? Vreya, you used to be such a smart girl…what's happened?'

Vreya bit her tongue and resisted the urge to retaliate at her teacher's accusations with a sarcastic remark. It would only get her in more trouble and she didn't need the hassle. It was smarter to play it safe.

'…Miss, please, a lot has been going on and I just haven't had the time…I swear I'll try harder.'

Ms. Jennings looked at the girl. 'You said that last time Vreya.'

'But I honestly will try. I've just been having some umm…domestic issues to deal with.' _God, I hope I don't regret making up that lie, but this teacher will be the death of me if I don't think of something! _Vreya told herself.

'Oh.' Ms. Jennings regarded the girl who was then looking very sincere. 'Oh…well, then I understand…'

Vreya silently thanked God and apologised a million times over. She couldn't believe her luck that the foolish woman had fallen for it.

'…Do you need to talk about it…?' the teacher offered.

'NO!' _Damn, too loud! _'Uh…I mean no…thank you but uh…I'd rather you just didn't, you know…tell anyone and all…I'm okay…now…please can I go…?'

Ms. Jennings sighed. Vreya was a smart, pretty, popular girl, and she really was sincerely concerned about her student…but she knew how much the girl hated to be told over and over and held behind.

'Alright.' She sighed. 'Off you go, but next time, if you don't get a pass Miss LillyMoore…' she threatened, but the girl just flashed her a brilliant smile, answered she'd get a pass for sure, and was off in a second. Ms. Jennings was left to herself, to think how very untroubled Vreya looked for someone having 'domestic problems'.

Vreya rushed out of the classroom, and was instantly greeted by friends.

'Hey, she took extra long today!' Lila Harvards said, giving her friend a quick hug.

'I told you she loves ya Vreya!' Roxanne also known as 'Roxy' Jeffery, stated giving Vreya a hug also.

'You're kidding me! I thought she was never going to let me out! She's so freaky.' Vreya pulled a face, glad to be amongst safe people. Irritated that half her lunchtime had gone, courtesy of Ms. Jennings.

'Don't I get a hug too?' Costa Fernandez asked, and was shoved by Gen-Ray Chow, who grabbed Vreya himself.

'Eeep!' Vreya exclaimed as she was swung around. 'H…hey Gen easy!'

'Jerk' Costa muttered, and Lila teased him.

'Looks like the sultry Spanish act is failing Costa!'

'Oh shut up Lila' Costa said, then noticed another friend 'Hey Ash!'

Ash Whitfern, one of the school's major heartthrobs walked over to them, pushing strands of ash-blonde hair out of his cool blue eyes.

'Hey' he greeted them, and Lila smiled flirtatiously at the object of her affections.

'Hello Ash…'

Vreya and Roxy giggled together, at Lila's obviousness. Another figure came rushing to them, Sara Farad, who, unlike Vreya lately was one of the smartest girls in the school. Not to mention a drop-dead gorgeous blonde.

'Hello people! Guess what!'

'Oh I like guessing games!' Roxy exclaimed then said 'Ooh ooh I know you got a boyfriend?!'

Sara glared in irritation 'Is all you ever think about boys?! No, I didn't…it's about Constance though.'

Constance Faith along with Heaven Harris and Raquel Ellen were the school's 'bitch-squad'. So-called because all the girls did was walk about, flaunting themselves and thinking themselves better than every other girl and too good for any guy. And of course being spiteful and back chatting. They had a problem with Vreya's friends, and Vreya in particular also.

'Oh the Conceited. What's she done now?' Vreya asked in bored tones, not particularly interested. That girl was not pleasant at all and had a serious attitude problem.

'She tried out for the part of the lead-girl in Our Town and guess what…she didn't get it!' Sara exclaimed. 'Isn't that so great?'

'What, what?' Lila chipped in, having finally lost Ash's attention to Gen and Costa, discussing football.

'Constance failed to get the lead role in the school's play.' Roxy said, tittering. 'Oh shame! Wish I could've been there to see her face!'

'Ha ha!' Lila laughed 'Maybe she'll shut up that too big gob of hers now!'

'Hmmm.' Vreya agreed distractedly. While they'd been all chattering away, she had been busy thinking over what direction her life was going.

Vreya was a seventeen-year-old girl who had a lot of the things a lot of girls wished they had. She was attractive, a slender girl with a somewhat petite build, standing at just about 5'4inches. She had shoulder blade length silky dark-chocolate hair, and warm deep brown eyes, framed by dark long lashes. She was talented; played the piano and flute, was smart, usually passing her exams with relative ease, and had a personality that drew people to her like a magnet. If you were upset Vreya would make you laugh. If you needed a friend Vreya would be the girl to have around. Ever cheerful and friendly and ever playful, she was a popular girl, who seemed remarkably care-free despite the fact she was in a particularly stressful time with examinations looming over like a shadow very soon. Vreya didn't have a boyfriend, but not because boys didn't approach her, but simply because she didn't want one. She didn't need one now…besides, though she thought a certain person very cute, she hadn't met anyone who'd really given her a challenge and attracted her enough for her to really fall in love. She had good friends and she was happy enough with that, and her loving father and mother.

However, recently Vreya had grown quieter, because of certain things that were troubling her and had been for well over a month now. She kept having dreams, repetitive reoccurring dreams that haunted her frequently. She'd mentioned this to her friends who had just laughed it off and told her she was just stressed. So she didn't bother to tell them that it couldn't just be stress, and that she was really worried. She didn't even try to tell her parents. As an only child she had no brother or sister to confide in, although she did have cousins, particularly one called Katrina who she was particularly close to. The dreams were always the same. She would go to sleep and then see oceans and fields full of flowers, and then she would hear someone crying. That was what scared her the most-the crying voice. She was never sure if it was a child or a girl, but she always found herself standing in a dark field, near a sloping hill, and all around her it was dark, save for one spot illuminated by moonlight. She always walked toward it and stopped just before stepping into the circle of silver, out of fear. She would look up and through the light see a dark figure standing still, some distance away. She didn't know who it was…man, woman, she had no idea. She would call out, but the crying would only grow more mournful, as if it were protesting against her calling to the figure.

Then he would come…a young man…she was sure it was a young man because of his smooth, cool reassuring voice, that, despite its quiet tone, would make her dream self relax. She would see a hand open and reach out to her, and the stranger's voice would gently tell her to step into the light and not to be afraid. When she'd move her hand to take his, and look up, about to view his face, a shower of feathers, streaming white, would fly across and surround her and obscure her view and take her away from the young man who stood waiting for her to take his hand each time. A sweet voice, a girl's voice she didn't recognise would say the words 'We are coming…search for us' and then the light would overwhelm her and then there would be only darkness and the mournful weeping. The dream would always end with the mournful weeping and the darkness. Vreya would then wake up, and be troubled. She wanted to find the crying person and help. She wanted to take the young man's hand and step into the light and not be afraid. She wanted to find the girl who asked her over and over, dream after repeated dream, to find 'them'. So many things she wanted to do to change that dream, but she didn't know how. She didn't know what any of it meant. She didn't know why she kept getting the dreams and why they bugged her so much. She didn't have any answers.

'HEY BONITA!' Costa was shaking her, and she snapped out of her thoughts and was brought back to reality. She blinked, feeling dazed and looked at Costa's concerned face. They had stopped just in front of the canteen.

'…Huh?' she said, feeling stupid. _What…? How long was I zoning out for? God, what's wrong with me_?

'You okay?' Gen asked, and Lila was looking at her with concern and suspicion in her hazel eyes. They were best friends…but Vreya knew Lila was thinking that she was keeping something from her.

'Ummm…yeah I…' Vreya began, but Roxy wrinkled her nose and stuck out her lower lip, twirling a strand of red hair around her fingers, which is what she did when she felt worried or unhappy.

'You've really been walking around with your head in the clouds Vreya.' She said.

'…' Vreya blushed feeling even more sheepish.

'Anything we can do to help?' Gen asked. He was an oriental guy who was very intelligent and a great person to have around.

'No, I…' Vreya began, but then a very strange feeling came over her. A wave of sudden dizziness overwhelmed her and she clutched at her forehead, taken by surprise.

Costa's handsome tan face peered at her. He was a tall guy and was Latino by origin, and had swathe, dark Latin good looks.

'Hey Bonita, you okay?'

'Vreya what's wrong?' Sara asked, putting a hand on her friend's slender shoulder. Vreya looked dazedly into Sara's blue eyes, and for a second she found herself staring at not Sara but another blonde she didn't recognise…a blonde who was tall and slim like Sara and was gorgeous like Sara but wore her hair differently, with two super straight strands loose on either side of her face and with the rest tied back. Vreya frowned and blinked and found herself looking at Sara's face again.

'Vreya?' Lila asked, a hint of fear in her voice. She had been fixing her brown hair that was streaked with blonde highlights, but now she forgot that and stepped to her friend, very worried.

Ash was simply staring silently, not knowing what to make of this. Vreya had been fine a moment earlier.

'What, are you sick? Do you feel unwell?' Sara asked, and Roxy added 'Hey, let's take her to sick bay…'

_No…_ Vreya thought_. I'm fine…I just…nothing's wrong…but…wha…what's happening to me? Why am I feeling like this…?_

A wave of nausea washed over her and she stumbled to the left. Her friends all called out to her, but she couldn't make sense of their words anymore, or who was saying what.

'Vreya!'

'Hey what's wrong with her man?'

'She's sick…'

'She's seriously out of it…'

'There's something wrong…'

'Get help man!'

…Stumbling to the left led to standing in a spot of sunlight and Vreya was dazzled by the light. The light…a painful flash of memory and she heard his voice…the young man…she was standing with him again…

_…Take my hand…you don't have to be afraid. You can do this…you have to. Don't be afraid…_

_…Because…Vreya…_

_…I'm here with you…_

_…I'm here…_

_Who…what…? Where…?_ Vreya suddenly lost track of everything and felt herself spinning…no…the room was spinning…a small moan escaped her lips and she suddenly felt very weak…too weak to stand…

_What's happening to me…? Why am I feeling like this…? I don't…I don't understand…_

It was as if she was back in the dream that haunted her almost every night. Weeping… the voice was weeping again…she could hear it weeping…

_'…Search for us…'_

'What…do you want…?' Vreya whispered weakly, and then the light overwhelmed her again and she felt herself falling. Falling, falling, and losing herself in darkness once more, losing her entire world in the darkness that rushed up so quickly and with such eagerness to seize her…

…And still the voice cried, and still her heart ached, to end its suffering and to end her own…

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Hey…I hope that was long enough for you all! Has the ending made you curious to know what's gonna happen? Ha ha! What's going to happen what's going to happen? Only time uh…and me of course, will tell! I hope you enjoyed this chapter…and I hope it gets you people all thinking! I hope the dream thing sounded all right too…I'll have the next chapter up soon hopefully! By the way, the letters in italic represent thoughts or if used in speech, an exaggerated word/s…but since all of you are smart people in your own right, I bet you figured that already. Okay, next one up soon!_


	4. Unspoken Wishes

_Thank you for all your kind reviews! Moving on with the story, here's the next chapter. And guess who is in this one-think, bad dude!_

**Chapter IV: Unspoken Wishes**

The Earth's beauty was breathtaking. The way the deep blue of her waters merged with the milky white of the clouds that swirled beneath her atmosphere was nothing short of hypnotic to behold. He watched, his eye fixated on the sphere of life, and his lust to invade and occupy the planet grew stronger. For so many years he had been in exile, floating aimlessly in the universe, in a deep slumber. But he had awakened at last. He was full of wrath, for he had been counting on his sister-sorceress to gain control of that other land, but had discovered that she had failed, had been defeated.

_…Defeated…_

His proud wilful lips curved up into a disdainful sneer. Defeated, and by what? By whom…by some children! The shame was unbearable. He was furious-he had been counting on her to gain power and to free him from his imprisonment so that he would be able to extract his revenge at last…but she had failed him. Disappointed him. Now he was awake, and he knew that foolish humankind were right about one thing at least…

…_If you want something done right…you have to do it yourself…foolish, weak sorceress…to be struck down by children…by ignorant weak children…to fall at the strike of a child's blade…_

But he would not occupy that realm which she had attempted to take. That was not enough. His fury drove him to seek out more than just one petty realm. He would have them all. He would draw all the realms together…He would compress all the matter in space together and he would draw the realms to circle around this one planet…Earth, the most advanced and industrialised of them all…the planet that had once been his home, long ago, and whose people had cast him out.

…And then the merging would begin, and humankind would pay for their ignorance, and for rising up to challenge him all those centuries ago.

He could feel his powers slowly regenerating. Soon his plan would be put into motion, and he would invade the Earth, and have her and her people surrender to his mighty will. All would fear him. All would be his servants.

He turned his eyes away from Earth's beauty and to another realm that was slowly being drawn to orbit around the Earth, just as all the others. He fixed his eyes on the realm named Harbiterove, where the savage races that also despised mankind dwelt. For in this realm, he knew he would find those willing to carry out his will…

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

She could see the threat turning away from her but knew it would return. Sadness overwhelmed her, as She knew of what was inevitably coming her way. She could not stop it. Her inhabitants were still ignorant, even though She was sending out cries of help, mournful cries that She hoped would awaken her Children from their cradles of ignorance so that they would begin to act to save her, to save themselves, their humankind. But things were not turning out well at all. The One was still not aware of the dangers, and the Children of Fate had not been found. Time was quickly running out and the planet was growing ever desperate. She could only watch and wait. She could only hope.

Using the distraction of the threat to her advantage She let out another long, mournful cry, like a child weeping-a desperate cry for the Children to awaken, before it was too late. There was much to be done and so little time in which to do it. The cry shook all throughout her vast body, and caused her waters to stir and the wind to blow stronger, and where her voice carried through her soil the ground rumbled and shook.

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

The soft rustling of leaves and the grass were the only comfort in the strange environment of the empty fields. A gentle breeze stirred the grass and gently blew away the loose petals of the flowers that danced with the movement of the wind. Vreya shivered, but not from the cold. She felt afraid…not just any usual fear, of, say, having lost a possession, but a deeper, older fear; a pure, genuine, mortal fear.

…She was in the fields again. It was dark as ever, save for the spill of the moonlight before her, forming a soft circle of magical silver light.

_I'm…where am I…?_

Was she dreaming again…? Yes…the scene was familiar to her…familiar as if she had actually visited this place in reality.

…Reality…she wasn't sure if she knew what that was anymore…this all seemed a strange bizarre fantasy, and yet at the same time was so real…she could feel the wind blowing through her loose hair, she could hear the rustling of the leaves…it all looked, felt and sounded so real…

She was alone, as she always was at the start of these visions. She only had limited control over her dream self's body, and she managed to turn her head to the left. It was so dark, she could only make out dark silhouettes of what she could only presume and hope were hills and trees.

_Maybe if I try to move in some other direction…_

She lifted a foot to step to the left, but found that her foot stepped forward, as she always did every time. A very familiar feeling of dread filled her as she realised she would almost certainly dream the same events.

_No…not again! Why do I keep seeing the same things? It doesn't make any sense…I don't understand! Why can't I move?_ She thought in alarm.

It was very frightening because she could see as if she was looking with her own two eyes, but she couldn't control her movements. Vreya wanted to turn away from the light and run far away. Any moment now the repetitive events would occur, and she would be reliving the same thing once more. She found herself worriedly thinking how much longer she would keep seeing these dreams before losing her nerve completely.

She unwillingly moved forward again, to stand only a small distance away from the circle of light, and as she did she heard the soft beginnings of a voice weeping. She strained to hear, as ever, and felt that it was a cruel torture to have to listen to that heart breaking voice, when she was helpless to give it any aid.

Pausing, she looked around once more. But she couldn't see much…at least, not what she was looking for.

_Where are you…? I can hear you…but I can't find you…where are you…? _She called out with her mind.

'………..' All that answered her was the haunting voice, moaning with the wind.

_Please…I want to help you…_

'Please…' Vreya whispered, and was shocked to realise she had actually spoken. She had dreamed this over and over but she had never uttered more than a gasp each time, or just one cry, or mouthed a word that she never actually heard herself saying. Hope filled her…maybe she would find something out this time…maybe she would be able to make some sense out of this…

The moaning continued and Vreya looked ahead. The voice seemed to be all around her…she couldn't locate it. It was in the air as well as in the ground. As she stared ahead, she saw the dark figure standing alone again, some distance away. Once again she felt the need to call out, and struggled with herself.

_Every time I call out the voice only cries even more…I shouldn't…I…_ Her hopes of being in control of her voice at least dissolved as she opened her mouth and called out. 'Hello?' The figure didn't move, as usual. Vreya felt a frown cross her features and let out a breath. The moaning grew slightly louder. Frustrated, Vreya was once again surprised, as she was able to voice her thoughts again.

'WHO ARE YOU?'

A violent gust of wind ruthlessly whipped the strands of her layered hair across her face. She was forced to close her eyes a moment as petals hurtled against her face. It was cold now…very cold. She opened her eyes and then her heart leapt as she heard a painfully familiar voice address her. Except this time it said something different. It spoke her name.

'Vreya…'

She looked up to find the person but to her frustration she couldn't see anyone. Just voices…and that irritated her so much. She could see another dark figure standing directly opposite her, on the other side of the moonlight illuminated spot…but she couldn't make out any features. The entire area was dark, with nothing but twilight, and the only light area was the area before her. Everything else was a shadowy blur.

'…' Vreya swallowed, feeling afraid and angry. Who was this person who kept haunting her in her dreams? As if the crying voice wasn't enough…how dare this person keep showing up and troubling her?

'…Don't be afraid…'

She had mentally said the words with the voice. She had memorised all the words of that voice. A quiet, soothing voice, which she knew definitely belonged to a male. It was so smooth, so cool and rather sultry too, yet strong at the same time. The voice was full of both strength and gentleness. She desperately wanted to be able to see who had such a wonderful voice…no boy she knew had a mysterious voice like that, and it was infuriating that she was denied seeing him each time.

Once again she was able to speak, but she didn't say what she wanted to say.

'I'm scared.'

Fury filled her. _What on Earth? Why did I say that? I'm such a fool…ask him his name, or tell him to step to the light, not say 'I'm scared'! Pathetic_! She thought

The voice came to her again; so quiet that she hardly heard it. It was very troubling…she heard the weeping and the wind and his voice all at the same time.

'You don't have to be afraid…'

Vreya's voice spoke again, as if it had a mind of its own. She felt as though another force had her possessed and was forcing her to say these things.

'But I'm…r…really scared…'

_No…he's going to be gone and this is all I can say?_ Vreya was filled with a mad desperation…if she didn't ask him something soon it'd all be over again. The dream was almost going to end…he just had to reach out with his hand and say one more sentence…then the feathers and the light would come, and then the girl's voice…she needed to make sense of all this…it couldn't just end like this again…it couldn't!

To her surprise, another thing happened that was new. The voice said something different.

'You have to be strong Vreya. For Her…for us…'

_Her…? …Us…? I…I don't understand…_Vreya shook her head in confusion and her voice trembled as she exclaimed, her own voice barely above a whisper;

'I…I don't understand…what…who…?'

As if it were a reply she saw a hand reach out and cool fingertips were held lightly up to her cheek. She froze: this had never happened before…he had never touched her. Her heart raced and his touch made her feel weak with confusion…she felt as if she should know who he was…even though she knew for certain she had never met him. No boy made her feel this strange or muddled...this weak at the knees.

_Who are you? Why are you here? Why are you touching me? Where am I and why am I here? Who are you?_ The questions repeated themselves over and over in her head, as she stared at the dark shape before her. She couldn't help but get the feeling this man knew who was weeping and who that dark figure ahead was. She couldn't help but feel as though he had all the answers…the problem was she couldn't ask any of the questions.

As suddenly as he had raised his hand to her face, he let it fall and now held it out to her. She looked at it as the dream once again fell into its default mode of events.

'…Take my hand…you don't have to be afraid. You can do this…you have to. Don't be afraid…'

Her hand was moving automatically to take his…Vreya watched as her hand moved closer and closer…

'…Because Vreya…I'm here with you…' he said.

_WHO ARE YOU!_ Her mind screamed. _It can't end now…please, I want to stay with you…_

'…I'm here…'

She looked up, knowing that now he had stepped forward and she would see his face, but then it came. What always came just when she was so close to seeing him…so close to taking his hand…

Pure white feathers suddenly appeared around her and swirled about her and in between her and the mysterious young man. Usually Vreya would have closed her eyes, but this time she willed them to stay open. She stared straight ahead where the young man was standing, as the feathers obscured her view of him. As a gust of wind whipped her hair back, there was a slight opening in the curtain of feathers and she saw eyes, beautiful, deep eyes looking silently, and straight at her.

Deep green eyes…the darkest and most amazing shade she had ever seen, tinted with some grey. Grey-green…she had never seen such eyes…she caught her breath, and then blinked.

A mistake…the second she did the eyes were gone and there were only feathers, blinding white feathers and light, as a voice, very distant, called to her.

'…We are coming…search for us…'

'NO! WAIT! WHO ARE YOU?' she screamed hysterically, but then the voice was gone, just as the man had gone, and all that was left was the darkness and the mournful weeping that pierced through her heart with terrible pain.

Through the darkness came another voice…it was calling to her and sounded closer than the others…and even more familiar…

'VREYA!'

_What… Who is that? Who's shaking me?_

'VREYA WAKE UP!'

Someone was shaking her urgently and roughly and with a gasp her eyes flew open, to find Lila staring down at her with a look of horror on her face, which mirrored Vreya's own emotions. Roxy and Sara and Costa were also standing in the school's sickbay. Vreya stared at Lila a moment rather wildly, slowly coming back to reality again.

Lila spoke and her voice sounded frightened.

'What…Vreya, what happened? You were screaming…'

Roxy peered down over Lila's shoulder at Vreya, who lay on the bed, and wrinkled her nose again.

'Uh-huh…gee, you really freaked us all out!'

'Vreya, did you have a nightmare?' Sara asked quietly, her hand closing around Vreya's.

Vreya couldn't talk a moment, then swallowed and said shakily 'I had a dream…'

'What dream?' Costa cut in, staring in concern at her.

'The same one I keep having.' Vreya said quietly, and then closed her eyes, fighting back tears. It was so unfair…the dreams were really torturing her and she was kept awake many a night just thinking about what it all meant, before finally falling asleep with exhaustion. Even her grades were suffering-it was becoming a serious problem, and exams were only months away.

Lila looked away, and swore under her breath. Roxy looked at Lila, then Sara and finally Costa. She cleared her throat after a moment of uncomfortable silence and spoke up again.

'So uh…like, are we gonna tell her?'

Vreya sat up slowly and Sara said worriedly 'Vreya you fainted…you just collapsed suddenly…you shouldn't sit up if you're feeling dizzy…'

Irritated Vreya shrugged of the attempt of distraction and said dismissively 'I'm fine…tell me what Roxy?'

Roxy bit her lip and when Vreya tried to catch her gaze she just averted it. Costa also looked away and Sara looked uncomfortably at Lila. Vreya said, feeling angry and frustrated that she was being denied so many answers lately exclaimed,

'Will you tell me what's going on?'

The silence stretched on.

'Uh…Bonita, maybe we should call home…'

'Stop changing the subject!' Vreya snapped, and her dark eyes flashed, as she turned an accusing glare at her closest friend.

'Lila!' she said, looking at her friend expectantly.

Lila finally met Vreya's gaze. She took a breath, and said 'Um. Well. I know this is crazy considering that we told you it was just due to stress.' She paused and her gaze wavered.

The tension was unbearable, and Vreya couldn't stand it.

'What? Well? What's wrong with me…tell me, just say it!' she cried. Had they somehow found out why she was having crazy dreams? Was there really something wrong with her?

'Uh…Bonita…we…it's not just you.' Costa said, shifting on his feet. Vreya stared at his face a second then looked to Lila again.

'Lila…' she pleaded. Lila sighed and said finally,

'We've all been having dreams.'

… _What did she just say? _Vreya wasn't sure she had heard right.

'Huh?' Vreya said stupidly. Sara laughed a little and said nervously

'You know you told us you kept having repetitive dreams…and still do apparently…well…'

'We have been too. All of us! Except they're different to yours.' Roxy finished.

Vreya stared in disbelief and then spoke angrily. 'Are you all mocking me, or something? Is this your idea of a sick joke? Because it's not funny! Don't you realise that these dreams are causing me hell?'

'No joke Vreya.' Ash's voice came to her. He stood by the door with Gen-Ray. 'We've all been seeing things that…well, let's just say we'd rather not think about it.' Gen-Ray nodded his agreement, his usually cheerful face looking grim.

Vreya stared, still not believing this. She looked at them all. All six of them were looking back at her as if she had the answers. A hysterical laugh escaped her lips. Oh this was rich! And they had told her she was stressed…

'Oh my God!' she said, shaking her head. 'Oh my God, are you all for real?'

They all stared at her and the answer was an obvious yes.

'Why didn't you tell me anything then?' Vreya asked, confused even more.

'Truthfully, we were embarrassed. In fact we just told each other while you were out.' Gen-Ray said.

'I didn't think anything of it to be honest, but I keep seeing the same thing…' Sara said and her voice trailed off.

'It's freaky Vreya, that we're all having these reoccurring dreams. When you told me I thought it was weird, but then I find out everyone else has been seeing things too.' Lila said, looking troubled.

Roxy clucked her tongue. 'So what now?'

'How about you tell me what you've all been seeing?' Vreya asked and they all looked uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes. 'Oh come on guys, you've told each other, I think I have a right to know too…'

'It's not that.' Ash frowned.

'Yeah…' Costa said, looking equally troubled.

'I think it's better if we meet up at someone's place and really talk about this…because this is serious.' Lila said.

'How long have you…?' Vreya asked and they all said together

'Over a month'

'Me too.' Vreya said softly. 'I just can't figure it out.'

There was a pause, then Roxy said 'Okay people, tonight at my place. Or we could just go after school straight off, but after six o'clock is better because my parents are going out for the evening and coming back late.'

'Okay.' Gen-Ray said. 'After six it is. Hey Ash you got football practice today?'

Ash shook his head 'No, it's cool.'

Lila nodded, and smiled at Ash 'Okay, so what do you say you pick us up?'

Ash shrugged 'Fine…what just you?'

'Yeah...' Lila began but Sara swatted her on her arm and amended,

'NO. Lila, Vreya and me.'

'Gen and Costa can make their own way, right guys?' Lila looked at the young men.

'Okay' Gen-Ray said and Costa grumbled consent.

The lesson bell rang and Lila said 'Phew, lunch is over. You know we waited 20 minutes for you to wake up. We were almost gonna call the ambulance…the doctor had to go grab her lunch.'

At that moment, the school doctor came in. She was a blonde haired middle-aged woman, and she smiled on seeing Vreya up.

'Ah! Vreya LillyMoore!' she exclaimed. 'How are you? You gave us all quite a scare!'

Vreya couldn't think of anything else to say except 'Sorry.'

'It's quite all right…just as long as you're feeling better now. I called your parents and they said they'd come for you when you woke up if you wanted them to. They asked me to tell you to call them.' The doctor regarded Vreya a second 'Do you have any idea why you fainted like that?'

Vreya shrugged. 'I guess I've just been feeling a little tired.'

'I see. Well, you take it easy. I suggest you do go home. You look rather pale.'

Vreya said 'Oh no I'm alright now…thank you doctor.'

Doctor Mary Davies smiled. 'It's all right. But if you ever feel strange again, just come straight to me okay?'

Vreya nodded and smiled, and then the doctor nodded and said 'Well you lot, get you all to your lessons! Vreya you can use the phone there on your way out.'

'Thanks'

They watched the doctor leave, and the Sara said 'Hey Vreya, are you up to it?'

'Yes, I'm fine really. Just got to call first…you guys go ahead.'

They nodded and slowly left the room.

'Vreya I'm outside by the lockers' Lila said, and Vreya nodded, watching them go. The last person to go was Ash. He lingered a moment and looked at Vreya, concerned.

'Are you sure you're okay?' he asked, the usually cool blue eyes full of concern.

Vreya shrugged, and then smiled brightly. 'Yeah…I feel a lot better that I'm not alone in all this.'

Ash gazed at her a moment. She was always optimistic…one of the many things he admired about her. A lot of girls had a crush on him, but he didn't care about them. He cared about Vreya. He had never really had the courage to tell her. He had been the one to catch her when she dropped so suddenly to the floor and he had been so afraid when she had just fainted. She was so beautiful and friendly and smart and had the ability to lighten people's moods instantly. She thought of him as her friend, and he didn't want to risk a fight because Lila wouldn't take it too well. He knew very well how Lila felt about him. He just wished that he knew whether or not it was possible that Vreya would ever feel anything more than friendship towards him.

Vreya realised Ash was staring at her in a strange way, and looked at him, confused. What was he lingering for…?

Ash opened his mouth to tell her she'd never be alone. That he'd never let her be alone. But instead he said something else- something more informal and friendly rather than personal.

'You'll never be alone as long as you have…' here he hesitated again, and then finished 'Us'

Vreya blinked, and thought how remarkably sweet that was coming from Ash who hardly ever complimented or comforted people. She gave him a sincere smile.

'Thanks Ash… that is sweet of you.'

Ash nodded, feeling stupid. _Damn, when will I ever find the courage to tell her…?_ But he had to leave it for now. Turning away he exited the room without another word.

Vreya stared after him a moment. He was really cute…a nice guy who didn't let the attention he got from girls go to his head.

_Unlike Costa…_she thought, and then giggled to herself. As she slowly got up off the bed and moved to the phone, she thought suddenly about her dream, about the crying voice and the girl's message. Picking up the receiver and dialling her mother's number, she stared out of the window thoughtfully, waiting for her mother to pick up. She thought about the mystery man…about what he'd said to her…to be strong…not to be afraid…

As Vreya gazed at the view out of the window, she heard a sudden strong gust of wind outside and saw the branches on the trees sway violently. Frowning, she bought her face closer to the glass and peered out.

_That's funny…it's spring, the weather should have settled…_She thought.

Her thought was cut off as the floor beneath her suddenly shook and she cried out, falling to her knees. The trembling only lasted for a moment but she had very much felt it.

_Oh my God! What the hell is going on? We don't get earthquakes here…unless it was an aftershock…_She thought.

Shocked, afraid and feeling more confused than ever Vreya slowly stood up again and heard commotion outside the sickbay in the main hall. Lila came in quickly and looked just as stunned as Vreya felt.

'Did you feel that?' she squeaked, and Vreya opened her mouth to respond, but was once again cut off by a voice speaking in her ear.

'Hello?' the voice said anxiously, then added expectantly 'Vreya?'

'Mum…' Vreya said after a moment, recovering her voice again. 'Hi…'

'God, are you okay?' her mother asked instantly.

'Yeah…mum did you feel that?'

'Yes. The ground just shook.'

'Mum, I don't get it…'

'Must be an earthquake aftershock darling. Forget that. I'm worried sick. They said you fainted!'

'No…it's okay really'

'I'm coming to get you.' her mother said.

'No, no mum, I swear I'm alright now…I think I'm just low on sugar.'

'You aren't diabetic. Vreya, I'm coming for you'

'No mum, please…' Vreya pleaded. If she went home now she wouldn't be able to meet with the others after school. 'I swear I'm fine. Even the doctor said so. Really I'm okay. It's nothing serious.'

Her mother was silent for a moment, and finally sighed 'All right, if you say so darling. But if you feel ill, call me straight away alright?'

'Okay mum…thanks.'

'Love you. Now be careful you hear?' her mother said, and Vreya smiled.

'Okay, okay. I love you too. I have to go now…got a lesson.'

'All right darling-take care.'

'Bye mum' Vreya put down the receiver and looked to Lila.

'That was no aftershock Vreya.' Lila said, looking extremely serious.

'What do you mean?' Vreya frowned, collecting her bag and moving to the door.

'…I mean it wasn't an aftershock. Something is really going on here.'

Vreya was silent. Then she sighed. 'That's crazy'

'We thought the dreams were too.' Lila said pointedly and Vreya sighed again. Strange things were happening so fast.

'Let's just get to lesson.' she replied, and without another word the two girls left the room and headed off to English class.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Phew! Was that too long? My fingers are killing me from typing…but anything for my readers, right? Sorry, I don't want to start adopting some cheesy Irvine lines; I hope you guys liked this. So…who's the threat? Who's the mystery guy? What was that mysterious tremor in the ground? All shall be revealed in good time! Next chapter's up soon hopefully, after I get a new pair of hands!_


	5. Reality Questioned

_Hi again all! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Thanks for the reviews as usual, but I was wondering why I'm not getting any new ones…? Could you people give me suggestions on how to attract more readers to my story…me being a newbie and all? Anyway, you're probably wondering where the FF8 crew are. Well, speaking of that…_

**Chapter V: Reality Questioned**

From the very beginning he hadn't wanted to be a hero. From the very beginning he had never asked for all this. The attention. The fame. He didn't want it, and he sure as hell didn't need it. He hated nothing more than people fussing over him. Sure, the events that had lead up to ultimately saving the world had changed his views on many things…but the oldest habits were always the hardest to break.

Squall Leonhart gazed out at the ocean, in thought. This is what he liked…quietness…peacefulness…precious time to himself. He hardly got that now…everyone made such a big deal over him, like he was a rock star. People made a big deal over his friends too, but he was the worst off. Girls always pointed and giggled at him, or screamed out his name. It really irritated him. Squall never had liked attention…he never would.

_Friends…_Squall thought, and a tiny smile curved his fine lips. Funny that a few months back, he would never have even considered the people he saved the world with as 'friends'. He valued friendship now. He truly knew that to survive you needed people. You needed friends. You needed love. The terrible experience of being lost in Time Compression had altered his views on not needing anyone, forever. Squall would never be able to be quite the same as he was, before all that had happened. The change in him had been slow and painful…it had been hard to learn to trust again, hard to admit that he too had feelings that needed to be realised by others, and even now he was still rather withdrawn. It was the way he always had been…it was how he was used to being. But slowly, he could improve, as long as he had time, and friends…and of course, Rinoa Heartilly.

_Rinoa…_The smile on his lips grew softer for a moment as he thought of her, but then he composed himself, blinking and drawing in a breath of fresh air. Just because he valued friendship more, that didn't mean the stoic young man was going to turn into a wet blanket. His intense deep blue-grey eyes scanned the area of the rocky shore.

_This is where Seifer and I had that training session. Hah. 'Training'…whatever…_

That 'training' session had gotten out of hand and Squall would never be able to forget it. He had Seifer to thank for the mark that marred his once smooth brow, a deep scar running across the distance between his eyes, staring from the top of the right brow, crossing down the bridge of his elegant, straight nose, and ending just below the start of his left eye. Of course Seifer wouldn't forget that 'training' session either because Squall had given him a similar cut in retaliation, though one not so deep, and one that went in the opposite direction. It was always rather creepy that they both carried similar scars; Squall had always known that they were and always would be rivals, but he had never wanted it to go that far. Seifer however, was always one to exaggerate and make big deals out of matters that were better left alone. _Seifer…_Squall's eyes narrowed as a feeling of bitterness overtook him. _Traitor…what's Cid thinking, letting him back into Balamb…?_

After the final battle was won, no one had heard of Seifer for about a month. Squall hadn't cared less…Seifer had turned his back on the rest of them and betrayed them all by helping the enemy, in pursuit of his 'romantic dream'. More importantly, he had thrown Rinoa into the arms of the evil sorceress Adel and Squall would never forgive him for that, ever. Rinoa could have died on that day. Squall's lips curled up in a disdainful sneer. _Romantic dream huh…? Well, hope it was as thrilling as he hoped…asshole._

Even though Seifer's mind had been controlled to some extent, Squall still couldn't forgive him. The fact that Seifer had chosen that path willingly was unpardonable. That big ego of his, always wanting to be in charge and always wanting a piece of the action, his inability to follow orders and his disruptive nature…Seifer's will was weak and as a result of his greed for power he had made himself an easy target for the sorceress Edea to manipulate into doing her dirty work. Squall hated the mention of Seifer, and it was almost unbearable how he had to run into him everyday now. Headmaster Cid had talked to them all about Seifer's possible return to Balamb…Squall, Zell Dincht and Quistis Trepe were the most horrified at the news, however that hadn't changed Cid's mind. Rinoa had claimed that she felt sorry for Seifer and that he needed help now to start afresh…that it wasn't his fault he did all those things and he really wasn't all that bad.

_Just like Rinoa, to see the best in people…just like…she saw the best in me…and she has got a past with Seifer…_

Sighing heavily, Squall brushed back strands of dark brown hair that fell in such an unruly fashion into his eyes. No point getting all worked up…Seifer was here and here to stay it seemed…and he still had the nerve to call Zell a Chicken-Wuss…no, Seifer would never change. Squall just seriously hoped Cid knew what he was doing by giving Seifer a second chance. Squall swore that if the wayward Seifer ever stepped out of place again he would not hesitate to put him back in line.

'Thought I'd find you here…' a sweet, playfully mocking voice came to him. Squall's heart leapt and his spirits rose, on hearing that sweet voice. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard anyone creeping up behind him.

'Rinoa…'

'Hey.' Rinoa's arms wrapped around his waist and she gave him a gentle squeeze. 'So can I guess why you're all the way out here?'

Squall's lips dangerously wavered close to smiling a full grin. God, she had such a crazy affect on him…and though he had spent months denying it and hating how she made him feel, he found himself liking the new feelings the more time he spent around her. She peered at him, warm chocolate depths looking deep into his soul, and in her almond eyes was merriment and mischief.

'Oh, oh I think I see it there…ooh, c'mon please come out, please…smile…!' she said giddily, jumping up and down with exaggerated excitement like a little girl.

Squall couldn't help it. He smiled a rare, genuine smile and turned his face away.

'Hold it Squall-let me just get the press.' Rinoa giggled, linking her arm through his.

Squall found it amazing that he had only known her for a few months. Four to be exact…they'd been through so much testing trials together…it had seemed much longer…like she'd been there forever. Rinoa now lived in Balamb Garden too, a courtesy gift from Cid for her role in helping save the world. Recovering his composure, he was happy to just stand there in silence. The two things he liked the best in the world were there with him…silence and Rinoa. But of course silence and Rinoa didn't go together, he thought wryly, as she began her usual cheerful chatter.

'It's so weird isn't it Squall…? I mean, after the entire Ultimecia thing…things sure have changed!'

Squall silently agreed. It was like…he didn't know what was real sometimes and what wasn't anymore. During Time Compression, he'd had no idea what era he'd been in…sometimes it still bugged him…everything seemed normal enough, but was it really? No one knew what influence Time Compression fully had on the world…

Besides, now he was treated like a hero…when he was really just plain old Squall…it just really got to him and he didn't know why. Something didn't feel right…he always expected to wake up from this dream, at any moment and find that Rinoa wasn't really there at all. That she was just an angel from a blissful dream, one he would eventually have to wake out of. He had always been pessimistic, and losing Rinoa was his own personal nightmare. The idea unnerved him and the more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed and he frowned. Without Rinoa…he would still have a heart of ice and pessimistic views about everything. He would never have felt this complete…he would not be living as he was now. All those wasted years and Rinoa had finally come along and opened up his eyes to what he was truly missing. He had been blind. Rinoa had come into his life and cured him slowly of that blindness, and opened his eyes up to a world that was filled with so much more colour than black and white, as he'd seen it before.

'Squall…?' his Angel was looking up at him, concern in her soulful eyes. 'Are you okay?'

'…' Squall nodded after a moment, and replied 'Yeah…just thinking.'

Rinoa pushed back a strand of silky raven black hair and tilted her head curiously. The look in Squall's eyes was even more serious than usual, and she questioned him, wanting him to let her in on his thoughts.

'What about…?'

Squall contemplated whether to tell her. He was still quiet…he couldn't just change instantly, it was still hard to talk openly…but he couldn't hide anything from Rinoa either. Sighing he replied slowly,

'Don't you feel…that…well…it's just…different…?'

Rinoa looked back at him questioningly, lovely face mildly puzzled.

'After Time Compression…don't you ever wonder…what time it is…?'

_Gee…only Squall would think that deeply!_ Rinoa thought.

'I don't get it' Rinoa replied, and then 'Stop thinking so much!'

But Squall was a natural thinker, and he couldn't just shrug off this strange feeling. It had started a few weeks back and the reason for it was something he couldn't quite put his finger on. The world was safe wasn't it…? Nothing to worry about…they'd gotten rid of the threat…hadn't they…?

_Then why do I still feel uncomfortable…like there's something else we've missed…why am I thinking like this…is it just me…? Why do I feel like it isn't really over at all…that actually…maybe it's just begun…?_

'Squall…?' Rinoa's voice came to him once again.

Blinking, he snapped out of his thoughts once more and stepped back, turning his attention to her.

'I'm okay. Come on, let's get back'

Rinoa pulled a face at him 'You know you're so strange…'

_You don't know half of it…_He thought.

'I'd like to find out though…' she giggled, and Squall felt a faint blush creep into his face-she'd read his thoughts again.

'I told you not to do that…'

'Sorry' she smiled 'but you were being all secretive…and you're cute when you blush.'

He rolled his eyes-was that the best excuse she could think of…? She did it all the time…he had to be careful about what he thought around her…

_Being knight to a sorceress sure is tough…_

Rinoa giggled once more and linking her arm through his, replied, as they began to make their way back to Garden,

'You don't know half of it…'

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

Gen-Ray sighed in exasperation, feeling nothing but utterly bored. There was no point to this lesson…the first full twenty minutes had turned into a discussion about the mysterious trembling in the ground. Everyone had come in feeling spooked and everyone was talking about it. Even the teacher, as he arrived, asked students what they thought it was. Now he watched the clock more often than he watched what Mr. Andrews was scribbling in explanation to the class on the board.

_7 minutes left…but he'll keep us slaving until the end…_

Looking beside him, Costa looked like he was going to fall asleep any second. Gen-Ray caught his eye and grinned at him. Costa just pulled a bored face and rested his head in his hands again, staring blankly ahead at the teacher.

_Mathematics…last lesson of the day…what a drag…_

To occupy himself for what remained of the lesson, he thought of Vreya and the dream that he kept having. It was so strange…he couldn't make any sense of it. He had been the one to confess first, after watching Vreya mumble and frown in her sleep for a while. It had shocked him to find that everyone else in their group had been having dreams lately too.

_More like nightmares…it keeps me awake all night…_

He contemplated over what it could all mean, and why they were dreaming similar things. He was a very smart person, who always believed there to be a logical explanation to everything. But he couldn't think of one now…maybe it was just a crazy coincidence…?

_Yeah right…_he thought, _come on, no one ever experiences coincidences this bizarre…and what was with that tremor in the ground…since when did we have earthquakes…?_

It didn't make any sense to him, and looking at Costa, it seemed that he was thinking about it too. For once his friend wasn't flirting with the girl who sat on the desk beside him-which only meant he was too occupied with thinking about something more important.

Gen-Ray covered his mouth with a hand and thought to himself slyly, as Mr. Andrews announced the homework,

_Ha ha …what's more important to Costa than girls…? Even if he had the biggest weight on his shoulders…like saving the world…he would still just toss it all aside just for a moment of good old flirting…_

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

'Finally, the day's over!' Lila gushed, storming out of English class, with Vreya closely behind her. 'Didn't that seem to last for like five hours instead of one?'

Vreya raised a brow at her friend 'Not quite that long Li…'

'Well it did to me. Come on I have to go do my hair. Ash will be outside.'

Vreya sighed. Lila had had a serious crush on Ash for years now. Following her into the girls' room, she perched on the edge of the row of sinks, watching as Lila took out a brush and began to run it through her hair. The blonde highlights really suited her brown hair well, even though Lila was considering dying it completely blonde, much to Vreya's distaste.

'How much longer is this going to go on for?' Vreya asked, smiling a little. It really puzzled her why her friend didn't just tell Ash. Sure many girls threw themselves at him, but he was a very down to earth guy, and pretty sweet she reckoned.

'Hmmm?' Lila said distractedly, and Vreya rolled her eyes.

'Earth to Lila in La La Land, do you receive me?'

'Oh very funny Vreya' Lila exclaimed, twirling her long hair into a twist then expertly lifting it up and clasping it with a hair clip, so that the result was a sophisticated and elegant bun.

'I thought so.' Vreya smiled, and then said again 'Really Lila-how much longer are you going to just admire Ash?'

'Forever.' Lila sighed dreamily.

'Seriously.'

'I am serious.' Lila stated 'I love Ash.'

'So why don't you tell him that?' Vreya asked, perplexed.

'Oh…because he doesn't like me.' Lila said dismissively.

'You don't know that's true.' Vreya argued.

'I don't know I'm wrong either do I?'

Vreya sighed. 'Just tell him Lila. You'll never know how he feels until you go up to him.'

Lila sighed in her turn. 'Look Vreya…I don't want to face rejection. We're friends, and I'd rather be that much than freak him off and scare him away.'

Vreya looked at her friend sympathetically. 'I still think he might like you. You know Ash…not exactly the easiest book to read…'

Lila laughed and put away her brush, and was about to reply when the door opened and Sara came in. She smiled a brilliant smile and greeted her friends.

'Fancy meeting you all here!'

'Hi.' Vreya smiled, and Sara nodded, the rushed on,

'You felt that quake right?'

Vreya nodded. She'd wanted to forget that…

'Yeah…I was telling Vreya it was not just an aftershock' Lila said, applying some lip-gloss.

Sara pulled a face. 'You know there was something strange about it…I mean, I listened to the radio and no on was talking about any earthquake…'

Lila turned to her, having finished, then offered her the brush, which she'd taken out again. Sara took it gratefully and let her long golden hair out, and began to brush it too. 'Really? Well that's just freaky.'

Vreya silently agreed. What was going on? It was all happening too quickly…fainting so suddenly for no reason, finding out the rest of them had dreams too, then the trembling in the earth…she couldn't say they were all linked, because that was just crazy and not logically possible. Wasn't it?

She got off where she perched and turned to a mirror herself as Sara and Lila chattered on. Staring at her reflection blankly, she absently smoothed her already straight hair and arranged her fringe back to the way she liked it best. Lila came up behind her and said 'Want the brush? Not like you need it Miss. Gorgeous.'

Vreya gave her a look and shook her head.

'No I'm okay Miss Perfectly Groomed.' She replied, and turned back to them 'Are we done?'

'Yup' Lila said, smiling and twirling a little. 'How do I look Sar?'

'Oh Ash will drop dead.' Sara said solemnly, and giggling the girls left the bathroom, to make their way home.

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

'HEY, ready?' Roxy said, meeting the girls at the gate.

They nodded and she said 'Are you gonna come now or what?'

'No, I have to go home first' Sara said, and Lila nodded her agreement. Vreya also nodded and Roxy said,

'Okay, so you guys are coming with Ash after six right?'

'Right' Lila said, then saw Ash and squealed grabbing onto Vreya's arm so hard Vreya called out in surprise.

'There he is!' she said excitedly

Some girls were around him, smiling, but Ash was turning away, moving with his other friends, also members of the football team. He caught sight of the girls and excused himself from his friends, and as he made his way to them, Costa rammed into him, laughing, with Gen-Ray just behind.

'Oh great' Sara said, amusement in her voice. 'It's Costa.'

The boys walked over to them, and greetings were exchanged.

'Did you people feel that quake?' Costa asked, and Gen-Ray said in exasperation,

'It wasn't a quake Costa, how many more times?'

Ash said 'Well it was an aftershock.'

'Sara said she listened to the radio but no one was talking about any earthquake' Lila said, looking at Ash and smiling.

'Really?' Ash frowned at her, then looked to Sara, who nodded.

'…Weird…' Costa said, then Gen spoke up again.

'So we're still going to Roxy's right?'

'Right…after six, okay? As we agreed earlier.' Roxy said.

'What time should I pick you all up?' Ash asked, looking at Lila, Vreya and Sara.

'About five-thirty' Sara said 'Is that okay Lila?'

Lila, who took forever to dress, laughed a tinkle-like laugh 'Of course it's okay! Just try to get ready a little faster Vreya'

Vreya smiled 'Yeah right. Okay people, see you later…I better get back to my house and tell my parents.'

'Okay…any problems, call me!' Roxy said, then they all parted ways.

Absorbed so much in themselves they failed to see the figure that had been standing silently by the gate, hooded and dressed as if they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. They failed to see the silent figure that had been watching them so intently, watching and waiting, watching and deciding.

The figure now moved as the young ones did, and turned away and disappeared as quietly and suddenly as it had come.

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

He smiled a small evil smile, a smile of satisfaction. Now that he had servants who had pledged their allegiance to him, he could finally advance in his plans. He looked at the Earth again and then set his gaze on the area around her. Yes, the other bodies of the other realms were drawing ever closer. All the matter in space was coming to circle around her. He had her trapped.

'I will destroy all that defy me' He said, narrowing his eyes at the planet of life. He sent out the rest as a mental message to her, a message and a warning.

_Do not attempt anything so foolish as warning the fools who you so endearingly term as your 'inhabitants'. They are flies that are just waiting to be crushed. They are all imbeciles whose ignorance will be the death of them - and deservedly so. Why should you care, Earth? They harm you…that is all they do. Do not fight against the force. Do not attempt to summon up any warriors. None can hear you. With their blindness they choose to be ignorant and willingly turn away from your needs. They cannot help you. They cannot help themselves…and your secret will be mine…_

His laughter rang out, cold and smooth and mocking, and the planet heard, and in her fury She resolved with a new vow to never suffer that heartless her secret. Steps were being taken to inform the One of the dangers that lay ahead. With a defiant cry of rage that he had chosen her to ruin and intrude, She sent out her most powerful calling yet.

She called to the Lost Child, for now her options were fast running out and that Child was of her last hopes to awaken the rest of her Children and with them stand up to the evil that loomed over her, casting its dark shadow over her surface. Soon that shadow would block out the gentle warm rays of the sun, which was too far to give her any aid. She called to the Lost Child and to that other realm to be prepared to send the Children of Fate to her.

For only with them, joining with her own still Sleeping Children would the flame of truth be wielded, and the darkness smitten into nothingness, and the danger abolished and lifted at last.

**AngelHeart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Hmmm, that was a little on the boring side wasn't it…? But I want you readers to get to know the main characters' personalities…that's important if I want you all to care a little about them! Hope that wasn't too short for you all. I'm writing this from an angle where the game Final Fantasy doesn't exist…as in the characters don't know Squall, Zell, Selphie etc as video game characters…so if they do meet, it'll be like they're meeting people they just don't know…does that make sense…? Anyway, that's all for now…until next time!_


	6. Strains of the Heart

**Chapter VI: Strains of the Heart**

Vreya entered her house, closing the front door behind her. Kicking off her shoes she went over to the living room to see if anyone was at home. No one was there. Shrugging, she turned away and went up the stairs to her own bedroom. Opening the door she dumped her bag on the floor and took off her jacket, collapsing on the bed in a heap.

_God I am so tired…_She thought.

Only a moment had passed when Vreya lifted her head, remembering something. She got off her bed and switched on the television, flicking through the different stations.

_Children's programs, cartoons, food show…discussion program…hey, if there was an earthquake nearby large enough to cause such a powerful aftershock, wouldn't it be on the news…?_ She wondered.

Frowning in confusion, Vreya thought a moment. It seemed Sara was right after all…no word on the radio or the television.

_Weird…it wasn't that long ago…maybe on the text service?_

Going back down the stairs, since her TV didn't have text, she checked the television text service on the large main television in the living room, turning it onto the news page. Her eyes skimmed over the headlines, and she exclaimed in her disbelief:

'What! There's not even one little mention of any quake…but I felt it…mum felt it…we all did!'

At that moment the front door opened, and Vreya's mother came in. She was a slim woman, like her daughter, who had taken after her mother's features. Mrs. LillyMoore stood at 5'7 inches, and had the same dark chocolate hair her daughter had, and the same warm brown eyes. Not having yet reached forty years, Vreya's mother looked younger than most mothers her age, and was a very gentle, warm, and caring person. Catching site of her daughter, a loving smile crossed her attractive features. Her daughter was darling to her. She doted on her-she was her only child, and the most precious thing in her and her husband's life.

'Hello darling! When did you get back?' she exclaimed, setting a shopping bag on the counter of the kitchen that joined the living room.

'Just now actually.' Vreya replied, and went over to her mother, who gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. She peered at the shopping bags, and spotted a micro-wavable meal. Her stomach growled in protest…she hadn't had any lunch because she'd fainted.

Her mother saw where her eyes were directed, and said sternly, 'Now Vreya, I'm going to make a proper meal for you today…enough of that junk…I only bring it just in case I were to take too long and you were too starving to prepare anything yourself!'

Vreya sighed. She had to tell her mother that she needed to be at Roxanne's.

'Ummm…mum, I need to eat quick…'

'I'll have the dinner ready in a jiffy.'

'No…mum…you see Roxy asked me around after six…' Vreya said, wincing, knowing her mother would be disappointed that once again, she wouldn't be having dinner with the family.

Her mother looked at her, blinking. She then said 'But darling you fainted today. I don't think you should go out. You need to rest.'

'I'm fine mum. See?' Vreya gave her mother a brilliant smile, and her mother rolled her eyes.

'Very funny…why does she want you round?'

Vreya swallowed, scanning her mind for a suitable excuse.

'We have this project we need to do…and me, Lila and Sara are all going to go and work on it at Roxy's place. She has most of the materials with her, so she asked us to come round.' Vreya said matter-of-factly.

_Better not tell her about Ash or Costa…not even Gen-Ray…she wouldn't like that if I told her Roxy's parents are going out tonight…_Vreya thought.

Her mother sighed 'Another project Vreya?'

'Well…more like a presentation.' Vreya amended.

Her mother said 'Well honey, I just worry about you. You do too much sometimes…I'd just like you to sit around with me and your father once in a while…spend some family time together…like old times…'

Vreya looked down guiltily. She did miss all that, but now she was just too busy…so many appointments to keep, so many school events to help with…just so many things to do socially as well as academically. She never had thought how much her parents were missing her. Looking up at her mother, who had a wistful look in her eyes, Vreya was washed over with a wave of pain and guilt-the pain was deep inside her heart, and the guilt overtook her conscience.

_I know I'm such a bad daughter…I want to spend more time with you and daddy…but I just…so many things are happening all at once…_She thought silently.

'Vreya, is everything okay?' her mother asked in concern. They were always so close, but her daughter had been so distant lately…they hardly even spent anytime together anymore. It saddened her for things to be this way-her daughter, usually so bright and cheerful, was now not doing as well at school and was always either up in her room or out with friends. She hardly saw her anymore. She was afraid she was losing her too soon.

Vreya didn't respond. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth a sob would come out, and not 'I'm fine' as she wanted to say.

Her mother clucked her tongue sadly, and reached out and stroked her daughter's cheek. Vreya felt very close to tears and she wasn't even sure why. It was insane…but she truly felt as though her parents had seen nothing yet…that she would be spending even more time apart from them. Yes, they were loving, and wonderful, and perfect and understanding. But Vreya couldn't help feeling as though she was drifting away…she didn't want it…but it was happening and she couldn't think of how to stop it. She couldn't even figure out why.

'Baby, you've grown up into such a beautiful young woman, and I am so proud to see you now in your prime. I just want you to know that your father and I will always be here for you…if you have any problems, you can speak to us. You know we love you and always will no matter what…you can tell us anything. No matter what happens Vreya, no matter what the circumstances, you will always be our daughter. Our darling little girl…'

Her mother stroking her cheek made Vreya think for a moment of the mystery young man who had also touched her cheek in the last dream. She wanted so desperately to tell her mother about the dreams…but she knew her mother would only get worried and think something was either wrong with her or worse.

_I should speak to Kat…_Vreya thought suddenly, _she'll listen to me seriously, I hope…_

She hadn't seen her cousin in a while, and resolved to call her when she got back. Now she looked at her mother and smiled a rather quirky smile.

'Thanks mum…' and to lighten things up, added 'Even if I wanted to get my tongue and eyebrow pierced?'

Her mother blinked a moment, then her features relaxed into a soft smile.

'No…anything but that.'

Vreya giggled at that. Her mother objected to all tattoos and piercing on anywhere on the body except the ears. 'Punk-ish' she called them.

'When will you be coming back?' Mrs. LillyMoore asked.

'Oh, I shouldn't take too long. I'll be dropped back off. I'll call you when I'm about to leave.'

'All right honey…is someone picking you up?'

'Yes…Ash is dropping Lila, Sara and I off…he said it's on his way after he comes back from football practice' Vreya said, hoping her mother would believe it, and feeling terribly bad about lying. But she had to; after all, this was important.

'How nice of him.' Vreya's mother smiled and then took out the micro-wavable dish. 'Now, I suppose I have no choice if you're leaving in about an hour. How about this meal then?'

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

Headmaster Cid sighed. The blasted papers were endless, and he'd given his secretary a day off, simply because he'd felt sorry for her. Sometimes he thought he was too kind. The pressures of running Garden, and being a headmaster were really starting to get to him. After the defeat of Ultimecia, he had almost felt as though he could retire. He was middle-aged, but still felt as though he was too old for all the excitement of being around young students and SeeD.

Chuckling to himself over the idea of retiring, he barely heard the soft knock on the door. Looking up, peering over the top of his glasses, he said, trying to regain his good humour,

'Enter!'

The door opened, and then his good mood was genuinely restored as his wife, Edea, also known as Matron, slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

'Cid my darling, are you still sorting out those papers?' She smiled warmly at her husband.

'Ah, Edea, the joys of being headmaster!' Cid chuckled. Edea smiled again and walked over to him, bending down and kissing him tenderly on the top of his balding head.

'You gave the secretary another day off? She must be thrilled!'

Cid smiled regretfully. 'Yes, she needed a break. I was in a good mood…your fault actually my dear. You know how I am in my good moods…'

Edea laughed softly. 'Well I am sorry then, but you need a break too!'

'If only I could hire a replacement…just for a little while. Now how are the students doing?' Cid sat back in his comfortable old chair and gazed up at his beautiful wife, who perched on the edge of his desk.

_Hyne I am a lucky man…I am so glad I got her back…my dear Edea…_He thought.

'They are fine. Actually, I came here to discuss Seifer…'

Cid sighed 'Oh what has that unstable young man done now?'

'Nothing my dear…but I worry for him. It is not easy to turn away from the path that he chose…I want to help him too Cid, after all he is also one of the orphanage children…but I cannot see how. The others are not very hospitable to him, save for Selphie and Rinoa and Irvine…but that is because they do not really know him as such, or in Rinoa's case, pity him.'

Cid sighed 'I haven't heard any major disciplinary reports regarding him.'

'He is better in his behaviour, but I see him alone sometimes, and he just sits there, Cid, just sits as if lost in thought, and he looks so unhappy.'

'And what of Squall?'

'Ah, I saw him coming back to Garden with Rinoa on his arm. On passing Seifer, Rinoa gave a sympathetic smile, but Squall was as dismissive as ever. I believe he harbours the greatest loathing towards Seifer.'

'And Zell Dincht?' Cid asked.

'He has always had a grave disliking for Seifer.'

'Edea my dear, I am hoping Seifer will prove to me I made the right choice in allowing him back into Garden.'

'My dear Cid, I am sure you did. You did the best thing. Seifer is in need of friends now…he is in need of support to get past the terrible experiences, and to move on and begin anew.'

They had been so involved in conversation they hadn't heard the door opening, and only noticed the attractive, slender young blonde woman who had been patiently waiting there, when she spoke up.

'That'll be hard for Almasy.' The young woman, Quistis Trepe said, voice full of scorn.

'Quistis dear!' Edea said in surprise. 'We didn't hear you come in.'

'I'm sorry Matron. But I came to deliver these papers to Sir.' She saluted.

'Oh call me Cid, child!' Cid waved his hand at the term 'sir'. 'Don't be so much like Squall!'

Quistis apologised, and moved to the desk, placing more forms in front of Cid. Cid meekly smiled, and as Quistis turned to leave, Edea called after her.

'Quistis dear?'

Frostily Quistis turned, as if knowing what Matron was going to say.

'Why do you say that of Seifer?'

Quistis took a silent breath, and replied, clear blue eyes meeting Edea's: 'Matron. Almasy won't ever change his ways until he changes his attitude.'

Cid nodded 'That is very true I regret to say.'

'Has he not been easier in lessons?' Edea asked Quistis, the youngest Instructor in Balamb Garden.

'Quieter.' Quistis conceded 'But is that a good thing?'

There was a thoughtful silence, and shaking her head irritably at the thought of the arrogant, troublemaking and undisciplined Seifer, Quistis added flatly,

'It doesn't mean he listens. The day he listens, then that is the day perhaps he has a chance.'

Edea and Cid both looked at Quistis, who was Seifer's age, eighteen, struck by her remarkably blunt and accurate words. She nodded respectfully to the headmaster and his wife.

'Excuse me Sir, Matron' she said politely, then turned and left the room.

Cid and Edea were left to themselves, to reflect over her words, and to reflect over the troubling situation that was the restoration of goodness and belief in Seifer Almasy.

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

The doorbell rang, and Mrs. LillyMoore went to see who it was. Sure enough, there stood Ash Whitfern, looking as dashing as ever. It puzzled Vreya's mother why her daughter didn't get to know this young man better. He seemed nice enough, had good manners, and drove a nice car, factors which were so important to girls these days. Smiling warmly at the young man, she greeted him.

'Hello Ash, it's nice to see you again.'

'Hello Mrs. LillyMoore.' Ash replied politely, feeling slightly nervous to be talking to his crush's mother. 'Erm…is Vreya all set?'

'Yes, of course, I'll call her down. It's very nice of you to take her on your way…please, won't you come in?'

Ash declined. 'No, I'll wait out here for her, thanks.'

'All right-just one moment.' Mrs. LillyMoore smiled, and discreetly shut the door again. A few moments later, the door opened again and Vreya poked her head out. On catching sight of Ash, she smirked.

'Hey! Right on time…have you got Lila yet?'

'She's in the car, with Sara'

'Wow…I'm impressed!' Vreya giggled a sweet giggle, and called back to her parents 'Bye mum, dad, I'll call you later!'

'Be careful!' came her father's voice, and her mother's echoed it. Vreya called back she would, and then stepped out of her house, closing the door behind her.

'Got everything?' Ash asked, and she nodded, then together they both walked to his car.

On entering, she saw Lila in the front seat. She grinned at Vreya and Sara greeted her hello.

_Oh I bet Lila is having the time of her life up front with Ash…_Vreya thought.

Sure enough, the entire journey consisted of Lila flirting with Ash, and Sara and Vreya laughing at her. Thankfully they arrived at Roxy's place relatively quickly.

Roxy threw open the door and grinned happily.

'HEY! The party's just started! Costa and Gen beat you guys to it…come in!'

Roxy, was a girl on the skinnier side of slim, appearing small and petite in size, being only 5'2 inches. However, she more than compensated for her small stature by having a personality and mouth as large and boisterous as they came. She ushered them all in. Excitement glimmered in her brown eyes, and for once she had her curly red hair tied back into a small and bouncy ponytail.

They entered and were led to the living room. Costa and Gen-Ray sat on large cushions on the floor, munching on popcorn.

'Hey.' Gen-Ray smiled 'Almost thought you stood us all up!'

'Don't look at me, Vreya was the last to get ready' Lila stated, dropping down on the floor also. Vreya smiled helplessly, as Sara corrected:

'I think she means the last to be picked up, and in the shortest time.'

'Yeah yeah, so let's just get down to business. I seriously am stressed out.' Lila said.

'Yeah.' Ash said, deciding on the rare whim of feeling like speaking out, to speak out. 'I got home and asked my parents about that quake.'

'I checked on the news and there was no mention of it' Vreya said, settling down next to Lila. Roxy, who'd left them and gone to the kitchen, came back with drink cans. She set them on the coffee table, which already had other snacks like tortillas, crisps, cake rolls, and marshmallows. Now she sat down, snugly between Gen and Costa, ready to talk, as ever.

'Didn't I tell you that there was no mention of it on radio?' Sara asked, looking at Vreya. Vreya shrugged in response.

'I guess I thought maybe it was on the later news…maybe it wasn't that important.' She said.

'Not important?' Costa asked, opening a can of coke and taking a long sip 'It must have been one hell of an earthquake to cause an aftershock like that, Bonita.'

'He's got a point' Gen said 'I mean, that'd have to be at least six on the Richter scale…'

'So how come it's not in the news?' Sara frowned 'It's just so crazy to try to figure out…'

'It all doesn't make any sense, so why should we worry about it?' Roxy asked, huffing, folding her arms across her chest.

'Because too many strange things have been happening Roxanne.' Gen said, and Roxy pulled a face at him.

'So, strange things happen all the time! Big deal! I'll tell you what I want to know…how come we're all having freaky dreams!'

Vreya spoke up again 'Oh yeah you lot, you still have to tell me about all that.'

Ash looked uncomfortable, and Costa muttered something inaudible.

'Don't tell me…what's the excuse this time?' Vreya sighed.

'Hey come on.' Lila said finally 'It's only fair. I mean, I wouldn't hide it from her anyway…and we've told each other, so there's no excuse.'

'You're right. Since Vreya's the one who told us first, we should tell her too' Sara said 'I'll go first. It's not very long…not like yours, but I keep seeing the same thing over and over like you.'

Vreya looked at Sara attentively. She hoped they wouldn't be linked…she desperately hoped that it was all just a really bizarre coincidence.

'Okay…' Sara took a breath, and then hesitated. Just as the silence went on for too long and Vreya was about to speak up again, she began to speak her dream.

'First, I see this large field.'

_Oh my God…_Vreya thought but decided to listen on.

'It's very dark. There's lightening and it lights up the sky, and it's raining really hard. I think I'm alone, but then I turn around and there are these people with me. I don't know who they are. I can't even see them properly. They say to me 'You know what to do right?' and I don't understand them. But I say 'yes' anyway. This guy steps up next to me…I can't see his face either because it's so dark, but his voice is definitely a guy's voice. He says something like 'We're going to have to look for a less obvious way in' and then a girl says 'Why don't we cast sleep?'' Sara paused, frowning.

There was a silence as they waited for her to continue.

'And then…and then this guy says, 'we can take them on straight out-we don't need to sneak in-we got enough guardians junctioned' but this other voice says 'use your brain 'Chicken-Wuss' there are too many of them''

Vreya frowned. Guardians? Casting 'sleep'? What could it all mean? Sara's dream didn't seem to make any more sense than hers.

Sara finished 'Then that same person says to me 'You've got to do your part right, or we can't carry out the rest of the plan' Then it just ends there…and in the background there's always some voice…I think it's a child…it keeps crying. The dream just fades away, the last thing I see is like a building's tall silhouette in the distance, and the last thing I hear is rain pouring down, and that voice…just…crying…' her voice trailed off, and she looked troubled.

Vreya took a breath. She decided to listen to the others before making any comments. She looked at the rest, and Gen-Ray spoke up next.

'Guess I should go next. Well, mine is even more pointless. I'm in this field too, with this person, who always has his back to me. He tells me to get ready to give the signal. Just when I'm about to, there's this crying in the air. It sounds like a kid weeping. It's so scary…I ask the guy who it is, and he just says 'Forget it, if you want to help her, get ready to give the signal to the others' He says to me, before I wake up 'They're counting on you' and then that's it.' He shrugged. 'Like I said, pretty pointless.'

Costa cleared his throat.

'Well, I'm with this guy too, and we're standing behind a wall, out in the open. It's always dark and it's always raining. I'm holding a gun and the guy tells me to 'stay sharp'. I don't know the guy…like the rest of your dreams, I can't see anything either. Then I hear this really crazy sound…hey you seen the movies with monsters? It sounds like a monster coming, and the guy says to me 'It's crunch time'. I say 'I'm not going to face that thing man' and he says 'what, are you chicken?' and I say 'No'. He says to me then 'If you want to save everyone's ass, then do what I trained you to do.' Costa shrugged. 'That's all. Oh and yeah. Crying bambino's in it too'

Roxy said next 'I dream that I'm with Lila. We're always in a really mucky rainy place, and there's this woman with us. She says something about us being called here for a reason, and that we can't give up hope, and that we've got to keep our cool. I always feel really scared when she says 'get ready.' Lila is always holding something in her hand and the other woman says to me 'Roxy, remember what he told you right?' I don't know what she means! This person starts crying and I want to go find them, but the woman always says that we can end it by destroying the threat and that's the only way. Whatever that means. Then the dream just disappears, just like that.'

Vreya gaped, in disbelief. She was feeling so frightened. They all heard crying too…they were all always in a field. What could it mean…?

_Oh God, I know they aren't lying…I know because I know when they are lying…_She thought, horrified.

Lila laughed a little embarrassedly. 'Well, believe it or not, my dream is exactly the same as Roxy's'

'Lila…' Vreya couldn't hold back 'God, you aren't serious!'

'More serious than usual…' Lila said 'Really. It's true. Why the heck am I so freaked out?'

Vreya bit her lower lip anxiously. Never had she thought that the coincidences would be this striking.

Ash sighed, and finally spoke. 'Guess that leaves me.'

All eyes turned on him.

'Someone is always talking to me, and telling me that I'm worthless. Telling me that 'they', whoever they are…will fail. It says, 'SeeD is weak' and 'You lose'. I grab this person…' Here Ash hesitated.

After a pause, Costa mumbled 'Hey man, it's okay. We're all as wacko as each other.'

Vreya looked at him in concern. Ash lifted his head, and met Vreya's gaze directly.

'He says to me 'You've lost her already. Her soul will die and there's nothing the knight can do to stop it.''

Vreya stared at him, confused beyond expression. She was even more confused by all this than she had been by her own dream. _'Casting sleep…guardian…SeeD…monsters…threat…crying… knight…what on earth is this…?_

Ash looked away, and added 'Then a girl's voice calls out the name 'Shiva' and the guy I'm holding is killed by this figure. I can't see it…it's just all blue, and it gets really cold. I hear the crying too, and that's all.'

Ash didn't add that he woke up in a cold sweat after crying out in his dream, when told that he couldn't save _her_. He didn't know who 'she' was, and he just hoped it wasn't Vreya. He had no idea what he'd do if anything ever happened to her.

There was a long silence. Everyone had spoken his or her dreams now…and Vreya was stunned. Gen-Ray spoke to Vreya, at length,

'Hey, why don't you remind us of yours? Maybe we can make something of all this.'

'I doubt it…but I'll tell you' Vreya said slowly, and explained her dream to them. When she had finished, Roxy blinked.

'Whoa. Wonder what that means?'

'Wonder what all of ours mean!' Costa said 'I'm sick of just dreaming the same thing!'

'Hey look on the bright side.' Lila said dryly. 'At least we know we're all as mad as each other!'

Sara scoffed at this. 'I am not crazy, and I'm sure there's a rational explanation…'

'Oh come off it!' Costa said, losing patience 'Don't the similarities freak you out the slightest bit?'

'Well, yes, but that doesn't mean…' Sara began, but was interrupted again by Costa raging on.

'Come on Sara! Fields, wet weather, the crying voice! There's not just a simple explanation!'

Gen said 'Calm down man.'

'No! I for one am not sitting here and accepting some excuse of it's a coincidence! It's not! Even Roxy can tell you that!'

'Hey! That's rude ya know!' Roxy frowned.

'Yeah Costa, why are you calling her stupid for?' Sara pounced.

Lila shook her head 'Okay guys, calm down!'

Sara snapped 'No! Costa, the truth is it can't be anything else, because in case you didn't notice, magic doesn't exist!'

'I'm not saying it's magic!' Costa practically spat back.

'Well then it's either that or reality as you claim.' Lila joined in, not taking her own advice of calming down.

'Look guys' Gen-Ray began, trying to restore some form of order in the group.

Suddenly everyone was talking over themselves, except for Ash and Vreya who both sat quietly. Vreya was so troubled; she couldn't even open her mouth and tell them to shut up. She didn't need to. Ash opened his mouth and yelled for her.

'SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!'

Everyone looked to him, stunned into silence. Lila, trembling with emotion, slumped down again. Slowly they all settled down.

'Look at us!' Ash said, and none had seen him so angry. 'Arguing with each other, blaming each other! We're friends here right? It's no one's fault! Yeah sure it's stressful, but if we want to figure it out, we've got to stay cool!'

Costa fumed, glaring at Sara who glared back.

'Costa.' Ash said, glaring at him also.

'It wasn't me!'

'Please calm down, okay?' Ash ordered back at him.

Another silence followed, and finally Gen broke it. He looked to the one person who hadn't said a thing since they'd started arguing. He looked to Vreya.

'I think we should ask Vreya what she thinks.' He said calmly, and all eyes turned to Vreya.

'Vreya?' Lila said at length, and Vreya's eyes rose, and she looked at them blankly.

'What do you think?' Sara asked, voice tight with tension. She hadn't meant to break down like that. She always thought of herself as so in control.

Vreya blinked, and her reply once again stunned them all into a worried, thoughtful silence, as the rain began to pour outside.

'…I think something is seriously wrong.'

**--------------- ◊ ---------------**

He ran as fast as he could down the streets, weaving his way around objects that stood in his path. He threw a glance back over his shoulder, to see that the gangsters were still chasing him.

_Stupid!_ He mentally cursed the lack of justice in the world._ Your girlfriend was harassing me, not the other way round! _

He could fight, but there were four of them, and they were all pretty big. The street type, and he had to be realistic. Hell, he could seriously kick their tails blind folded-he knew how to pack one heck of a punch, but there were too many, and he, unlike the fools who chased him down the dark alleyways, had a brain. He had no idea where he was going…he hoped he was heading home, but it was so dark he could hardly even see the bin bags left outside, lining the streets. He was fast…much faster than his pursuers, lighter, and not so heavily built, and he scorned the idea that they thought they were in with a chance of getting him. Throwing another glance over his shoulder he heard them yell out after him in rage.

'Come back here you punk! You son of a…'

He turned his face away, blocking out the rest. Son of a what? Of who? He didn't even know himself. He had no past, he had no future; he had only the present. That was his life…it revolved around living the present, not knowing what the future held, revolving around himself and himself only.

_Punk…_ He thought, outraged. _Hah, say that to me when I see you alone asshole…_ He gracefully avoiding a cardboard box that littered the street.

But he had become too complacent. He was moving so quickly, that he did not realise he had been tripped over until it was too late. He cursed under his breath, rolling agilely out of the way of the dark figure that he now saw standing over him. Pushing himself up quickly, he was about to run again, when a hand, with surprising strength and swiftness, reached out and grabbed hold of him.

_What the hell? Where did he come from…I thought there were only four of them? _The young man thought in alarm.

He tried to kick and punch, but he was dragged into a side alleyway, and slammed into a wall roughly.

'Ugh!' he cried out, as pain shot down his back. A voice addressed him calmly, as white stars momentarily clouded his vision.

'Do not struggle young one.'

_Young one? Is he drunk! _The boy thought.

The person holding him chuckled. 'I always did want to sound like one of those prophetic types.' __

The young man was furious. But as much as he struggled, he couldn't seem to be able to break out of his attacker's grasp. He swore out insults in his rage-he'd never been handled this way before; no one had ever dared. Now the fact that he was at someone else's mercy for once unnerved him. He felt vulnerable-a feeling he despised. It was a weakness, and it meant he was at a disadvantage.

_No…no, I am not weak…I have no weaknesses…I am **not** vulnerable…_He told himself.

'Let me go!' He shouted, but the voice came to him again, infuriatingly calm.

'You are strong. You will do very well.'

'What the fu…' He began, but a gloved hand was clamped over his mouth, and he was forced to be silent as he heard the voices of the gangsters pass close by. He blinked a moment, confused. Had this person helped him…? If so, why was he handling him so roughly?

The hand was slowly removed and he raged, voice cold and chilly and as sharp as ice:

'You better let me go…**now**…'

To his frustration he heard laughing…quiet laughing, and the voice spoke to him again, quietly, in that same calm voice, talking to him like he was a child instead of a seventeen-year-old young adult.

'Is that a threat, boy? Save your insolent fire for the real enemy…'

He felt himself being pulled roughly away from the wall, and was dragged down the alley some more, one arm twisted painfully behind his back, the other held onto firmly by a strong hand.

Suddenly his assailant drew to the left and whispered words into the darkness. He heard locks be unbolted, and the door opened silently. Panic, a feeling he also rarely felt, filled him and he yelled at his attacker, struggling again, with the desperation of a wild trapped animal.

'Let me go! No, what are you doing, where are you taking me…? Let me go you-ugh!' He was kicked in the gut, and doubling over in pain, he was shoved roughly. He fell down a small flight of stairs, but he was used to taking knocks as a result of years of training, and he rolled to the safe landing position and was up again in an instant.

'Heh, I see that it's hard to keep this one down…' Another voice said, another male's 'He is very quick!'

'That's a good thing…he's strong.' A woman's voice spoke. It was a hard voice, and she added: 'Doesn't hurt that he's a handsome one too…'

The young man looked about him, but it was too dark…he couldn't see anything. Breathing slowly to restore his steady normal rate, he said icily, voice full of hate and bitterness:

'Who the hell are you?'

There was a silence, then a dim light filled the room, and the boy found himself looking at four adults. They all wore strange black robes, and he stared, momentarily surprised. These weren't thugs…there were two men, well built, an older wiser looking man, and a woman.

_Who the hell are they? _He thought. _What is going on here? _

He considered attacking, but something like his better judgement made him hesitate and reconsider. Something about the way they all looked at him told him that it wasn't a good idea to just attack full force. So he simply stood, on his guard, waiting for someone to do something.

Finally he was addressed by one of the younger men. The man had blond hair that was pulled back in a loose ponytail.

'I am your mentor boy. It's time for you to learn some manners.'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter! Was this long or was it long? Sorry…I was kind of on a roll-hope that was action-packed enough to hold your attention! Well, I'm exhausted for now, so please tell me what you thought of this. As you can see, I like to keep my readers on the edge of their seats. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! Next chapter up soon, hopefully!_


	7. Confused Minds

**Chapter VII: Confused Minds**

'Woohoo!' Selphie Tilmitt exclaimed, as cheerful and lively as ever. 'I did it, finally I did it, hah, take that Kinneas, hah hah hah!'

Irvine Kinneas rubbed his chin with his hand, and smirked a little at his girlfriend. She was a quick learner…

_Heh, just makes her all the more exciting…man, I sure am lucky and glad I met this little lady…_

'Go on, say it, tell me I'm hopeless and will never get the hang of using shotguns!' Selphie said, doing a little happy dance and swinging the gun around as she did.

Irvine reached out a hand and stopped it before it could smash into him.

'Whoa Selphie, calm down…watch where you wave that thing!'

'Hah! So are you scared now? I just shot a bulls- eye! Twice! Woo!'

Irvine raised a brow at her, letting her have her 'moment'. So he had underestimated her ability to get the hang of using guns quickly. Big deal…but she seemed to think it was, so he let her jump about for a while.

Turning to face Irvine, Selphie whipped the cowboy hat off his head, and put it onto hers. She plucked up a piece of grass off the floor and stuck it in her mouth, pulling on a look, and placing her hands on her tiny slim hips.

'I hereby do declare Selphie Tilmitt the greatest sharp-shooter that did ever grace the earth…' with that she held the large gun and posed.

Irvine chuckled at how ridiculous she looked wearing the hat, which was far too large for her, and holding a gun too big for her.

Selphie's lips curved into a mischievous smile as she looked at Irvine laughing at her.

_So…Irvy thinks it's funny…hah…I'll show him…_She thought.

Quicker than Irvine could have anticipated her to act, she whipped up the gun and held it up under his chin, finger on the trigger. His laughing cut off abruptly, and pleased with herself, Selphie questioned,

'Something funny Irvy?'

Irvine blinked, then swallowed. This babe was fast…

'No Selphie…I'm just laughing at how proud I am of you…'

'Hmph. Very funny…' Selphie said, and then 'I hope you don't have a different opinion on my being the greatest!'

'Whoa, no, no way, you are the greatest…' his eyes trailed over her appreciatively '…in everyway…'

Selphie blushed a little at his compliment, and stuck her tongue out at him. Then, teasing him, she advanced, still holding the gun up to his neck.

'The very best?'

'Darn yeah…'

'Better than all the rest?'

'Hell yeah…'

Selphie giggled 'Even better than…a certain Irvine Kinneas, supposedly the greatest sharpshooter around?'

Irvine opened his mouth and then paused. Selphie pushed up the tip of the hat so she could actually look up at him properly.

'Well?' she demanded, and Irvine chuckled.

'Irvine who?'

Selphie giggled again, and said 'Woohoo! Admit it Irvy, you didn't think I could handle it!'

'Heck lady, I didn't think you could handle many things when I first met you…'

'Irvine!' Selphie scolded lightly, and then it was her turn to be caught off guard as Irvine moved quickly, jerking the gun out of her grasp and grabbing her tiny light frame, lifting her up in his arms.

'Eeeep! Irvy put me down!' she gasped, between fits of giggles.

'Ha ha. Irvine Kinneas, greatest sharpshooter in town. No contest.' Irvine grinned devilishly, and with Selphie hoisted over his shoulder, and his gun in his other hand, he turned away from the new training area and headed back to Garden, grinning the entire while as Selphie squealed and writhed in a vain attempt to make him set her back down.

As he entered through Balamb Garden's gates, he was met by Zell Dincht, who was play fighting with his fists with another student. He caught sight of Irvine with a near hysterical Selphie over his shoulder, and excused himself from the guy he was with, jogging up to Irvine, grinning.

'Yo!' Zell said, his usual greeting, 'What's up man?'

'I'm just carrying some baggage back to Garden.' Irvine said casually, and Selphie's voice squealed at him.

'Irvine, when I get both feet back on the ground…I'm gonna get you so good…'

Zell chuckled. 'Watch out man. Had enough of those punches when we were saving the world…she means it…'

'Zell help meeeee' Selphie gasped 'Irvy put me dowwwwwwwn…'

Irvine chuckled again 'Ha ha…that's what she gets for thinking she could over throw me as the world's greatest sharpshooter!'

He walked with Zell by his side, and several students gazed with open admiration at the three who, with three others, saved Garden and the entire realm from the evil sorceress Ultimecia.

'Hey Zell!' several girl students called and Zell smiled goofily at them, waving. Irvine also waved his hand.

'Hey ladies!' he called, 'Lookin' good!'

'Irvine!' Selphie yelped, and then 'Zell!'

Zell grinned sheepishly 'Hey uh…sorry Selphie…what do I do?'

'Punch him for me…' Selphie yelped.

'Uh…nah, leave it to you. Hey man, have you seen Squall?'

'No.' Irvine replied 'Probably with his Angel chick…'

'Hmm, you're probably right. Needed to see him 'bout Seifer…'

'What's he done?' Selphie called over Irvine's shoulder.

Irvine glanced back over his shoulder grinning. Zell opened his mouth to answer.

'Oh noth…' he was cut off when Irvine collided with someone, the result of his not looking forward. He lost his balance, and fell back in a heap. Zell had to go behind him to stop Selphie's face from smashing into the ground.

'Whoa…sorry Selph…' Irvine began, as Selphie yelled at him.

'You're so stupid Irvine, I told you to put me down, why don't you look where you're going instead of at my ass?'

Zell chuckled as Irvine went red; Selphie sprawled over him, then his laugh caught in his throat as he looked up to see who had collided into them.

Seifer Almasy towered over them, glaring down, the expression on his handsome face unreadable. The sun shone directly up behind him, making his short blonde hair look even more golden in the light. His green eyes narrowed as he looked at the three young people, the two SeeD's and the sharpshooter.

Zell stood up first. He never hid his dislike for Seifer and he was not in the mood to deal with any attitude from him either. The traitor was lucky no one had tried to take him out already…especially Squall who also really despised the cocky, rude, undisciplined eighteen-year-old.

'Yo, why don't you look where you're going?' Zell demanded, body tense, ready to attack if Seifer tried anything. Seifer was strong, and could probably beat him up bad due to his greater body strength and stronger build, but that wasn't going to make Zell chicken out.

'Come off it chicken-wuss. I wasn't the one walking with my face turned.' Seifer sneered back.

Selphie stood up, helping Irvine up too. She felt sorry for Seifer, even if he was the biggest jerk in the world. She didn't think he was ever going to change, but being mean to him over something they all knew he regretted even if he didn't show it was not being much better than Seifer himself. Selphie was a good-natured girl and didn't like hurting people's feelings.

'Sorry Seifer, guess it was our fault.' Selphie apologised, smiling a little quirkily.

They expected an outburst-Seifer was a troublemaker by nature, looking for any excuse to start a fight, but to their surprise, he just looked at them a moment, and it wasn't anger they saw in his eyes. Before they could figure it out, Seifer, uncharacteristically stepped around them and silently walked away. They looked after him, confused.

'Uh…did Seifer just walk away like he had some dignity?' Irvine asked at length.

Selphie blinked, green eyes wide. 'HAY! That's really weird…not like him at all…'

'Pshhh…he probably has something worse to do.' Zell said in contempt, and then they heard another voice calling Seifer's name. They looked around to see Quistis running in their direction.

'Almasy!' she called angrily, face touched with a flush of anger 'Come back here! How dare you walk out on Xu like that?'

Seifer glanced back at Quistis.

'I heard it all before! You think I'm gonna sit around and take crap from you all day? I got better things to do in my time, **Instructor**!' he yelled at her.

Fury filled Quistis. He was such an impossible man to understand and get a hold of…and she had thought Squall difficult to figure out…this young man was even worse! Her emotions got in the way of her, and losing control she said something nasty she didn't think she was capable of saying out in public, in front of so many students:

'Like being the lapdog of an evil sorceress in the hopes of fulfilling some sick romantic dream?! You're pathetic Almasy!'

Zell and Irvine and Selphie looked at Quistis in shock. It was unlike her to lose control so openly…

Seifer froze, catching his breath. They didn't see his eyes widen. They didn't know what he felt inside when Quistis had said those harsh words in front of everyone.

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, struggling to maintain his haughty composure. Quistis, like the rest who watched and knew enough about Seifer, expected an outbreak of fury, a hurl of insulting verbal abuse.

But for the second time in a matter of moments Seifer surprised Zell, Irvine and Selphie. When he spoke he did not shout. He didn't do anything violent. Looking back at Quistis, who stood shaking in rage, he spoke to her finally,

'Are you done yet Instructor?' he inquired, and Quistis looked at him, eyes frozen on his. She was momentarily unable to respond as realisation of what she had just said hit her full force.

_Hyne…what have I said…I'm disobeying Cid…he told me not to bring up that issue in Seifer's presence…or openly!_

A strange guilt overwhelmed her. She blinked, and pushing back a strand of silky long blonde hair, she took a hesitant step forward, still looking at Seifer.

_What am I doing…? He deserves it…!_

But she found herself opening her mouth and speaking to him, her tone now lowered significantly.

'Seifer…' she addressed him by his name, for the first time in ages, talking to him as a person her age, not calling him by his surname, as her student.

Seifer gazed back at his Instructor coolly. He was trying to suppress the anger…denial was once again trying to creep into his mind and take over…but even someone like Seifer could not hide from his conscience forever. A very uncomfortable feeling had been bothering him lately, and he was not fool enough or shallow enough to deny knowing what it was.

Guilt was finally registering in his mind, and there was nothing he could do to get it out his system. He didn't yell back at Quistis…because he had no right to. Seifer heard her words and for the first time they sunk into him. They had cut deeply into him. It hurt beyond anything; it hurt as much as when Ultimecia had been raping his mind over and over again. Quistis's words were harsh and cruel, but they were true. He couldn't deny that. He had no right to argue against it.

'…' Without another word he turned his face from looking at her, and continued to walk away, jaw set grimly, hating all that he was feeling inside. He'd never felt so unsure of himself before. He'd never felt so confused. If Quistis came after him he was scared to think what he might say, or do. He walked on, ignoring all the stares, out of Garden to get some real time away from prying eyes and listening ears.

Trembling, Quistis let out a breath slowly, and blinked, feeling terrible. She couldn't understand why she felt like that…it was true wasn't it…? Seifer was a bad person and wouldn't change, couldn't change, no matter how many chances Cid and Edea were willing to give him.

She had disobeyed an order…that was it. Yes, that was the reason she felt so rotten.

'Ahem.' Irvine cleared his throat. Quistis blinked, finally tearing her eyes off Seifer's retreating back. She looked at her three friends.

'You okay Quisty?' Selphie asked sympathetically.

'He's a jerk Instructor.' Zell muttered, calling Quistis by her formal title out of respect.

Quistis glanced at Zell, beautiful face as stern as ever.

'Don't waste your time on that loser.' Zell added.

Quistis said nothing, just turned around, and just as Seifer had done, walked away, ignoring all eyes that were just then fixed on her.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

The silence was even more deafening than a stereo blaring out full force on top volume. No one has spoken for a while; no one knew exactly what to say.

Finally Roxy spoke up-she was always the one who hated uncomfortable silences the most.

'So uh…there's something wrong…right ah…like ah…like what…?'

Vreya stared dully at her hands folded in her lap. She had no idea. Something was happening…something was happening that she didn't understand. The dreams, all linked to each other, the trembling in the earth…she was not of a superstitious mind usually, and this baffled her to say the least. Whatever crazy explanation there was, she couldn't for the life of her figure it out, and she found that very frustrating.

'I don't know' she said, speaking up at last. 'I have no idea, but the coincidences are too bizarre to just dismiss. Costa's right. This is more than just coincidence…it has to be.'

'Vreya, what are you saying?' Lila asked, frowning with confusion. It was raining heavily outside now, but none of the teenagers had noticed, such was their interest in the topic they were discussing.

Ash sighed, rubbing his eyes. How long had they been sitting here, with no answers? It was really irritating…they weren't getting anywhere-they were making no progress…

'I just don't know.' Vreya said, and looked up at last, at all of her friends steadily.

There was a pause and Sara spoke up.

'Oh this is ridiculous. So what are we all thinking? Something supernatural? Things like that don't exist…'

Costa said, through his teeth, 'Yeah, just like how we don't think any other life forms exist in the universe…'

'I never said that…' Sara said back and Gen-Ray cut in quickly before they would be at each other's throats again.

'All right, now let's not lose it here again. I think Vreya, you're right. We should be keeping an open mind…'

'Are you people hearing yourselves?' Lila said, then looking at Gen, added 'I'm so surprised at you…you're the one who always believes there's a rational explanation to things…'

'Yeah, I do, and I'm not saying there isn't, but at the moment I can't think of one, so I'm open to any ideas.'

'I think we're all under stress…' Sara said matter-of-factly, and Costa was about to reply, when Vreya got there first, looking directly at Sara with a troubled look clearly visible in her eyes.

'Listen Sara, I totally understand that you're thinking that there can't be anything but a rational explanation, but think about it…it wouldn't make any sense…'

Here Ash spoke up.

'She's right. How is it possible that all seven of us dream things repetitively, with the same aspects in each time? How is it logically possible that I hear a crying voice, you do, Vreya does, Lila and Roxy, Costa and Gen do, in a dream that we keep having that repeats itself like the each of ours does?'

'How come we're always in a field and it's always dark? How come we're always with people who we can't see and don't sound familiar?' Costa added.

Roxy nodded 'Ya know, even though Costa is so rude, I agree with him and Vreya and Ash.'

Gen nodded. 'You guys are right. It just can't make any sense.'

'Maybe we all have some psychic abilities and share some unconscious thing together because we're friends…' Lila said, hopelessly. Ash looked at her questioningly, and instantly she changed her mind, smiling flirtatiously at him.

'Oh I agree with you. You know it really doesn't make any sense…you're so right.' she agreed.

Roxy snickered, and Sara glared, folding her arms across her chest.

'Sara…' Vreya began, and Sara said angrily,

'Well, why don't you all put your 'open minds' together and reach a conclusion for me? I want to know why I keep having the same dream. I want to know why there was no mention of the trembling in the ground on the news. I want to know and now.'

Ash said quietly 'We don't know.'

'Great. Wonderful.' Sara huffed.

'How can we find out?' Gen asked, looking puzzled.

'Heh. Go visit one of those crazy psychic readers.' Costa said dryly.

Roxy shot him a look, and Lila said

'Look people, there has to be some people who deal with stuff like this…'

'Those dream therapists?' Sara asked in irritation, and Vreya nodded.

'Hey…we could go to them…'

'What, all of us?' Costa exclaimed 'No thanks Bonita, I'd rather pretend to be sane than go visit a therapist.'

'What other choice do we have?' Ash asked.

'Seems like our choices are limited.' Gen agreed. 'I mean it's worth a shot…'

'Do you know how much you have to pay…?' Costa asked. 'My parents would get suspicious…'

'They don't need to know.' Ash said.

'Yeah. That's our only option, unless you're happy to just keep dreaming…' Roxy shrugged.

'So…we gonna do it?' Lila asked, looking at them.

They all looked at each other, and then to Vreya, whose brows rose slightly.

Why are they all looking at me for…? Since when did I make the decisions? I'm no leader…

'Uh…what?' she asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.

'Do you think we should?' Gen questioned.

'Well…I don't know! Why's it up to me?' Vreya asked, confused.

'Because you're the one who's been having them the longest, plus you seem to be having the craziest one…' Lila offered.

Vreya sighed. She looked to Ash, hoping he would help her out. But he was just looking at her silently, like the rest of them.

'I…I guess we have nothing to lose…' she began hesitantly, and Sara disdainfully tossed her head.

'Hah. Except some money and a reputation if we're seen by anyone else, all going together to see a therapist like we're mad…'

'I guess it's a risk we have to take.' Vreya shrugged.

'I agree. I want to know what the heck it all means' Costa said, and Roxy nodded.

'When should we go?'

'Don't you mean where?' Sara asked in exasperation.

'Yeah…that too!' Roxy nodded again.

'Well…I can check that out on the Internet.' Gen offered.

'As to when, as soon as possible' Ash said grimly.

They agreed, and Lila looked at the time.

'God, is that the time? Nine already? Hey guys, have we really been here 3 hours?'

'Time flies when you're having fun.' Ash said sarcastically, and Lila giggled at him.

'We should get going…' Vreya said, and Roxy stuck out her lip.

'Great guys…my parents will come back and see what a wonderful appetite you all have! Why haven't you guys touched the food?' she asked.

'Sorry Roxy' Gen smiled apologetically 'I guess we all aren't very hungry.'

'So boring…' Roxy muttered, then 'Well, if you gotta walk out on me so soon, help me clear this up!'

Several of them stood and began to clear the plates away. When they were done, they went to the door, and Gen said

'I'll have a look when I get back home, and tell you what I find tomorrow.'

'Yeah, I'll have a search too.' Ash said, shrugging, and they agreed.

They thanked Roxy and left her house, talking amongst themselves. The figure that had heard all and watched all silently slipped away into the night, to report back to base.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Fleck watched in amusement as the young man regarded him like he was insane. He was a good-looking boy, he had to agree with Rica; young, slim, lean, well built and well muscled. Not that it mattered, considering what his fate was. But at least the looks might make things easier for this boy with the ladies, even though he knew very well that the boy wasn't interested in that.

At length the icy voice spoke out again, cold and indifferent. They had been watching this boy for a while, they knew he relied on no one more than he did himself. They knew his strengths, his weaknesses. He was insolent and appeared aloof, but they would teach him to change those aspects of himself when addressing them. They were after all, his elders, and he had to respect that. He had to respect the fact that they were here to guide him, to help him, him, the first of many they needed to get hold of.

'Mentor?' the boy repeated, oblivious to the strands of silky light brown hair falling in such an unruly fashion into his intense eyes.

'Yes.' Fleck replied, 'you are my charge. Nice to meet you finally, in the flesh.'

The boy stared in disbelief. Who were they really? What did they really, seriously want with him? He hated it when people stalled and played games with him. Trying to maintain his sense of control, he said, through his teeth,

'Who are you really?'

'He doesn't believe us.' Rica said, frowning. She looked to the other man at her side. 'Bo?'

'Well, can't blame him. Just a little tyke.'

_Tyke? What did he call me? _The young man wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

'I am **not** a tyke…' he hissed, 'You better tell me who you really are, or I'll…'

'What?' Fleck asked. This was a chance to see how good the boy's skills were now, before training.

'Kick our asses I believe is what a young one like him would say.' Bo put in.

The older man stood up, and spoke, and his voice sounded knowing and wise.

'Not so hasty lad, you do not realise your own self.'

_My own self? What the hell are these people talking about?_ The boy was rather unnerved, though he'd never admit it.

He was taken from his thoughts as the man who had addressed him first, drew out something. His eyes widened slightly, on realising what it was.

_A sword? What in the world…?_

'Time to see how good you really are, boy.' Fleck said, walking up so that he stood right before him.

'Clear the area.' Rica said, and the others drew back.

He looked up at the dark blond haired man, who was so much taller and larger than him.

'What are you doing?' he asked tensely. This was too insane…he was so confused. He didn't understand.

The man held out the sword to him, hilt-side, so he could grasp it. He stared at the sword a moment, then his eyes rose to look at the Fleck, coldly.

'Let me go.'

'Do you want to leave?'

_I just said I did, didn't I? What a moron…_The boy thought.

'Then spar with me.'

'….' The boy's eyes widened and his confusion and surprise were evident on a face that was usually perfectly masked of emotion.

'…What?' he said at length.

'You heard me boy.' Fleck replied 'If you want to leave, fight me.'

_No…what is this, a stupid joke? How does he know I can use a sword?_ Alarm and suspicions whispered in his mind.

'I am not doing anything you say.' he said flatly.

'You got no choice boy.' the man replied, and he knew that voice belonged to the person who had grabbed him out in the street.

'You either fight, or surrender. Now we think you look more like a fighter…' Bo put in.

'If not, a shame such a body was wasted on a lazy thing such as yourself…' Rica said, deliberately attempting to anger the young man.

It worked. He glared at her, an intense fire blazing in his eyes. He looked back to the maniac with the sword.

Fleck threw the sword at the boy who caught it reflexively. He drew out another sword, and smiled at his young charge.

'Ready kid?'

'Don't call me **kid**…' he sneered, and the woman's voice came to him again.

'Hot-tempered aren't you?'

_Not usually…but when I get attacked by insane idiots like you, then yeah, it gets pretty annoying…this idiot wants to fight…? Fine…let's get this over with…he'll be sorry he grabbed me like that…_

With no warning he lunged forward, and swiped out with the sword. Fleck was impressed. This boy was even quicker than he had originally thought. He easily deflected however, and let the younger man attack, to get a feel of what his fighting technique was like. They exchanged a few more blows, and then the boy pulled back. They both circled one another, each watching the other closely.

The boy thought a moment. This idiot wasn't as rubbish as he had thought. It seemed this wasn't a joke after all. The man looked deadly serious. Circling him, he attacked again. He realised the man, Fleck, was playing on the defensive and wondered if that was deliberate. He didn't care after a moment, and was then forced back as the man deflected again. Gritting his teeth he saw another opening and attacked full force again.

Fleck defended, and then launched an attack of his own. Remarkably the young man matched strike after strike, anticipating every attack and adjusting his tactics to suit his fighting style.

'Impressive kid.' Fleck smiled, knowing already that the term 'kid' and 'tyke' and any reference to him as a child irritated this boy.

'I am not a kid!' he raged, and then launched into a deadly attack of lethal accuracy. If Fleck wasn't so good himself, he knew he would have problems with this fellow.

Still, the boy had many faults, which Fleck could see, in his style. He was too fiery; he didn't wait enough to size up his opponent. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact that the boy was still surprised by all this, but still, he needed to learn. He had great natural ability, and with a little tweaking, this boy could truly be amongst the greatest.

'Too hasty.' the older man's voice came to him, and he was distracted. Fleck caught him by surprise, moving quicker than he had expected for a man his size. He bought his sword up in the nick of time; to intercept the slash down the older man had attempted to catch him off guard with.

_Quick reflexes…good attention span…good concentration on opponent…just too impatient…_Fleck thought.

The boy deflected blow after blow as Fleck launched offence after offence. He was strong, but the older man was stronger, and he knew that at this rate Fleck's endurance would be the difference between them. When he trained at lessons held at a class he went to, his opponents were always weaker than him. He'd never really faced anyone who'd given him problems. The fights never lasted this long…he was not used to it. He dodged to the side, and as soon as he saw the chance he switched from defensive to offensive and charged the older man.

'Hey boy…you're too impulsive!' Fleck said, and it infuriated the younger man that this fool who didn't even know him could evaluate his swordplay so instantly.

Feigning to the left he quickly changed direction and managed to trick Fleck…he barely managed to avoid the boy's blade as it whistled past his right arm, missing by mere inches.

'Not bad…but it's over for now.' Fleck grinned, and attacked once more, putting all his strength into it this time. The boy fought valiantly, defending as best he could, but Fleck struck at an angle that he knew he boy was not familiar with. He tried to deflect again, but Fleck's sword his just above the hilt where he held it, and he lost his grip because the momentum was too strong. With a loud clang the sword flew from his grasp, and clattered to the wooden floor. Before he could react to attempt to kick his opponent's sword from his grasp, he was on his back, on the floor. Fleck had dropped low and swept him off balance.

Blinking in shock, he pushed himself up onto his elbows and then froze as he felt the cold, hard, sharp edge of the blade press against the skin of his throat. Swallowing, he raised his eyes, shocked at being at the receiving end for once. He hadn't expected to lose. He wasn't used to it. This man had gotten the better of him twice. Though he respected his talents, it still bothered him that he could be so easily beaten. He met the man's grey eyes, feeling rather humiliated at being at his mercy like this, on the floor.

Fleck's eyes held a look of amusement and respect. He addressed the boy again.

'You are good. But you have a lot to learn boy. You can be even better. I will help you become the greatest there is.'

The boy looked up at him, confused. He felt uncertain, but strangely not afraid.

'Why are you doing this?' he asked, mind a blank.

The man blinked, and drew his sword away. Still looking at the boy, he replied, deadly serious, all the traces of amusement gone from his face,

'There isn't much time. You must cooperate; you must let us help you. There is much to tell you, and you may not believe in it all…'

The man held out his hand to help the boy up, and what he said next confused the boy even more than anything else he'd seen and heard that day.

'But you cannot turn away from that which is your destiny, Zane Ivanstorm. You have been Chosen. You must fight for the future of your planet. Your struggle begins now.'

**_AngelHearts End of Chapter Ramble:_**__

_Once again can I thank you all for your kind reviews. They really help keep me going! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one should be up soon!_


	8. Knowledge Is Power

**Chapter VIII: Knowledge Is Power**

His eyes scanned over the vast area of the dusty plains of the ruined planet. No life forms dwelt in the savage realm of Harbiterove, save for the savages. Carnivorous cannibals who followed no rules, lived by no laws, simply roamed their lands killing each other in their eternal furies, because no humans lived there.

_Perfect_…_these filthy imbeciles will serve my purpose well…after all-we share a common dislike for humans_…

Already a huge army of savage scum had gathered beneath him. He stood tall and proud atop the lifeless rocky hill, his head tilted back haughtily as he regarded them with disdain. They had no order, no discipline-he would have to seek out the most worthy of these pathetic lots to order and discipline and train combat and tactics into.

They had mistaken him for a human…indeed he appeared such, and perhaps once he had been. They had tried to reach him, sneering and snarling like the filthy mongrels they were, but each time they attacked in their tens and twenties and ever-growing numbers they found themselves flung back by a mighty invisible force. They did not know that it was the young man who stood high up before them who was unleashing such powerful protective magic in order to repel them. They were now looking up, eyes full of wild fury. Perhaps once these beings had been civilised, but he knew why they were trapped in this cursed realm. All these people had once lived on Earth, long ago, but due to their greed and their lusts to obtain power, they had been cast out by Earth's protectors, with the help of Earth herself, into this empty realm where no time passed, where none aged or passed over to the other side. Century after century the Earth had had protectors, until finally the lineage had been broken when the rest of the human fools had turned against their own safe-keeper clan and murdered every last survivor.

How typical of humankind, not to realise what was good for them. 'The Souls' had protected the Earth and the secret to power for centuries. The wise, warrior race had been wiped off the face of the planet centuries ago, and he knew the Earth was vulnerable now. All humans were weak; there were no survivors of that ancient tribe, all humans now hid behind their war ships and their guns. No true strength was left in the race, they had become most of them savages also, but the Earth loved them too much to cast them out, for then She would be surely casting all humankind out, humankind who harmed her and basked in their ignorance. She was weaker now than ever before, and he was there to take full advantage. She would be his. He would obtain her secret, for now no one could keep it from him, not even She. Such was his desire for power; such was his determination to succeed where his sister-sorceress had failed.

The ruthless wind whipped strands of his silky midnight black hair into his frosted purple, silver tinted eyes. They narrowed, and finally he addressed them, voice smooth and full of authority. Many of the savages felt something within them stir at the sound of such a voice: one full of power and cold and scornful in tone. Yet at the same time it was cool and quiet, but loud enough to be heard across the plains, with enough strength to instil fear and awe in the listeners. It was a seductive voice, rich and dark, and just then full of mocking as he regarded the savages who still foolishly attempted to get to him.

'Look what you have all become. Look what humans have reduced you to.'

There was a roar of outrage and several sneered, in voices barely understandable,

'Bring down the human! Kill him! He mocks us!'

'Imbeciles. I am no mere human.' He sneered.

A cackling sound rose up to meet him. He guessed they were laughing, and a cold fury built up within him. So help those who aroused anger within him. He despised being laughed at.

'Listen to him!' they jeered 'Listen to the human scum!'

His eyes widened, and as they did so, a wave of energy simultaneously emitted from him, and protruded out towards the savages in an arc shape. It struck all not quick and smart enough to throw themselves to the ground, which was most of them, sending them flying back and slamming into the ground. The laughing turned into shrill cries of panic as they regarded the stranger cautiously. No human they knew could practice such magic. Not even the witches.

'If any of you value your worthless existence you will listen to me and obey me.' He said, voice cold and as sharp as a blade.

There were murmurings and finally one savage near the front addressed him.

'Who are you, what are you, and what brings you here?'

'I am your Master. What I am is beyond any of you. As to what brings me here…I will tell you now.'

The panic had subsided to curiosity. Unlike most humans, unlike how they had been once, this youthful looking man was to the point and did not sidetrack. Verily they agreed amongst themselves that the man standing atop the rocky hill had great leadership qualities.

'Master? We have no master!' several jeered and there was an uproar again. His eyes narrowed, and his voice rang out clear and harsh, above all theirs.

'Would you like another sample of my power?' He asked nastily, and that quietened many of them. The last energy wave had hurt them immensely.

'You all despise humans, for they are who cast you out of your own realm, they, and your planet. You were once human too, but now you have been reduced to mongrels. To savages, starving of food and water. Starving of power.'

An angry murmur broke out but they listened as he continued.

'I also despise humankind. They are ignorant, weak. I come here to give you the chance of returning back to Earth.'

They were shocked. All spoke at once and then the same one at the front who had addressed him earlier shouted for order. He looked at this one with interest. Perhaps he had found his trainer…

'Quiet!'the savage at the frontyelled, then looked up at the man 'How? We are in exile for all eternity. How can you return us?'

'Do not question my methods fool. I simply ask whether or not you all wish to return.'

'YES!' Cries of agreement rang out-the noise was deafening. He silenced them once more with a raise of his hand.

'Then here is my offer. I will return you to Earth, when the time comes. In return, you will all serve me. I require that you all simply kill humans and aid me in my search to find a very valuable object. I will make you into worthy fighters…you will be above the human race you were all once a part of. I will breed an entire army to serve my will, I will rule the Earth and you shall all have your share of the power. For in serving me you will receive your just rewards.'

They all looked up at him in awe, and then there were cries of agreement once again.

'We join you!'

'We swear our allegiance Master!'

'Return us and we will serve you!'

Then from the ecstatic cries came a single shout. The same savage once again, speaking up.

'WAIT!'

The rest quietened and looked at the fool who dared to disagree and throw away such a chance. The savage, who was known as Ekan, looked up at the raven-haired man.

'How can we trust him? How do we know you will not trick us?'

He smirked at the worm that had dared to question him again.

_A clever fool_…

'You have my word Ekan. I am a man of honour. I always keep my promises. The question is, how do I know that you truly even deserve to return?'

'How do you know my name?' Ekan growled, but the young man merely smiled and replied

'I know many things. Things you would never think were possible.'

'We want to return…tell us what we can do to prove our worth!' another savage cried.

His smile deepened 'You must learn to fight. I will round up more warriors who are skilled in battle and bring them here to teach you. In the meant time, rally yourselves. You…' He pointed to Ekan who was still staring at him uncertainly.

'You are in charge of your race. I will send the others here shortly. All who wish to return to Earth must swear allegiance to me and learn the arts of magic and swordplay, amongst other weaponries. Any who fail to do so will be left behind. I will return only the worthiest of your pathetic lot. You will learn to work together for your common causes. I warn you all from now…do not disappoint me…'

His eyes scanned over them, narrowed, and even as far below as they were they could see the flame of threat and malice in the intense depths.

'…That would not be wise…' He added, and then stepped back, and a light of brilliant blue emitted from the ground, swirling around him and engulfing him. The savages watched in fear and wonder as crackles of electricity emitted from the light, and a great gust of wind carrying dust forced them to shield their eyes. When it had resided, they looked back to the hilltop, to find that the mysterious man had disappeared; leaving only sparks of blue electricity in his wake.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Vreya thanked Ash and said goodnight to him, Lila and Sara. Closing the car door she moved to the pavement and watched Ash reverse the car, waving as he drove off. She turned away and walked to the front door of the house. Pressing the doorbell button, she waited, shivering slightly. It was still raining lightly, and rather chilly, which she found strange considering it was spring now.

The front door opened, and Vreya started, expecting her mother,

'Hi mum, sorry I never called…' her voice trailed off and she blinked in surprise on looking up. The person who stood in the doorway was not her mother.

'Oh my God! I was just going to call you when I got back!'

Katrina Vyse grinned at her shocked cousin, and said 'About time you showed up! I've been sitting around bored for ages!'

Vreya smiled apologetically. What a coincidence! She was glad her favourite cousin was here…she needed to talk to her. Katrina gave her a hug, then ushered her indoors.

Closing the front door behind her, Katrina smirked at Vreya.

'What?' Vreya asked innocently, mystified by the knowing expression on her cousin's face.

'You don't need to hide anything from me Vreya. I know who's car that was that just drove off!'

Vreya stared at Kat, then realised what she was trying to say. She rolled her eyes, and sighed. It seemed that everyone was just waiting for an opportunity to catch her with her 'secret boyfriend' that everyone believed she had. Katrina in particular liked to tease her about guys. The two were very close, both the same age-their mothers were sisters, but Katrina took her father's surname while Vreya had adopted her mother's one simply because she'd liked the sound of it when she was younger, and so it had stayed that way, much to her own father's-who's second name was Wrenart-grumbling disapproval.

'Oh for God's sake…'

'Ash is like one of the best looking guys Very, there's nothing to be ashamed of except for not telling me earlier!'

Katrina seemed to find the use of 'Very' instead of Vreya suitable for her cousin, because she hardly ever called her by her real name, always using that irritating nickname.

'Kat, I'm not going out with Ash or anyone. So there. Now where's your mum?'

'In the kitchen with your mum. Your dad went out a while back.'

Vreya nodded, then moved to the kitchen, Katrina hot on her heels. She entered to find her aunt and mother together at the table, laughing over something, both holding mugs of tea in their hands.

'Auntie!' Vreya exclaimed. Her brunette aunt, who was two years older than Vreya's mother, looked over her shoulder at her young niece.

'Hello sugar! Where were you, we were getting worried!'

Vreya smiled and went over to the table, giving her aunt a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Eleanor LillyMoore was her favourite aunt, because she had the best sense of humour, and always helped Vreya out. She was like a second mother.

'Careful pumpkin, or I'll spill this tea!' Vreya's aunt gave her a kiss on the cheek back, and then Vreya's mother spoke up.

'Darling, you never called?'

'Sorry mum…I forgot!' Vreya apologised, then moved to her mother, and gave her even more love. Her mother smiled, pleasantly surprised by the open show of affection that Vreya hadn't given her for a while.

'That's fine honey. Just as long as you got home alright.' she said softly, with Vreya's arms around her shoulders, her daughters head resting on hers.

'Oh yeah…Ash made sure of that!' Katrina sniggered, and her mother sighed.

'Honestly Kitty, I'm going to send you to her school just so that you fall in love with that Ash yourself, so that you stop tormenting your poor cousin!'

Vreya giggled. It was too bad she and Katrina went to separate schools, even though they didn't live too far apart.

'Want to eat darling?' Vreya's mother asked, and Vreya realised she was hungry again. 'Let me just get my stuff upstairs, then I'll come down.'

'Okay. I'll call you when I've warmed supper up.'

Vreya nodded, then moved upstairs.

'I'll wait for you here.' Katrina grinned.

'No, you'll come upstairs with me. I want to talk to you.'

'Hey Very, sorry if I annoyed you…' Katrina said, holding up her hands in a gesture of surrender, smiling at her cousin.

'No…not that…come on.' Vreya said, and shrugging, her cousin moved after her, following her upstairs.

They entered Vreya's bedroom, and Vreya closed the door. Katrina sat on her bed, smiling. She was about Vreya's size, with short cut brown hair, which had red highlights in it. She was very childish and lively in manner, and very fun to be around. She got on well with most of Vreya's friends, Roxy in particular because they were very alike. Like Vreya, she was popular at her school, having many friends and being involved in many school and social events.

'Ooh, so you're gonna confess that you have a crush on this guy…'

Vreya laughed despite herself. Katrina was so much like Roxy it was insane.

'Actually that's not it. It's something a little more serious than that.'

Katrina looked at her cousin curiously.

'Hmmm…interesting! So shoot, what's on your mind?'

'Well…' Vreya said, and then sat down on the bed beside her cousin. She paused, not quite knowing how to word it all.

Katrina, though very lively, could be surprisingly mature when she needed to be, and was a great listener. She waited patiently for Vreya to begin, knowing better than to push her.

'Okay. I need you to listen and stay serious for me Kat…' Vreya looked at Katrina directly, and her cousin nodded, all seriousness.

'Okay…do you remember that dream I told you I kept having?'

Katrina thought a moment. 'Oh, that one that started like over a month back?'

Vreya nodded 'Yes…well, I'm still having it. But that's not the point. The thing is, I spoke to my friends today…and they said that they've been having dreams too…dreams that keep repeating themselves as well.'

Katrina frowned lightly. At length, she spoke.

'Are you serious?'

'Do I look like I'd make up something like this?' Vreya sighed.

'Hmmm, guess not…that's really weird though. Sure they were being serious?'

'Yes, because I know when they're lying. All of them Kat…Lila, Roxy, Costa, Sara, Gen-Ray and Ash.'

'Ash too?' Kat blinked in surprise, as Vreya nodded. 'Whoa…that is freaky…'

'It doesn't end there…the really spooky thing is, all our dreams are linked.'

Katrina stared at Vreya, brown eyes wide.

'No, now you're pulling my ear here!'

'I swear it's true. Remember I told you in my dream there's always a crying voice, and that I'm always in a field? Well, in their dreams, they all hear a crying voice too, and they're always in a field.'

'No way Vreya, stop joking around!' Katrina said, but Vreya looked oddly serious.

'I'm not kidding Kat. I wish it was just all a crazy joke, but it's not…' stressfully, Vreya ran her fingers through her hair. 'I just don't know what to make of it all. We couldn't reach any conclusions why…'

'You never went to do your project then?' Katrina smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Vreya sighed 'No, and I feel bad for lying, but we needed to meet and sort it out.'

Katrina considered for a moment. 'Maybe it's just a strange psychic thing…a crazy coincidence?'

'Be realistic Kat…okay, maybe if just two of us were having similar dreams, then yes, but when all seven of us are? We can't all be stressed over the same thing! Shall I tell you an even freakier fact? In Roxy's dream, she's with Lila and this other girl they can't see, but can only hear. In Lila's dream, it's exactly the same as Roxy's one…she's with Roxy and this girl she can hear but can't see.'

'You are seriously scaring me Vreya…'

'I'm scaring myself! Kat, I don't know what to do…I keep seeing the same dream over and over and do you know how many sleepless nights I've had? They make me irritable and then I take it out on my poor parents! They don't deserve it…I just want it to stop…I just want it to end!' Vreya buried her face in her hands in despair, and Katrina sighed, biting her lower lip rather anxiously. She moved up closer to Vreya and put an arm around her, to comfort her.

'I'm sorry Very.' she said softly, voice sympathetic. 'I wish I could comfort you, but I guess I don't know how it feels. It is really freaky, and I can tell you're not lying, because you never do, only in extreme cases…'

'I don't know what to do.' Vreya's voice was muffled.

'Look. Maybe you should all visit those people who specialise in the subconscious and stuff like that…'

'We already thought of going to see a dream therapist…'

Katrina nodded 'Yeah, they'll work…'

'Ash and Gen are looking over some suitable ones. But what if they're too far? I never heard of anything like that near here…' Vreya said.

'I'll ask my friend's dad…he's a psychiatrist…maybe he'll know someone who can help?'

Vreya raised her head and looked at her cousin, smiling a small smile.

'I was scared you'd laugh or something-thanks for taking me seriously.'

'Well I was going to, but then I realised you can't all be crazy…' Katrina grinned, as Vreya's mother called her down for supper.

'Come on, up.' Katrina stood up and held out her hands to Vreya, to help her up. 'Don't worry about it Vreya. There's bound to be an explanation.'

'You're right.' Vreya agreed, allowing herself to be pulled up. Just as they reached the door, and Vreya reached out to twist the knob open, she remembered something, and looked back at Katrina.

'Hey Kat, did you feel that aftershock in the ground? It was pretty big, so I think you would've felt it where you were…'

Katrina regarded Vreya, with a look of genuine confusion on her elf-like features. Tilting her head, she replied, and her response was the last thing Vreya would have expected her to say.

'Aftershock…what aftershock…?'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

The boy's eyes were lowered as Fleck, Rica, Bo and the older man, who had finally made himself known to the young man as Morgan, explained with somewhat urgency the entire 'situation'. It was mostly Fleck and Morgan who did the talking, with Rica and Bo chipping in any extra details, which had not been included.

What they were telling him was laughable. He would have laughed, if it were something he was accustomed to doing, but he'd always had a talent for making his face devoid of all readable expression and emotion. The four mad adults sounded strangely serious though…they were good actors, he supposed. He sat on the wooden chair, long legs drawn out before him, arms folded across his chest. While they spoke on, he noticed that his white, light sports pullover jacket had a stain on it.

_Well damn…I just had this top washed_…he thought irritably.

Fleck noticed the bored look on his young charge's face, and frowned.

'Hey boy…are you even listening?' he demanded.

Zane's eyes slowly rose to meet his 'mentor's'. He gave him an exasperated look…well what did the man think, that he'd magically gotten hold of some cotton wool and stuffed it in his ears? Zane wished he could have…because this talk didn't interest him in the least. They were talking about some prophecy and insane things like that, things that didn't make sense to him.

Bo, larger in build than Fleck, stepped forward, and menacingly bought his face to be level with the boy's. Zane stared straight back at him, gaze unwavering.

'Listen **kid**, there's no time for any of your attitude…'

'I am not a kid.' Zane replied calmly. He just wanted them to finish their chatter so he could go home. The entire experience had been so bizarre, and things had happened far too quickly for his liking. Even he took time to adjust to changes…something he hated. He liked life to have a set pace, no changes, he liked it when he was in control and felt in balance with everything. If anything upset the balance it irritated him-just as this entire insanity was irritating him now.

'Bo, I'll handle him…' Fleck said, and Bo gave Zane a dirty look, then relented, stepping back.

'Tell me what I've been saying for the past ten minutes.' Fleck instructed. When the boy just stared at him blankly, Rica sighed in excessive exasperation, throwing her hands up in the air in a disgusted gesture.

'He's like a wall! Completely cold and blank-he isn't listening to us!'

Morgan was looking intently at the boy. Could it be that they had gotten this child wrong? Was it the wrong child they had gotten hold of? Surely The Children of Earth, which the prophecy mentioned, were not all so difficult as this stubborn young man? So God help them if the fate of the planet depended on the likes of this boy. Just as he was ready to raise his voice in the hope of making the insolent child listen, the boy spoke up, surprising them all.

'For many centuries the Earth has been vulnerable and open to attack, because the people who protected 'her' were killed many centuries before. These protectors had ancient scriptures in their possessions, which included secrets on how to gain the power to govern all. There was also a prophecy in the scriptures that tells of the ending of the world, and how humans are all gonna die, unless The Chosen Ones awaken from their sleep and rise up to fight for their Earth alongside some Fated Children, to stop the merging of worlds and eliminate the threat…' Zane looked up at Bo, eyes narrowing.

'So now who's the one with attitude?' the boy inquired, and to his surprise Bo laughed. Fleck chuckled and Rica smiled at Zane. Morgan was nodding his head in approval.

'You know tyke, I could like you…' Bo grinned, and was rewarded with a scowl from Zane.

'Good, you were listening. Now that you know the basics, I suppose you want to know how all thisconcerns you.' Fleck said.

Zane looked at Fleck and said 'I want to know why the hell you grabbed me like that.'

Rica answered for him. 'Well, we knew there was no way you'd comply willingly, so we figured grabbing you was the best option. Only force will work on you.'

Zane glowered. 'And this should all concern me how?'

Morgan spoke up. 'You are one of the Chosen Ones Zane Ivanstorm. We believe that you are part of the group of mortals who will fight the evil and restore righteousness and order to the planet.'

The boy stared at the older man, blinking.

_Let me get this straight. These people honestly think that there's going to be a merging of worlds…they honestly believe some stupid legend? I knew they were crazy from the very beginning…now I've got to think of a way to get out of here…Chosen One, restoring righteousness my ass! They can restore the righteousness in their own heads before making demands of others_…

They were watching him and waiting for his response. Finally he spoke, voice quiet and cool.

'Look. This is crap. I'm no Chosen anything. I'm just a normal nobody. So let's call it a day. I need to get home.'

'We realise this is hard to understand…' Rica said, and Zane had had enough. He stood up, and said in irritation,

'Look. You drag me here against my will, force me to a duel and then ask me to listen to all this rubbish? You're all seriously messed up in the head. Maybe the supernatural and prophecies and all that are your thing, but I don't believe any of it, so don't try to get me into all that destiny crap!'

'What do you think of destiny?' Morgan asked, curious to know the boy's line of thinking.

'I believe every person shapes their own destiny.' Zane replied flatly 'Nothing is set, now if you don't mind…'

'Hold on boy…just wait a second. You're right. Nothing is set, that you can possibly change. But you got to believe us. It's happening now, even as we speak. The other realms are circling round Earth and soon the merging will begin. It could be a matter of weeks now…' Fleck began, but was cut off.

'Great.' Zane said sarcastically 'Plenty of time for you to find a better 'Chosen One' then…'

'Find? Bloody hell this kid is thick!' Bo said angrily, glaring at Zane 'It's not a bloody position up for offer…only the Children chosen by Earth can stop the end of the world…man, don't you want to grow up and have a future?'

Zane looked at the tall man coldly. His entire life had been anything but great. As far as he was concerned, he didn't really have a future anyway. He didn't care about anyone, and he was careful to make sure no one cared for him. He didn't need the hassle of friends…people constantly moved on, things constantly changed whether he liked it or not. He'd been alone his entire life. He didn't need anyone else, and he sure as hell wasn't thinking of having a future with anyone.

'We're telling you, you are a Chosen One, whether you like it or not.' Rica said 'It's not something you can choose to be or not…it's what you are. So stick with it boy…you have a responsibility and you'd be damned to ignore it…'

'I'd be damned to listen to your crazy crap. I'm leaving now…' Zane said, taking a step, but before he had gotten very far, a hand reached out and shoved him back. He fell back into the chair again, blinking in surprise. A hand gripped onto his shoulder tightly, and he looked up into the very angry face of Fleck. Anger surged up once again inside of him, and he said through his teeth:

'You are really beginning to annoy me with that…' Fleck was really taking liberties by shoving him all over the place.

'Don't like it kid?' Fleck asked, his own voice taking on a nasty edge 'If you want to get the better of me, you need to start listening and accepting my help. Otherwise I'll just keep on getting the better of you. Maybe you haven't been around enough adults in your time to realise that you have to respect your elders. I may be lenient with you but I won't hesitate to put you back in your place if you push it too far. Got it?'

Zane's eyes widened in fury as he glared at Fleck, who was gripping onto his shoulder so tightly it was beginning to hurt. Was this man threatening him? He could not think of a suitable response however, and was left fuming to himself, feeling humiliated. He wasn't used to being told and ordered to do this or that. He went where he pleased, did as he pleased…what gave these people the right to threaten him?

'Good' Fleck said, letting go of the boy's shoulder, 'glad we have come to some sort of understanding at last.'

Zane resisted the urge to rub his aching shoulder. Glaring at the four adults, he demanded, with excessive bitterness in his tone:

'How do you all know about this prophecy if Earth kept it hidden?'

Morgan replied 'The Earth is sending out signals to those who are to be involved in the final battle. She is crying out for help. She can no longer protect her inhabitants, but asks now for them to protect her. We know of the prophecy because it has been unveiled to us. However, we only have that part of the scripture, and not the section which contains details on how to govern all. The Earth is still waiting for The One to awaken so that the revelation will be revealed to that One.'

'The One?' Zane repeated blankly.

'Yes. The One who stands alone in the twilight, and bestows light to smite the dark. That is as it is foretold in the prophecy. The leader of The Children of Earth.' Morgan said.

'So I'm hoping that's not me.' Zane said flatly.

'No. We shall know when The One is found, because only The One can hold the scriptures.' The wise old man replied.

'And you will know how…?'

'The One will come to us. In a faded part of the prophecy, there is mention of The One and The Lost Child standing together with The Lion and The Angel when all else have fallen, to deal out the final justice.'

'The Lion and Angel and Lost Child?' Zane repeated, and then 'Doesn't this sound crazy to you?'

Fleck spoke up again 'They are all code names for certain Chosen people we have yet to find.'

'How will you know when you do find them?' the boy asked, all the while not really believing any of this, yet hoping that if he looked like he was believing it they'd let him go.

'We don't yet' Rica sighed, 'but you are a Chosen One, we just need to find the others.'

There was a pause, and then Zane said suspiciously 'How do you know I am a Chosen One?'

Fleck regarded him steadily, and replied 'Because we have been watching you for the past three months.'

Zane stared.

_What? Is this man serious? That's a crime…I swear I am going to report these people_…

'Heh heh, don't look so horrified kid' Bo grinned 'It's not like you think…'

Zane stared and then looked to Fleck for an explanation. The older man shook strands of dark blond hair out of his eyes and replied, all serious,

'You've been dreaming lately haven't you?'

Zane regarded him strangely, then a cold feeling shot through him as he realised what Fleck was possibly referring to.

_The dream…that keeps repeating itself…the girl…the crying_…

His eyes lowered, and for a moment he was silent. He realised his mistake and looked up, and said indignantly,

'Doesn't everyone dream?'

'Don't try to wriggle out of this one boy.' Rica said sternly 'You know exactly what Fleck meant.'

Zane stared at Rica, and then muttered a curse under his breath. Great. Just great…this was just what he needed. A moment ago he'd thought them insane, but now he was having serious second thoughts about who the real crazy one was.

'We don't know the exact details of the dream, and we guess you won't tell us…but there are bound to be certain elements in it the same for all Chosen Ones. Certain signs.' Bo said.

Morgan said 'The crying, boy. The crying you hear: it is She, Earth. She calls for your help, to stand with the rest of her Children and help save her and all the realms from the Threat.'

'I'm guessing you're always in a dark field too? That's another sign. Presumably you aren't alone, there is always someone unfamiliar with you.' Fleck added.

Alarm filled Zane, though he masked it well, as ever. To the onlookers he seemed perfectly composed and cool. Just at that moment however, he felt anything but, his mind a confused, empty, vast space.

_God…it can't be possible…how can they know…it's not possible_…

The girl in his dream always stood alone with him, and she would always be uncertain over something. He would always reassure her…he would talk to her like he cared, which troubled him. Zane didn't know any girl he felt any kind of friendship towards, let alone one he had romantic feelings for. Many young women he saw around at his school had crushes on him, but he never returned any feelings to any of them. So the dream had him very confused…it was a mystery, a troubling puzzle he longed to find the answer to, but knew not how, or where to find the solution. He could never see the girl, she always seemed just beyond his reach. Then there was the crying voice he always heard. What these people were telling him now unnerved him. They were saying the exact elements that made up his dream…not the details exactly, but it was enough to make him reconsider how crazy what they were saying really was.

'You dream the same dream time after time after time…' Rica continued, and then the realisation hit Zane that there was no way anyone could know it unless he had spoken it out loud which he knew for certain he never had. Therefore…the only explanation…the only other explanation could be…that they were not lying. These insane adults were not so crazy after all…

_But there has to be some other explanation…some logical reason…how can this be true…? Prophecies, Chosen Ones…? This is what supernatural films and books are made out of…it can't be real…merging of realms…what, does magic exist too?_ He thought

Really, he was smart enough to know when people were faking something, and these people looked deadly serious. Why go through all the trouble of watching him and grabbing him and getting him to listen to all of this if he wasn't really a Chosen One at all? If there was such little time left, then he doubted that they'd waste their time on someone who wasn't what they were looking for anyway… it didn't make sense in any other way except that they were really telling him the truth…and crazy as it was he had to accept it.

'So you see tyke…you are a Chosen One.' Bo finished. They all looked at the teenage boy, and Fleck felt sympathy towards him. It would probably come as quite a shock to realise that the fate of the world depended on you.

His silence told them that he was deep in thought, and perhaps they had managed to convince him because he wasn't sending any insolent comments their way. Zane stared at his hands in his lap, trying to come to terms with everything. It was rather overwhelming to realise suddenly that he was to be part of a group who would supposedly save the world.

_Great…I get to be a hero…just what I've always wanted! …Hah…yeah right…whatever_…

Morgan said 'You are the first of many we have yet to find. Perhaps you can help locate the others. We hope that The Chosen Ones have some form of sensing when their fellow destined are close by…'

'The dream you keep having is linked to what will happen somehow, we assume. Whoever you are with is a real person or symbolises something that only you alone can figure out.'

_So…the girl…could exist_…? Feeling rather numb Zane couldn't think of anything to say. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react…

Fleck's voice came to him again 'I know it's a little shocking at first…but you've got to get over it and find your true inner strength. Zane…'

The boy looked up directly at Fleck, his gaze locking withhe personhe supposed really was his mentor.

'To win this war you have to conquer many smaller battles. You have to fight with a true ambition and desire to set things right. You have to truly want to save Earth…I'm telling you this because you are my charge, and it's my job to train you to make it all the way. But I need you to cooperate and work with me. You have to truly want this in order to succeed. Do you understand me Zane?'

Zane's eyes searched Flecks, and at length the young man finally stirred. He wasn't entirely happy with all this, and there was still so much he didn't understand…but he knew that these people were really here to help him, and besides, he didn't hate the world enough to want it to end so soon.

He spoke, and his voice was strangely both calmer and much more quieter, the tone very serious, as he looked at his mentor, his guide, the man who would help him discover his true self. So that had been the meaning of Morgan's comment when he'd first faced them all, about not realising his own self…

'Tell me what I have to do.'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Rinoa giggled as a few younger year Garden students surrounded Squall, gaping up at the tall SeeD. They had come out of nowhere, and now had him cornered.

'Whoa, are you weely Sqwall Len-art?' one small boy exclaimed, and the rest of the children looked awe-struck, gazing up at Squall like he was some fearsome, mighty deity.

Squall, on the other hand, looked very uncomfortable. Even though they were only children he still hated the attention…he looked desperately to Rinoa, who stood back a little, smiling at how cute it all looked.

_Rinoa…I would appreciate it if you got these kids away from me_…he told his sorceress mentally. She could sense his discomfort and sent him back a thought, to soothe him.

_Aw Squall, they're so cute, let them have their fun…you're their hero after all!_

_Whatever_…he rolled his eyes in his typical fashion, prompting another giggle from Rinoa.

'Uh…look…' Squall began uncertainly, not knowing how to handle children of this age…he was afraid that if he were too nice they would just follow him around and get too attached. That would be his personal nightmare…it was one thing to learn to trust again, and another to have devout followers of this size!

_Hey Squall, maybe you should set up your own fan club like Quisty's Trepies_…came an amused voice in his mind. He glared at Rinoa, who stood looking so angelic and beautiful, sunlight spilling all around her.

_You are so helpful Rinoa…thank you_, Squall thought back sarcastically. Rinoa simply batted her lashes, feigning innocence.

'Please can I take a photo with you?' a little girl begged 'You're my hero!'

_Oh Hyne, this is just great_…

'Hey Squall you are the coolest! Tell us how you beat that evil Ultemia!' another boy said eagerly.

'I wanna be just like you when I grow up Squall!' said another.

_It just gets better and better…and it was Ultimecia kid_…Thought Squall.

Rinoa smiled at the sight…it really was rather adorable. A girl pointed to her, tugging at Squall's arm.

'Hey, are you gonna marry Rinny?' she asked, and this caused both Squall and Rinoa to blush furiously. The kids giggled, now making fun of the two in their turn. Squall tried to pull away, but he didn't want to hurt them, no matter how bratty they were being. They were only kids after all.

Before he could respond, more questions were fired his way.

Rinoa, still blushing, pondered over the innocent question the kids had asked. Would they ever? Of course it was far too early for any of that, but Squall was really handsome and she truly believed he was the one for her.

_I guess that's my dream_, she thought wistfully, watching him trying to escape the small crowd. As she watched however, a sudden strange feeling began to creep up inside her, and she ignored it at first. However, it increasingly became more persistent, and she frowned to realise that she had a headache coming on.

_That's strange…I was fine a second ago_…

Rinoa rubbed her forehead, in an attempt to soothe the pain, but it only increased. A feeling of nausea overwhelmed her suddenly and the brightness of the sun was suddenly too much. She swayed dangerously, overcome completely by surprise by this ill feeling.

'Can I have your autograph Squally?' a girl of about nine shrieked.

_'Squally'? Rinoa, did you hear that…?_

Squall, on receiving no response looked to Rinoa, having expected her to tease him over that nickname. He was surprised to find that she was looking not too well, clutching her forehead and swaying unsteadily.

'Rinoa!' he exclaimed, and the kids looked past him to Rinoa Heartilly. Worriedly he began to force past the group, towards his Angel.

'Rinoa, what's wrong…?'

_Squall…I feel…strange_…

_Rinoa…hang on_…

A soft moan escaped Rinoa's rosy lips and she fell suddenly to the floor. Squall barely managed to dart forward in time to catch her and break her fall. His Angel looked up at him, dazed, and murmured in a voice so suddenly drained of energy that alarm filled Squall as he gazed down at her, a worried frown on his handsome, chiselled features.

'Squall…I…I felt…' Rinoa's voice trailed off and her eyes closed, as she lost consciousness then and there in her knight's arms. For a moment Squall knelt, frozen, truly stunned, as the children gathered around him, whispering and peering down over his shoulder. He didn't hear them as confusion and alarm filled him, as he remembered the last time Rinoa had fallen into a sudden unconsciousness. With fear for her making his heart pound, he scooped his Angel up in his arms, and with a sense of urgency began to carry her to Balamb Garden's infirmary. She was unconscious, but still the children whispered, and still the birds sang.

And still the planet in which he lived watched, and waited, knowing it would soon be time to send her beloved Fated Children to her sister Planet of Life to aid the Chosen there in the battle against evil which would ultimately prove which of the realms would truly be the final surviving reality.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_That was quite long…sorry, but I didn't want to split it into two separate chapters. That's all for now, I hope this wasn't boring or anything…but I need to get these info filled bits out the way so the real action can start. Please leave your comments and I'll update soon!_


	9. Nightmares

**Chapter IX: Nightmares**

The young man was standing deadly still, as if waiting for someone, waiting for something to happen. The early morning sky was still very dark-the sun had still not managed to break through the dark and threatening thunderclouds and rain was ready to fall at any moment.

Then it came to him; as lightening momentarily illuminated the sky, a sword came spinning down from the heavens and landed at its master's feet, piercing deep into the sandy ground. The young man moved with the quickness of an agile cat, darting forward and snatching up his mighty blade, which had a mysterious lion-like head attached to a silver chain, which in turn was attached to the hilt of the sword. He began to run full speed towards his opponent, another young man who seemed taller and also wielded a mighty blade.

They exchanged several blows, seemingly equal in their skills. As their swords clashed so did their wills…each one willing the other to give up, to yield to the others might. Lightening flashed and the rumble of thunder was so loud and close that it almost drowned out the sound of metal scraping against metal.

'Tired already?' one of the young men mocked, at the other, forcing him back and gesturing with a hand, his sword held casually over one shoulder ' Come on, I'm just warming up!'

The other young man did not reply: in his eyes was a fierce look of determination and passion for the fight. He attacked again, his sudden movements causing particles of dust to fly up from the ground. The taller man met his attack with relative ease, smirking arrogantly, laughing and taunting the other silent one.

Forcing him back yet again and sneering all the way, the taller man began an attack of his own. But the other defended and parried his attacks with impressive accuracy, then saw his chance. He ran at him and put all his strength into each strike, aiming with lethal accuracy, forcing the other back and on the defensive as he launched blow after relentless blow at him. The man in black was on a roll now, hitting continuous strike after strike, with such ferocity that the taller one had trouble defending, caught by surprise by the sudden rise in the other boy's level. But he managed to get out of trouble and sliced out at the man in black, who jumped back with admirable lightness and grace, barely missing the sharp blade of the other young man's sword. The boy in black moved in a very elegant way when he fought, almost looking as though he were dancing. He did not relent on his attack however, and twisting his blade to acquire the desired hold for his next attempt, he ran forward, steely resolve and determination flashing in his eyes. Raising a gloved hand and holding the palm out towards his opponent to help with his aim, he ran at full speed, ready to finish the fight. There was a look in his eyes that suggested that he knew that he had won now…his opponent could not defend against the attack he was about to deliver.

But he had underestimated the nature of his opponent. He was running too fast to stop himself in time, as the taller young man held out his own gloved hand with the palm facing out towards the other. A blazing light emitted from the taller man's palm, growing in intensity and size.

A short gasp escaped the boy in black's mouth, and his eyes widened slightly, surprise etched on his chiselled features. He looked as though he hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected his opponent to cheat…

The energy ball was released full force at him, and as it slammed into him, hitting him right in the centre of his chest he was thrown back by the impact, flying back to the floor. He sat up slowly, looking breathless. Evidently dazed and disorientated from the effects of the attack, he sat there stupidly for a moment, blinking to get the blur out of his vision, the strain and pain evident on his face. He looked as though he were fighting to regain his sense of balance and control, when the taller man walked calmly over to him. The young man on the floor raised his head slightly as he felt the other's shadow fall over him. The world was spinning in his eyes, and he knew he had been defeated-beaten by a cheater.

Sneering haughtily the taller man raised his arm back-the arm with the hand that held his sword. The boy in black looked up at him confused, stupidly, vision still slightly fuzzy. He was floored and had been beaten…what was his opponent raising his sword for…?

Blinking again the fuzziness finally left his eyes and he could see all too clearly. His gaze darted from the face of his opponent to his raised sword, and his eyes widened once more. But his body hurt…the energy attack had seriously weakened him and he couldn't react in time, his usual lightening reflexes had deserted him when the ball of blazing light had smashed into him…he realised too late what his opponent was going to do. The raised blade was bought down, and slashed accurately across the space between the floored young man's eyes. The contact caused the young man's face to turn away from his opponent who stood looming over him. His eyes squeezed shut, as warm blood began to instantly flow down his face from the wound. Opening his eyes again he saw the deep red blood stain the floor beneath him, and turning his face slowly to look up at the man who had wounded him so gravely, so that he might see the damage done, he cried out in pain and fury and humiliation, and then adrenaline filled him once more and gave him the energy to stand once again. He stepped forward, and with one last burst of strength he dragged his blade scraping along the floor, with blue sparks flying, and raised it to slice up at his opponent in a last desperate retaliation attempt.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya gasped, eyes flying open, as she bolted up in bed, heart pounding. Blinking, she realised where she was, slowly coming back to reality. She was safe, in her house, in her own bed. Letting out a shaky breath she threw herself back to lie against the bed again. Staring up at the dark ceiling, she took a moment to collect herself, thoughts randomly racing in her mind.

_What an insane dream…that poor guy…what does it all mean…?_

Letting out a quiet groan of irritation she drew the covers up over her head, wanting to hide. Her sleep was always interrupted lately…she felt exhausted…too exhausted to close her eyes. As if it were not enough that she was having that other crazy repetitive dream, now she had to have one with two guys practically killing each other.

Vreya thought over the possible meanings of the dream, but failed to reach any logical conclusions. All she remembered was fighting, and one of the young men being hurt by the other. She placed a hand to her chest, which ached from having held her breath so long. Another thing that didn't make sense…she had been afraid for a person she didn't even know…the young man who had been wounded so badly on his face…she couldn't understand why she had felt so worried. She couldn't shake of the sense of unease that seemed to weigh her down. She tried to recall what the young men looked like, but frowned as she realised that she couldn't remember…could only remember that they had been fighting and one had been hurt.

_That's so weird…God, I am seriously messed up…I think…I think I really should see a therapist!_

Her throat felt dry, and she swallowed frowning at how thirsty she felt suddenly.

_I need a drink of water…oh but that means I have to get up…oh well, I'm awake anyway_…

Lifting herself up again, Vreya got out of her bed and out of her room, making her way quietly downstairs, hoping she wouldn't wake her parents up. Arriving safely at the kitchen she went over to the tap and twisted it open. Water flowed freely, as she waited for it to get colder, reaching out and taking a glass from the stand.

As she waited, she gazed at the flowing water, feeling unhappy and stressed. Typical how she had to be plagued by nightmares…why couldn't she just be normal and be happy and only have to worry about passing exams?

_It's so unfair…I can't even figure it out…why am I seeing this? Why does it have to be me…I just wish I could have a break for once!_

Anger filled her and she glared at the water, frustrated. All she wanted was a good night's sleep for once…was that too much to ask?

_I just want to have nice normal dreams! I can't believe how unfair_- 

Her thought cut off, as when she bought her hand holding the glass near to the tap to fill, something happened that surprised her. The water surged up at the nearing of her hand, and flew out in random drops, splattering all over her night vest, and a little on her face too.

Blinking in shock Vreya stared in disbelief, lips parted in confusion. She stared stupidly for a moment at the water streaming from the tap, trying to figure out if she had imagined it or not. Really she knew she hadn't; her top was splattered with water droplets and her face was also. It was just totally bizarre how the water had just sprayed out by itself when her hand had neared.

_This is crazy_, she thought, and tentatively reached out with a hand to close the tap. Nothing happened this time, and still a little shaken, she raised the glass cup to her lips and drank. The cool water was soothing as it flowed down her dry throat, and she instantly felt better once she had finished. Replacing the cup she yawned tiredly, and turned to go back upstairs and to bed again.

_Probably just some electric charge thing…caused the water to move a little out…all that positive and negative physics stuff…whatever, nothing weird about it after all…_she thought calmly to herself, as she reached her room and silently slipped in to try to get a little more sleep before school started in four hours.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Squall paced relentlessly up and down the hall outside Balamb Garden's Infirmary, arms folded, an anxious frown on his face. He'd carried Rinoa all the way from the quad space outside, and had arrivedat the infirmarytwenty minutes earlier. Dr. Kadowaki had taken one look at Rinoa's even paler than usual face, instructed Squall to put her down on the bed, and then ushered him out of the room. Now here he was and had been for the past fifteen minutes, just waiting for the doctor to come out of her room and tell him something, anything.

_Come on, what the heck is taking so long dammit?! Fifteen minutes and not even a sound! Come on, hurry up, I can't stand anymore of this damned waiting and doing nothing! _Squall thought impatiently. He had always been the action type, hating just loitering around and doing nothing. It made him think too much into things, and he didn't like that, even if the events of the last couple of months had changed his outlook about other things. While Squall did think a lot naturally, he preferred to do things. But now he was left out in the cold, feeling isolated and useless. He hated that useless, helpless feeling. He despised it.

_Please let her be okay…Hyne, I just found her, don't I deserve just a little happiness after all my miserable years? She's done so much for me, more than she'll ever know, she's the one thing I can really say I'm proud of achieving in my life…finding her and knowing her, and…and…_

His thought was interrupted as he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

'Yo Squall!'

Squall turned his head to look down the hall, and he saw Zell coming his way, Irvine and Selphie following closely behind. Selphie broke past Irvine and ran past Zell, reaching Squall first and looking rather scared and anxious.

'Hey Squall!' the petite chestnut haired girl said 'Are you okay?'

'…' Squall nodded, rather confused, but Zell cleared it up as he and Irvine reached them.

'Yo, we heard Rinoa fainted or something…'

_Oh great…so they know…word spreads like a plague in Garden…should've figured…how could I forget, _Squall thought sarcastically to himself. He didn't mind these people knowing…they were his friends after all, it just bothered him how people loved to gossip, especially about him. He hated the attention so much.

'Yeah…' Squall sighed, running his gloved hand through his dark brown hair. If the doctor didn't come out soon he'd break down the door.

'She okay?' Irvine asked in his usual casual, lazy tone. Selphie clasped her hands together, looking worriedly up at Squall's face for a sign, a hint. But Squall was very good at masking his face of all emotion, and looking away, he gestured with his head at the closed door of the infirmary.

'I've been waiting here fifteen minutes. I don't know what's happening' he replied plainly.

'What happened?' Selphie asked 'Did she just collapse?'

Squall nodded, then shrugged 'One second she was fine, and then…' his voice trailed off, and Zell said, trying to offer some form of comfort,

'It'll be okay man, the doctor will know what's up'

'Hopefully it'll be nothing!' Selphie chimed in, and Irvine added slyly, making the mistake of teasing Squall when he was irritated,

'Hey maybe you got the lady working too hard around you…morning and nightshifts!'

Squall's eyes immediately locked onto Irvine's and the looks of contempt and disgust were evident on his face.

'Irvine!' Selphie gasped. She usually would have laughed at his lame comments, but this was Rinoa, her friend, and besides, Irvine should have known that Squall wasn't one to take things so light-heartedly, especially when it came to personal things that mattered.

'Ugh…it was a joke…so like, yeah, she'll be fine' Irvine amended, visibly embarrassed. Selphie punched him in his arm, and he yelped in surprise.

'Ouch! Lady, you got to pack in those punches!'

Zell chuckled 'I warned you about that dude…'

Selphie stuck out her tongue 'Serves you right for saying such a stupid thing! Sorry Squall'

Squall just rolled his eyes in exasperation, and shook his head.

There was a short pause, when Zell said suddenly 'Hey Squall, did you hear about Seifer?'

Squall set his jaw grimly, and said automatically 'What's he done now?'

'We were outside when we bumped into him' Selphie announced.

Squall looked at her 'Did he give you trouble?'

'Actually no. It was kind of unlike him' Irvine spoke up again, having recovered from previously embarrassing himself.

Squall frowned. Seifer not cause any trouble? That couldn't be good news…

'He broke out of another disciplinary session with Xu and Quisty' Selphie said 'Quistis was running after him and shouting at him to get back inside…'

'Yeah, whoa was the Instructor mad…you should've seen it Squall, she really yelled at Seifer good…' Zell agreed.

Squall sneered scornfully. When Quistis got real mad at most students, they would never dare do wrong again. But Seifer was not classed with ordinary students. He'd never listen to her, or anyone.

'Do you think he listened?' Selphie asked, echoing Squall's thoughts.

'Whatever' Squall said dismissively. He didn't like to discuss Seifer. It was just a waste of air in his opinion.

'Take that as a 'no'' Zell chuckled, and then frowned 'He called me chicken-wuss again though…damn I'd like to shut that arrogant mouth up for good…'

'What nerve…' Irvine drawled. That ended the conversation on Seifer and they were all waiting in silence again.

'You don't have to wait' Squall said at last, feeling irritated at everything, and awkward that they seemed to be waiting for his sake.

'Hey, Rinoa's our friend too you know!' Selphie exclaimed 'I'm worried about her too!'

'Me too, I agree with Selphie…she's one of us…' Zell nodded.

'Me three…' Irvine added. Squall nodded, silently appreciating the fact that they cared so much too.

Another five minutes passed, with Zell slumped against the wall, hands in short pockets, Selphie sitting cross legged on the floor, and Irvine leaning back against the wall casually. Squall stood, arms still folded, and was beginning to feel really agitated when the door finally opened. He looked at the emerging doctor instantly. She came out with her usual doctor outfit on, and looked at the group standing outside.

'You all been waiting here?' she asked, sighing.

Squall could hold back no longer.

'Well? What happened? Do you know what's wrong?' he asked anxiously.

Doctor Kadowaki sighed again. She motioned for the four young people to come into the room. They entered, and Squall's eyes immediately rested on Rinoa's sleeping slender figure on the bed. She looked peaceful, and very beautiful in sleep. A strong sense of dejá vu hit him, as he once again remembered the last time she'd suddenly fallen unconscious, after one of the many battles with the then sorceress Edea. A terrible feeling of unease filled him, and he suddenly felt very afraid. The only way she'd been able to wake last time was when she had floated in space.

'The strange thing is, there doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong. I've tested her blood pressure, sugar levels…everything seems fine. She seems like she's just in a really deep sleep…' the doctor said, looking very puzzled.

Squall's stomach lurched. He met the gaze of his friends, and Selphie said, hand over mouth in dread,

'Squall…you don't think…that…?'

'Whoa, hold up a second, how can that happen again?' Zell asked, holding up his hands.

Irvine tapped his foot on the floor, thoughtfully. 'It'd be pretty weird…' he agreed.

Doctor Kadowaki was looking from one young person to the other, in confusion. She didn't understand what they were saying, or making reference to.

Squall shook his head. The confusion and fear in his mind made it hard to think clearly.

'It can't be…we defeated…' he began, but then a soft moan broke him off. They all looked to Rinoa, who stirred slightly.

'That's the first time she moved…' the doctor commented, but Squall hardly heard her, rushing over to Rinoa's side. He took hold of her delicate, small and pale hand in his, not caring if he was showing affection openly for once. He was that worried. He just wanted his Angel to wake up. Leaning over to look down at her face, which now had a soft frown, he called out to her, using both his voice and the mental link they shared.

'Rinoa?' he said softly, looking down at her with intense blue eyes, which were softened now with anxious worry. He willed her to wake…to open her eyes…to speak to him.

'Rinoa…wake up…'

Selphie bit her lip anxiously. _Poor Squall, this has to be so bad for him, seeing all this again _she worried.

They crowded around him, as he knelt down on the floor so his face was level with her sleeping one. There was no further response from Rinoa, except the frown increasing very slightly.

'You think she's having a nightmare?' Zell whispered to Selphie, who shook her head, befuddled.

'Was she saying anything?' Irvine asked the doctor, who shook her head a negative.

Squall squeezed Rinoa's hand gently, the feeling of unease now unshakable. He hoped it wasn't as he feared…he hoped that Rinoa was just really tired…even if he knew it was more than that. The evidence was right in front of him to see with his own eyes.

'Rinoa' he called again to her 'Rinoa, can you hear me?'

Then using his mental link, he added: _Please wake up…please, Rinoa, I'm here, can you hear me…?_

--------------- **◊** ---------------

_Rinoa, I'm here…can you hear me…?_

Rinoa opened her eyes slowly, and found herself to be lying on sandy, dusty ground. A strong wind was blowing, and she felt cold, dressed only in her long sky blue sleeveless duster, matching arm warmers, black sleeveless vest top, short denim skirt and black shorts underneath. Her raven hair flew like a banner behind her, as the harsh wind continued to blow. She stood up, chocolate almond eyes searching the area. It was very empty with no one in sight, just a sandy barren plain, and a very unnaturally coloured dark brown sky.

Fear filled the young sorceress; she hated being alone. There was absolutely nothing here, and that scared her very much. The space seemed endless, stretching on for miles on end, in all directions, all around her.

Had a voice just addressed her? She wasn't sure. She didn't like this at all…it reminded her too much of Time Compression…

_Squall…is he okay…? Are we in Time Compression again…? But how…? What do I do? Where do I go? Squall…where is Squall? I want Squall…_Rinoa thought worriedly.

'Squall?' she called out uncertainly, but her sweet, soft voice was barely audible over the sound of the mighty wind. Confusion joined with the feeling of fear, and she hugged herself, shivering. It was very cold, and she was unsure of whether she should try to move or not.

'Rinoa…you who call yourself Rinoa Heartilly…' 

Rinoa's stomach lurched in fear. She had definitely heard something that time. A voice, that sounded like it was one with the wind that howled in her ears. Windy and breathy yet strangely clear.

'Hello?' Rinoa called uncertainly 'Who's there? Is anyone there?'

For a moment all she could hear was the wind again. Straining to hear the voice once more, she began to take the first few uncertain steps forward. As she did so, the wind-like voice came to her again.

'Rinoa…the one known as Rinoa Heartilly…' 

'Yes!' Rinoa cried out, shielding her eyes from the ruthless onslaught of the strands of her own hair. 'I can hear you! Who are you?!'

'Step forward Rinoa…' 

Rinoa fearfully walked forward some more. She didn't know what she was getting herself into…she wasn't even sure where she was going. She was afraid, but the voice didn't seem to sound dangerous or menacing in tone.

She walked some way more, hoping the voice would speak again so she could at least try to locate it. After a while, she called out again.

'Hello? Where are you? Please…speak to me!'

_'_Rinoa…step forward_…'_ the mysterious voice instructed again. It did seem to sound closer, or at least slightly louder.

Rinoa guessed she must have been heading in the right direction, or hoped she was. After walking some distance again, having to stop frequently to shield her eyes to incoming sand and dust particles, she looked forward and saw a faint silhouette of something in the distance. Hope filled her, and she took a step forward, then hesitated. People always told her she acted a little impulsively…how did she know whatever lay ahead was friend or foe? She stood there a moment, resting her hands on her knees, and peering ahead.

_Well, I'll never know unless I check it out, right? _Rinoa assured herself, and then began to run towards it.

As she neared it she realised it was only a single tree, which she found very odd. It was in full bloom, the leaves a shiny, healthy green. She stared, puzzled. What was a single tree doing in a lifeless place like this? As she stood, staring at it in a mixture of wonder and confusion, the voice came to her again.

'Rinoa Heartilly…' 

Rinoa looked around, but could see nothing, no one. She edged closer to the tree fearfully, because it was the only normal thing in this strange, terrible place. She almost felt like she had to hug the tree, so that it wouldn't leave her alone here.

'Listen to my words, Fated Child…' the voice said. It sounded female, and wise. Rinoa's fear was suddenly replaced by curiosity. She felt an intense need to see who was addressing her so formally.

'Who are you? Where are you? Please…can I see you?'

The wind softened slightly, and a tinkling sound met Rinoa's ears. It sounded strangely like soft laughter…but an elemental form.

'I am all around you child…I am what you see…I ask you to listen to me…now, there is not much time before you must return to the daylight world…' the breathy voice said.

All around her? Rinoa looked about, and all she could see was empty, endless sandy plains. She frowned, and said, even more confused,

'What do you mean 'daylight world'?'

'Your living state…'

Rinoa frowned in confusion 'Living state…? You mean…I'm asleep? This is a dream?'

'Yes child…this may be a dream but my words concern reality…' the voice replied.

It seemed very bizarre to Rinoa, and she felt strange, because even if this was a dream it felt, sounded and seemed very real to her.

'Now listen to me and listen well. Your world is in danger…the evil has only been half removed…' the voice went on.

Rinoa's eyes widened. 'What!' she exclaimed in shock 'What do you mean only half removed?!'

'Listen and I will tell all. The Children of Fate did well to remove the threat of the evil sorceress, and I…the planet is grateful, however…a darker threat looms over the planet. A stronger more sinister threat. It is intent on destroying all peaceful life, and gaining control of all the realms…'

'All the realms…you mean…that there are more…?' Rinoa asked, feeling somewhat stupid. The elemental laughter filled the air once more, and it sounded very sad.

'Of course my child…your and other mortal ignorance is the reason why this threat has been able to grow throughout the centuries…'

Centuries? Rinoa was feeling extremely muddled. This…'person' who was speaking to her first told her that other worlds with other humans existed…which in itself was a concept very difficult to digest so quickly, and now the 'person' was telling her that the 'threat' lived on for centuries? She couldn't see how it was possible. Everything was mortal, except those who dwelt in heaven, wasn't it?

'There is a planet child…one known as 'Earth'…this threat seeks to seize control of that realm…'

Okay, but then how does that affect me…? Rinoa thought.

The voice went on: 'The threat is using His power to pull all the other celestial bodies who support life forms, to circle around that one planet. His ultimate aim is to compress all time and matter in space together, to control both, and bring about the merging of the realms…'

'Merging?' Rinoa repeated 'I don't understand how…'

'I…' the voice paused, and carried on a second later 'Your world…I…She is one that supports life. She is being pulled to orbit around the planet Earth, just like all the rest. She…cannot resist His force. Over the centuries He has been dormant and gathering more power in this state. He can be ignored no longer. If the threat is not stopped, He will have…this planet merge with Earth…and the other realms will merge with Earth…realms that do not necessarily support hospitable life forms…there will be conflict of the races…human and other races, and the humans will ultimately fall. They will all die. The humans of Earth…and the humans of…other realms, in the merging.'

Rinoa gasped in horror. 'No! You mean…that our planet is going to collide and we're all going to be thrown into another world?!'

'Yes. Though the mortals of Earth are very similar to you, they are also less advanced in many ways, yet more in others. Even if your race and they were to join together, the SeeD's from this realm with the highest military rank there, you would still all fall. His might is very strong and His will near unbreakable. He will and has already begun to recruit a fearsome, ruthless army, who are hungry for revenge on humans, as He is. They care not which humankind…as long as you have limbs like a human, and the appearance of a human, you are in danger of being sought out and killed. Then all that will remain is a barren land…much like this one'

'Oh Hyne…' Rinoa said, horrified. It sounded like a very bad situation indeed. Somehow she knew this voice was deadly serious. She strangely believed everything this voice was saying. It sounded all too complex to be made up.

'They cannot use magic there…for now. The Earth has always repelled that ability. She with her wisdom knows all that suits her inhabitants. However, as the threat draws ever closer She will reconsider her rules and relent on many. She does not desire her humankind to die. She is fond of them; despite of everything they have done to harm her. She calls out to them to help her, but most cannot hear her cry. Only those sensitive to it may hear it…'

'How do you know all this?' Rinoa asked suddenly. She was now sitting on the ground beside the tree.

'…' There was a moment's pause, when the voice finally replied 'I…have seen it…I have heard it…'

'But how would you hear it?' Rinoa pressed, confused. She didn't really understand all this.

'Never mind of the details. I have told you the dangers that threaten the universe, and now I ask of your aid.'

'Me? What can I do?' Rinoa blinked. She was such a minor part of this newfound 'universe'…

'You are a Child of Fate. You have been chosen to aid in the fight against the threat.'

Rinoa didn't understand at all. 'But you just said that even if we all join with the other humans we lose…'

'Yes, but listen. There is only one hope for universal humankind, and that is the Children of Fate joining with the Children of Earth, to vanquish the evil once and for all.' the voice replied.

'…What?!' Rinoa squeaked. Was whoever this was crazy? What was this person suggesting? 'You…you don't mean…' she added with dread.

'The Children of Fate must join with the Children of Earth' the voice repeated 'The battles will take place on the Earth stage…'

Oh Hyne…no way, no way am I or any of the others going to another place, this person is mad…Rinoa thought, terror filling her.

'You have no choice Rinoa Heartilly. You must convey this message to the other Children of Fate. There are seven of you. Seven, to join with those from Earth…' the voice said, as if reading her mind.

'Look, please, I think this is a mistake…I mean, I don't want to go to a strange place…please, I don't want…'

'You are afraid, is that is child? Were you not afraid when you faced the sorceress Adel? When you were sacrificed to her? Were your friends not afraid for you, and afraid of failing? Do you desire life?'

'Well…yes, but…' Rinoa began.

'Then you must fight for it. If you do not, then there is no hope and all the human races will diminish. You will all die. You must try and stop this threat from winning. You must all work together. You will find that the Children of Earth are your equals. You will learn from them, them from you. You are the only hope left. Junction all magic and be prepared to be sent to Earth'

'I don't want this…' Rinoa whispered fearfully. The thought of being outside her own planet was terrifying. Being in some alien realm scared her like nothing ever before.

The voice spoke again, softer 'Do you love your planet child?'

Rinoa nodded, and hugged the tree, squeezing her eyes shut 'I don't want to leave it!'

A leaf fell from the tree, and brushed softly against her cheek. Rinoa caught it in her hand, and looked down at it. Now that she had heard all this about merging and dying, this single leaf was suddenly very precious to her because it represented life, life that was now endangered.

'Know that your planet loves you also. That is why She sends you…because She has faith in you…faith, and hope, and love. She trusts her future to you, for you are the future. Never forget those things Rinoa Heartilly: Faith, Trust, and Love. Never forget them, or Hope. Without hope you will all be lost forever…'

'But how do we get there? How do we find these other people? How do we get back?' Rinoa asked, for once not feeling so carefree.

'Leave that to me. The Children of Earth will come to you. It will be a matter of days now. All I ask of you is to prepare the others, to pass on what I have told you. Do you understand?' the voice questioned.

'I…I guess so, but why are you telling me all this? Why not Squall? I mean, he's a whole lot better at these serious things…' Rinoa said, half-joking.

'Because you…are a sorceress…you are more sensitive to changes in the planet. That is why you fainted. I could not tell the others my message…that is why I entrust you to do so…fight for your existence…fight for me…'

'Fight for you…? But who are you? Wait a minute, did you just say that you couldn't tell the others…' Rinoa looked up at the sky 'Oh Hyne…you're…you are the planet aren't you…?'

There was no reply, and Rinoa said desperately 'But I don't know if they'll believe me…couldn't you tell them somehow? Please, I'm scared…'

A voice replied, but it was not the same. It was fainter and more distant…as if it were coming from outside.

'Rinoa, wake up!'

After a moment Rinoa recognised the voice. It belonged to her Knight.

'Where am I…how do I leave…?' Rinoa asked out loud. She should have asked the planet…but somehow she knew the planet would say no more.

_They'll think I'm crazy…I think it's crazy…but I have to tell them. I have to try_…she thought with determination. This was their planet…if they didn't fight for it, who else would?

'Rinoa!' the voice called, sounding more anxious.

'Squall…' Rinoa said softly, and closed her eyes, picturing him in her mind and willing herself to return to where he was.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

_Squall_…

Squall blinked, hearing the familiar and loved voice finally respond in his head. They'd been here ten minutes, just waiting for any signs.

'Rinoa…?' he whispered, hoping she would wake up now, and as if on cue, Rinoa's eyes slowly opened.

'HAY!' Selphie shouted joyfully 'She's awake!'

Zell grinned goofily at seeing Rinoa safely awake. Then the smile disappeared. What if Rinoa was possessed again? But that fear was taken away as Rinoa blinked, looking dazed, but much like herself, and spoke,

'Hey…ouch, my head…'

'You gave us quite a scare!' Doctor Kadowaki said, but she was smiling in relief at the young girl.

Irvine grinned 'Great to have you back…'

Squall was staring at Rinoa quietly. The relief he felt was immense, yet something still troubled him about the entire situation. Why had she just fainted like that, when she appeared so fine now?

Rinoa's eyes met Squall's and she slowly sat up, thinking instantly of what she needed to tell him and the others.

_Better tell Squall first, get him to believe me…I'll tell the others later…God, I'm scared_…she thought.

_Rinoa, what happened? What's wrong_? Squall asked mentally, seeing the worry in her warm brown eyes, which were always full of such expression.

_I'll tell you, but later, when we have a moment alone_…Rinoa replied to him.

_What…? Rinoa, what's_…Squall began to tell her, but she silenced him by standing up, and hugging him tightly.

Zell chuckled as Squall blushed a little, at Rinoa's sudden show of affection. Irvine commented,

'Aw. Hey Selphie, see Rinoa's giving Squall a hug, how about it?'

Selphie smiled at Irvine sweetly, and he smiled back a confident grin, presuming she would give him a little loving also. However Selphie responded by stepping on his foot, and he howled in pain, clutching at his injured foot, and hopping about.

They laughed, even Squall found it mildly amusing, as he rolled his eyes at Irvine's behaviour.

'OW! Gee Selphie, what the hell was that for?!' he exclaimed 'All I wanted was a little love you know…gee, you are lethal lady!'

Zell chuckled 'Dude, don't make me say 'I told you so' again…'

Selphie smirked 'Doctor, would you mind looking after this big baby for me, because I sure could use a break!'

Everyone laughed at that as Selphie smiled at Rinoa and left the room, with Irvine hobbling after her, declaring his love for her for the millionth or so time since they had first met.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Cid Kramer rested his chin on his hands, which were clasped together, his arms resting on top of the desk in his office. Edea sat next to him, wearing the same troubled expression on her attractive face. Most staff wore a troubled expression on their faces, on hearing the name Seifer Almasy.

'That is unfortunate' Cid sighed, scratching his chin and looking tired 'You say that Seifer just walked out?'

On the other side of the table Xu and Quistis were looking equally troubled, Quistis in particular. The earlier event with Seifer had been unable to be erased from her mind, and it irritated her.

'Yes sir, just stormed out, just like old times. Oh I don't know!' Xu said, arms folded 'Sir, I request that he receives a transfer elsewhere'

Edea sighed, and looked at her husband. Cid scratched his chin again, and said 'Hmmm'

Quistis sat twiddling her fingers restlessly. Seifer was proving to be an even bigger issue than she had expected.

'Quistis dear, what do you think?' Edea asked the blonde instructor, who's light blue eyes rose to meet Edea's then averted instantly.

'Matron, you know what I think of Almasy' she replied rather frostily.

Edea regarded her, and said softly 'I know what you think you should think'

Xu looked from Edea to her friend, who looked equally as confused by the remark.

Quistis's eyebrows rose 'Matron, may I ask what you mean by that?' she said

'I believe you know' was Edea's calm response. Quistis was even more puzzled by this, and resolved to figure out the possible meanings of that later, by asking the headmaster's wife in private.

'It would be a shame to expel Seifer from Balamb Garden' Cid sighed 'After all, he has been here for many years, and this place does become a home to students who stay the period of time he has stayed…'

'A home he abuses! He shows no respect for staff or students who also share this place as 'home'' Xu seethed, furious.

'Yes. So it seems' Cid said, going into silent thought again as his wife spoke up.

'I feel that it would be wrong to cast Seifer out at a time like this, considering his circumstances' Edea said.

'Oh Edea, if you permit me to say, how much longer will you defend him? The truth is, that Almasy has always been, is and always will be a problem child! I have had enough of his foul language directed at me and the other staff, including Quistis, and at the rest of the students! He has no respect for anything except his arrogant self!'

Quistis decided not to say that Seifer hadn't actually directed foul language at her. He was very quiet in her lessons.

'Oh dear' Edea sighed 'Xu, I respect what you say, but I still truly believe that turning our backs on Seifer now will be a mistake…he has been here with us ever since the orphanage was up…we are if anything, the only familiar family he has…'

'Family?!' Xu said, furious 'He doesn't like anyone here except himself, and no one here likes him! Am I right Quistis? Am I not right? He has none he considers friends here, let alone family!'

Quistis nodded simply, but still her gaze was on the floor.

'I recall we once thought that of Squall Leonhart' Cid pointed out.

'Oh Squall…' Xu said, then pulling a face, added 'No sir, Squall was only ever antisocial, he was not a problem child, and always obeyed orders from what Quistis used to tell me. He respects his senior staff, and does not go around harming students verbally or physically'

'But we thought he did not care for others, yet look at him now. He has changed in many ways' Cid said.

'Because he was given the chance' Edea added. 'We believe if given the chance Seifer may also change'

'Oh I sincerely doubt that! He never listens to me!' Xu said, in exasperation 'How can you have so much faith in someone like him?! I have tried to be patient, I have tried so hard with him, but it just doesn't work, and the plain fact is, Almasy will never change, and there is no hope for that anymore! He fails the field exams every year! Soon he will be too old to take it!'

'You say he never listens to you, but I wonder what you say to him. Perhaps he doesn't like what you say?' Edea asked.

Xu blinked 'What? I say what I need to say. I try to get some discipline into that rock of a head. I say to him that he thinks he must be better than everyone, and that he has no right to go around acting so, because he has nothing that makes him better, and acts only in a way that makes him worse…'

'You demoralise him?' Cid frowned 'Goodness me Xu, what did I tell you about that? Seifer is not to be told that he is a failure and is not to be reminded of his past actions! I allowed him back into Garden in the hopes that people here would help him start a new leaf…yes it will be difficult, yes he may never actually forget what he did, and maybe never be forgiven entirely, but people have to cooperate and help as they may!''

A deep guilt filled Quistis. She had done just that…reminded him of his past actions. She recalled how Seifer had gone quiet when she had said it. Hyne knew what he must have gone off thinking…more negative thoughts…

Seifer had made a grave mistake in attracting an evil sorceress's attention by his bragging and want of power and showy nature. Yes, he had been mind controlled, but Quistis found herself thinking of how it must feel to have finally gotten free of the control, only to see the full extent of what he had done while holding onto the 'Romantic dream'. To find that he had been fighting against those who he had known all throughout childhood, his only family, that he had almost had Rinoa, possibly his first crush and his friend, killed by his actions. To wake up and find that he was the enemy, and none would ever forgive him for it.

_Hyne, how can he hold it together, it must take a lot of strength…I wonder that he even finds a reason for himself to go on and live…when the world is against him and he'll be rejected wherever he goes…what is there left for him, unless people are ready to help and not hinder?_ Quistis thought to herself. She doubted she could ever forgive Seifer, and she knew that it was hard not to hate him because he made himself so unlikable, but there had to be a reason for it, just as there had been a reason for Squall's fear of getting close to people. She wondered what the reason was and where that weakness lay. After all, Seifer was someone she had known for a very long time, and not having him around, though offering peace, would be strange all the same. It would be difficult to try to help such a man, but Quistis wasn't so sure that she wanted to be part of the reason Seifer might commit suicide, if he did, because she made up part of the world that hated him. Hadn't they all readily forgiven Rinoa, who was, compared to the rest of them who had been together so long, a stranger to them all, when she had become possessed and released the seals on Adel's prison in space? If she hadn't done that, they wouldn't have even had to go through Time Compression, or any of the other events following the results of Rinoa's actions while possessed. Was Seifer so different? Quistis found herself thinking of that now, while Xu raged on.

'But sir, we can't help him if he won't let us!' she said angrily.

'Neither can you help him by continuously putting him down' Edea said 'I have requested him to come here now, he should be arriving soon, and we will attempt to talk to him'

'Well good luck' Xu glared 'I still think he should transfer'

'That has always been and will always be the final option for students like Seifer' Cid said matter-of-factly.

There was a sudden knock on the door and Cid's secretary poked her head through.

'Yes?' Cid asked, looking at the smartly dressed woman.

'Sir, I have a Seifer Almasy waiting outside; he says he was ordered to see you?'

'Yes, please tell him to enter' Cid nodded.

Xu said 'Oh wow, Almasy followed an order for once'

'No one disobeys Cid's orders or they are out' Quistis murmured. Xu sighed at the comment.

A moment later the door opened again, and three Garden security staff members entered, Seifer with them. He had a gloomy look on his handsome face, and looked rather wind blown from being outside so long.

'Hello Seifer' Edea said kindly, feeling that she was completely responsible for this young man's undoing, as she had been the possessed sorceress who had controlled him and made him do such terrible things. It seemed she could be forgiven, because she was Cid's wife, and Rinoa could be, because she mattered so much to Squall, but Seifer couldn't, because he hadn't ever been nice enough for people to care.

Seifer shot her a look, and then scowled on seeing Xu, completely ignoring Quistis.

'What's she doing here?' he demanded 'I was told that the headmaster wanted to see me, and you, not her as well!'

'Almasy' Xu began through her teeth, but Cid raised a hand to silence her 'Xu, please could you wait outside?'

'Sir?!' Xu said in disbelief 'But I…'

'Please Xu' Edea said gently, and Xu glared at Seifer, but did as she was told, and got up to leave. Quistis felt awkward, and got up out of her chair also, but Edea's voice came to halt her in her movement.

'Quistis please sit back down'

Quistis blinked, in surprise, and glanced at Seifer. He did not look at her as Cid told him to sit in the now vacant seat that Xu had left. The security members were told to leave, and then only four remained, Quistis, Seifer, Cid and Edea.

'Now Seifer, tell me about your day' Cid ordered. Both he and Edea looked at Seifer intently.

The only deal of respect Seifer held for anyone was probably these two. He said finally, sitting in the chair with his arms folded across his chest, and assuming a lazy posture,

'I woke up and Xu yelled at me for being late. I went to lesson and Xu yelled at me just because some stupid kid bumped into me and fell on the floor and I didn't help him up. I had a…' he pulled a scornful face ''disciplinary' meeting with Xu and her…' he motioned with his head at Quistis but did not look at her '…and Xu yelled at me'

'I see. So your day was full of a substantial amount of Xu yelling' Cid said, a small smile touching his lips.

'It's not funny sir' Seifer glared at the middle-aged man.

'You're absolutely right. Forgive me' Cid apologised.

'Xu told us you walked out of the meeting. May we ask why?' Edea asked in soft, quiet tones.

Seifer huffed.

'Truthfully Seifer, we won't tell you off' Cid said honestly.

Seifer was enraged. The thing he hated was people treating him like a baby. He was a man damn it, he didn't want to be talked to in tones one would use with a bloody five year old!

'She pissed me off' he said through his teeth, refraining from actually swearing.

'I see' Edea nodded 'What happened then?'

'I left. Then she came out after me and yelled at me'

Cid and Edea looked at Quistis in surprise. They had expected the young Instructor to admit to this earlier…

Quistis felt her face flush with guilt and embarrassment.

_He deserved it damn him!_ She thought. Now Cid and Matron would know she made a reference to his past and she'd be in for it. Great, just what she needed now.

'Oh?' Edea said, eyes on Quistis 'What did she say?'

Seifer was silent, then finally looked at Quistis, the precise moment she turned her face to look at him. His green eyes met her blue ones and he stared a moment, icily at her.

_Finally…I have a chance to get the Instructor back and into some trouble. They think I'm stupid, that I don't know that they aren't supposed to mention stuff about before to me…but she did anyway, and now I can get her back so bad_…Seifer thought to himself, a sneer touching his lips as he looked at her. Usually he would have relished the chance to get goody two shoes Quistis into trouble, he would have loved to see her crying like a baby, to bring her back to earth, remind her that she was just a teenager too, even if she had SeeD and Instructor status. But as he looked at her now, the dread evident in her expression, he saw something else too. Quistis Trepe almost looked…guilty?

The self-satisfied smirk that had momentarily touched his lips now disappeared, as he finally looked away from her. He would have loved to get her in trouble. He would have loved to see her cry. All past tense. He suddenly didn't feel so great about it, and it seemed stupid to get her into trouble because of what she'd said. It had been true after all. He was much worse than her. Compared to him, Quistis really was a saint. Her harsh words still echoed in his mind. It would be so easy to open his mouth and say it all, word to word. He didn't understand why they had affected him so much. People said stuff like that all the time and he never cared. But the way she'd said it, how angry she'd looked, how hurt…it had made him think.

_And made me listen dammit. You made me listen to you…damn you Quistis, hasn't life been so great for you up till now, you think you know how it feels to be dammed isolated, but you have no idea,_ Seifer thought angrily, furious at her, furious at himself for suddenly feeling so much.

'Seifer?' Edea's voice shook him from his thoughts, and he looked up at Matron, and finally made up his mind.

'She told me to get back inside, and that I'd be in trouble if I didn't, and that if I did, she'd see that I wouldn't get in trouble…' he paused, and looked at Quistis, who was looking at him with a surprised look on her beautiful face, a look that suggested that she thought him insane.

_You owe me one 'Instructor'…I could have seriously gotten your pretty little ass in trouble if I wanted_…Seifer thought out to her.

'Isn't that right…Quistis?' Seifer said flatly, realising too late that he had called her by her name. And cursing himself for not realising sooner. Her name had just rolled off his tongue like it was the most natural thing ever and like he was used to calling her by name, which he wasn't.

She surprised him and Edea and Cid in turn by replying 'Did I say that Seifer?' addressing him by his name in front of everyone, as if they were friends talking.

_Damn, does she want to get in deep crap_? Seifer thought, now looking at her like she was mad.

'Yes, _remember_?'

Quistis couldn't believe it. Seifer was deliberately lying…for her? So that she wouldn't get into any trouble? Where had this come from? Since when did he acquire some sensitivity to other people's feelings? She was surprised and rather relieved, but the guilt only worsened.

_I thought he would have loved to get me in trouble…he likes nothing better than to rub it in people's faces when they're low_…Quistis thought, confused by the fact that Seifer was, for the first time ever, doing her a favour. Then the thought struck her. He liked nothing better than to rub it in…but that was precisely what she had done, and what the rest of them were doing…

_Hyne…I have acted so disgracefully…he's just acted so much better than me…I can't believe it…Seifer…why…? All I've ever done is make you feel low_…

'Of course' she said quietly, eyes lowering to look at her hands folded in her lap tidily.

Edea and Cid sensed that there was definitely something going on that was causing so much tension in between the two, but decided to let it be and move on.

The rest of the meeting passed with mostly Edea and Cid talking to Seifer, and occasionally talking to Quistis and asking her opinion on things. It seemed like forever when they were both told they could go. Seifer silently stood up and left the room as Xu was called back in. Quistis exited after Seifer, closing the door to Cid's office quietly behind her. Looking around and seeing that no one was around, she spoke up.

'Seifer?'

_Damn, I knew she'd say something! Why can't she just get over it and accept that I helped her out? Oh yeah, he thought remorsefully to himself because I've never ever done anything remotely 'nice' for her or anyone before…of course she's curious, and suspicious, I'm just a damned trouble maker, got to remember that…_He thought.

He glanced at her in irritation. She was staring at him, hands on hips. She looked as though she was about to yell at him again.

Quistis took a breath, about to demand what he was playing at, but then dropped her hands at her sides, letting the stern act drop. She said simply, feeling awkward that she wasn't shouting at him for once because he'd actually been 'good'…well, good for Seifer up to this point,

'Why did you say that?'

'Oh, I'm sorry. Let me just go back in there and tell them the truth shall I?' he said sarcastically, walking round her and towards the door again. Quistis reached out instantly and placed a hand on his arm. His muscles tensed at her touch and he flinched as if she were fire that had touched him, but he found himself not yelling at her not to touch him as he had to Xu earlier. He didn't pull his arm away instantly. He looked at her, and she said, looking for once directly at him and not through or past him,

'No, I appreciate it. I would like to know why…I was expecting…' she was cut off as he hissed at her, voice surprisingly low for once,

'What, oh yeah, I'm a bloody trouble maker, every chance I get I'll get you in some deep crap, that's all I can do, that's all I'm here for!'

Quistis opened her mouth to reply but he drew his arm back hastily and added 'I hope you're happy now, 'Instructor''

She watched helplessly as he turned his back on her and began to storm off.

'Seifer!' she called, feeling very powerless over her student all of a sudden.

'What the…fu…flip is it?!' Seifer snapped, outraged, only just refraining from swearing near to Cid's office. He glared back at her. She was really starting to annoy him.

Quistis shook her head, hopelessly, feeling terrible.

'I…thank you…' she said pathetically, and Seifer's eyes widened slightly. His mouth opened to reply, but no words came out. He had no idea what to say to that. He hadn't been thanked many times in his life to know how to respond, and it felt awkward. Shaking his head, he turned away, and without another word left her.

Quistis stood alone, trying to deal with all that had happened, willing herself not to break down, as she trembled with guilt, shame, anger and something else.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_A little too long? Hope you are all still awake! Sorry for the long time it took to update…Vreya's lucky she doesn't have to worry about just exams…sorry, but I couldn't help exam bashing…anyway, tell me what you think of this, and the next chapter will be up soon hopefully, as soon as I find some time, okay? Any questions on the plot so far, just ask!_


	10. Unpleasant Encounters

**Chapter X: Unpleasant Encounters**

Everything was going according to plan. He had calculated it all very carefully. Years in exile and centuries asleep had done him one good at least. It had given him the time to consider his options, to think over the best way to destroy Earth's inhabitants. Everything was running according to his designs…it was perfect.

Now that he had legions of followers ready and willing to serve his cause, there was no reason to hold back any longer, except to give them time to train in weapon and magic usage. He would make sure that he would recruit only the best, for nothing satisfied him but the best. He would make sure they were all ruthless and trained to kill silently…he was no fool, he knew that the pathetic humans had their toys also, their guns and their grenades, which, though powerless against his might, could still do damage to the races that served him. They would have to kill cunningly, and only when a large population were wiped out would they be able to kill more openly. Magic could protect against simple missiles; however, larger, heavier artillery would require a high level of skill to avoid.

Most of those who were willing to follow his commands were filthy and uncivilised races, like the savages of the realm of Harbiterove, who were currently being trained by another race of followers, from another realm. Not all his followers were human…in fact, many of them were creatures that only existed in human nightmares…he would breed an army of ruthless and heartless monsters, loyal to him, and hungry to taste the blood of humankind. No child would be spared, no boy, no girl, no man, no woman, none would be spared, all would fall to his rule.

His lips curved into a cruel smile. Ah, to see the human race scream and run out of control, to see them cry in pain, to see them beg for the mercy they knew they would not be given…it was almost too good to think about. He could hardly contain his eagerness to wipe the ignorant, foolish race out permanently.

_Patience, _He told himself; there was no need to rush when he knew that the planet feared him so, feared the threat She knew was drawing ever closer…a threat She was powerless to stop.

A smooth laugh escaped his lips, as he looked at Earth, sensing her anger, sensing her pain, and sensing her fear. Once again he sent a telepathic message to her.

_That's right…fear me. All shall fear me. All shall fall down on their knees and serve me. You are weak Earth…the humans have drained your strength over the centuries…now as I gather the other planets to merge as one with you, you shall know how it is to feel true pain and weakness…they cannot help you…they cannot hear you…you may as well lower your defences now…and perhaps I shall spare a human or two…_

The reply came, and it was more violent than ever before. He winced slightly, as her defiance rang through his ears, filling his mind with her hate and anger.

'Very well…' He whispered 'Then I shall spare none. In a matter of days now it shall begin. The beginning…of humankind's end…'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Their training was intensifying every day, for soon they knew that they would be called upon by their Master to invade Earth and slaughter humans. Where previously they had only had their hands and claws to fight with, they now had a wide range of weaponry to choose from and specialise with…including dark magic.

The savages were making good progress, and more importantly, quick progress. Their desire to leave the cursed realm they had been trapped in for so long motivated the quick improvement in their fighting skills…that was evident to Ekan, the savage who had been chosen by the Master Himself to lead his race. Before him, members of his race duelled with members of other races from various realms, all of whom had sworn loyalty to the Master, all of whom had also been promised a great reward for their services, and their shares of power. Metal clanged against metal, and purple light illuminated the dusty plains, where dark magic was being practised. The once lifeless wastelands of Harbiterove were now full of hundreds of different life forms, and many more doubtless soon to arrive, all working together to help each other improve on their skills. Ekan was part of the group that made sure no fights broke out between the races…whoever caused trouble was cast away and would not return to Earth. Like the Master had said…only the most worthy. This realm had become the gathering place for different races to brush up on their battle skills. Lizard-like men and other inhuman creatures as well as the savages were all working for one common goal.

Returning to Earth and eradicating humans-that was all they desired, to take revenge. Revenge was all they wanted, and revenge was all that they knew.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

It was dark, and she could hear whispering, voices continuously talking together, barely audible. Straining to listen to what the voices were saying, she waited, in complete darkness. Then, from the depths of the pitch-blackness of her surroundings came the clear sound of…_ringing…?_

_What the hell…what's that ringing noise…?_

The alarm clock rang shrilly, sending a jolt of pain through Vreya's head. Her eyes flew open in shock, as she blinked to regain her bearings.

_What…? Morning already? Oh God, that is SO unfair…_she thought with irritation, reaching out to shut the annoying clock up. Her hand missed a few times, and groaning in anger she rolled over in her bed to make sure she wouldn't miss again, only to roll too fast to stop herself from tumbling over the edge of the bed.

'Ouch!' she yelped, and then glared up at the bedside table where the clock was still happily ringing away. She struggled to escape the prison of the duvet wrapped around her, and managed to stand up, leaning forward to switch off the damned thing for good. But her legs, which were still slightly tangled, lost balance, and she toppled forward, crashing into the bedside table, hitting her head in the process.

'Owwww!' she cried in pain, falling to the floor. A moment later the clock fell also, right in front of her face, seemingly mocking her with its continuous shrill ringing. She glared furiously, clutching at the side of her throbbing head with one hand, and reaching out with the other to pound the stop button on the treacherous clock. It stopped ringing, and all was silent once more. Vreya's nerves finally relaxed after being wracked so ruthlessly. She sighed tiredly, lying there on her duvet on the floor a moment. Wednesday…it was midweek. Oh great, fantastic, how she loved Wednesdays!

…_Not…damned stupid clock…!_

She slowly sat up, still rubbing her aching head. Not exactly the ideal way to wake up, but that couldn't be helped. She stood up, picking up the duvet and arranging it in neat order on the bed again. Stifling a yawn she stretched her arms out, and opened the curtains. Bright sunlight streamed into the room, spilling all over her face. She smiled then, despite her earlier moodiness. It was a beautiful, new day.

_Okay, now, time to shower, get dressed, all the usual morning stuff…_she said to herself, moving over to her cupboard and taking out a towel from one of the drawers. When she'd gathered all her things, she slipped out of her room and went into the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind her.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

The shower did Vreya a lot of good, soothing her aches and pains as well as her worries away. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she felt a lot better and her earlier bad mood had disappeared completely, as if it were wasn't ever there in the first place. When she returned to her room, she even grinned at the clock that had given her the bump on the head.

After Vreya had towelled off and dressed, she stuffed the books needed for the day into her bag, grabbing her pencil case also. She hadn't gotten much studying done yesterday…in fact, she hadn't done anything, after coming back so late from Roxy's place, then finding Katrina here…she paused a moment, remembering that her cousin hadn't felt the tremor in the ground two days back.

_Oh yeah…I should tell the others…but now I'm hungry…got to get some breakfast!_

She moved to leave the room, running a brush through her damp hair, humming a tune she had heard on the shower radio.

'…It's in your eyes…there is something…something you want to tell me…it's in your eyes…'

Her sweet, soft singing broke off as her eyes rested on a single textbook with notes lying unopened on her desk, from two days back.

She blinked stupidly a moment…had she forgotten something…? Today was Wednesday wasn't it…?

Wednesday…psychology…psychology test…

'Oh my God!'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Seifer moodily kicked aside the pebble that was so unfortunate enough to lie in his way, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. The wind was blowing strongly, ripping through his short, close cut blond hair, rippling his light grey trench coat back behind him.

'Damn it! I am such an ass!' he raged, through his teeth. He didn't know what was going on with him…what was going on inside of him. Feeling all this, his apparent lack of motivation to even get Quistis in trouble…Hyne help him, was he slowly really losing his mind?

He stopped, standing before the ocean, on the rocky shore. This place reminded him of when he and Squall had 'trained' a few months back…so much had happened since then…

He drew in a deep breath, green eyes narrowing as he gazed ahead at the deep blue sea. It was surprisingly soothing, and made him feel slightly calmer. He stood there, in silence a moment, hating everything that was happening to him, hating his life, when he heard a familiar voice shout his name.

'SEIFER!'

He turned his head to see the only two people who were probably anything close to friends, come running towards him. Raijin and Fujin, who were brother and sister. They reached him, and Fujin, the silver haired girl with the cool outlook saluted him.

'SEIFER! OK?'

She always spoke loudly like she thought people couldn't hear, and always spoke using single words each time, never a sentence. It was strange, and Seifer had never bothered to ask her why she did it.

'Yeah.' he replied moodily, and Raijin spoke up.

'Hey ya know, did you hear about it?'

Seifer looked at him in exasperation. Raijin liked to delay too…something that ran in the family maybe? How the hell was he supposed to know what Raijin meant by 'it'?

'What?' he said.

'RINOA. FAINTED' Fujin said, in robotic tones.

Seifer blinked. Rinoa had fainted? He sneered suddenly and replied:

'Hah. Probably had enough of that asshole Leonhart's puberty boy mood swings…' but the scornful smile quickly disappeared, and he found himself feeling quite worried about her.

A feeling of something like sadness rose up inside him as he thought of Rinoa. Last year they had met and he had liked her a lot…they had both agreed to liberate Timber together…he had promised her that…only to end up sacrificing her to the evil sorceress Adel. It had been Squall who had saved Rinoa, Squall who had helped her liberate Timber. Squall who now had her love, Squall was now everything: a knight, a SeeD, a hero…he had it all going for him.

_What have I got? _Seifer thought bitterly, suddenly feeling even more dreadful than usual.

He had…he had…nothing. He had lost everything while Squall and the others had gained everything. Hell, even that irritating sleaze Irvine had gotten something…Selphie.

_I lost Rinoa to Squall…even ifwhat happened between uswasn't really serious, I still did care about her…I lost my chance to be a SeeD, I lost any hope of ever patching things up…I lost everything…when I chose to become a sorceress knight…a 'white knight'…what the hell am I doing here anyway? I'm not wanted…it's not like there's anything left for me. If I had very little going my way before, now I have nothing at all. That one moment I hesitated and looked back in that prop room, when it was dark, when Quistis and Squall came running after me…that was my last chance to side with them, to help them out, like I should have done, helped out my friends…even if they aren't my bloody friends now, I knew them since childhood, hell, they're the closest thing I ever had to a family, and I turned on them…I fought against them instead of with them…instead of going to them, I followed Edea…damn it, if only I had known all that then…I lost everything and it's all my fault for being so stupid! All that for the sake of fulfilling a stupid 'romantic dream'…Quistis is right…I am pathetic_…

'SEIFER! QUIET?' Fujin asked, and her brother added,

'Hey Seifer you don't look too happy ya know…like you can tell us what's wrong ya know…'

'Where's Rinoa?' Seifer asked, looking at the two who formerly made up their three member disciplinary committee.

'I don't know ya know…all we heard is that she fainted right outside ya know…Squall was with her ya know…' Raijin said, scratching his head.

Fujin looked at her brother and then kicked him in the knee. He yelped, grabbed hold of his knee and hopped about on his other foot.

'Owch! What's that for! I'm not a kicking pole, ya know!'

'SAID SQUALL!' Fujin replied.

'I never meant to mention him ya know, I'm sorry Seifer, it was an accident ya know!'

But Seifer was hardly paying attention. He wanted to know if Rinoa was okay…just to see that she was alright would be enough for him. Squall would probably be there wherever she was, but Seifer didn't care. He just wanted to know that she was alright. He still did care for Rinoa, and felt bad that he had done what he had done to her. She was so sweet and innocent. The memories he had of their summer together last year were fond ones, and he had never told her that he had tried to kidnap Deling for her sake. He had wanted the then president to confess all his plans…Seifer had been furious on hearing that Squall, Selphie and Zell had been sent to aid Rinoa's resistance group without him. That was why he had broken out of his confinement…he had wanted to help Rinoa, and couldn't stand the idea of Squall doing it for her instead of him. But then of course, it had all gone terribly wrong.

_The infirmary maybe…Dr. Kadowaki would know_…

'SEIFER!' Fujin said, and he blinked, brought out of his thoughts by her voice.

'Let's go fishing ya know!' Raijin announced suddenly; he and his sister were serious fish-aholics.

'Nah…not now…I gotta do something first…' Seifer said dismissively, and moved to get back to Garden.

'SEIFER WHERE?' Fujin called after him, but he ignored her, and continued to walk along the rocky beach, lost in his thoughts and lost in his guilt.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Squall listened intently as Rinoa told him of the dream she had had, as usual keeping most of his thoughts to himself. It sounded very bizarre to him, but it wasn't like Rinoa to make up such crazy and complex things. They were finally alone, having left the infirmary a short while back, and were now walking together down the corridors of Balamb Garden's first floor. It was late in the afternoon, close to sun set.

'So then the voice told me that I had to tell you about what happened, which is why I'm telling you obviously, and then she said…I think it was a she, that because I'm a sorceress I'm more sensitive to changes in the environment, and that's why I fainted and why she couldn't tell any of you about it. Then she said that I had to fight for life and for her…and then…' Rinoa paused a moment.

Squall waited.

'And then the dream ended…' Rinoa sighed, and then looked to Squall, who was walking with his hands in his pockets, head down, eyes fixed on the floor in deep thought.

'Squall? Do I sound totally crazy?' the raven-haired girl asked her knight.

Squall's eyes finally shifted, moving up and glancing at Rinoa. He was silent again though, and Rinoa grabbed onto his arm, and stopped him and looking pleadingly into his eyes, cried:

'Squall, c'mon! Tell me what you think…if you think I sound insane, just tell me…don't be all quiet now!'

Squall sighed, and said finally 'I don't know what to think. It sounds…weird…'

'So you don't believe me?' Rinoa's shoulders slumped, and she pouted 'Oh boo, I knew you wouldn't!'

'No…it's not that…it's just the dream itself…it doesn't make sense…' Squall frowned slightly. For starters, the concept of there being more than one planet of life was a hard one to come to terms with. Secondly, the entire fact that they had to go to some other world, and fight some unknown 'threat' with some strangers didn't exactly suit his fancy. Thirdly, the fact that the planet…**his** planet, had talked to Rinoa through her dream was a totally crazy idea. Squall wasn't sure what to make of it.

'Oh, yeah, I know that' Rinoa said, frowning lightly too 'But the planet asked me to tell you and Selphie and Zell and Irvine and Quistis…' she blinked suddenly, and said 'Ohmigosh!'

Squall looked at her, raising a brow at her sudden outburst. What was it now…?

'I remember now! She said something about there being seven of us…but when I count it, there's only six Children of Fate right?'

Squall stared at Rinoa a moment, and then nodded slowly. Rinoa, Selphie, Zell, Irvine, Quistis, as well as himself…they were the Children of Fate…they were six…there wasn't anyone else…

'Yeah…' he frowned, confused 'You're right…so…'

'So there's someone else! But who? I have to tell all of you!' Rinoa worried.

'Wait a second Rinoa…we have to think about this…' Squall said, trying to calm down the excited girl.

'Squall!' Rinoa exclaimed 'I was told it would only be a matter of days…we have to junction GF's and get our things all ready…'

Squall reached out and laid his gloved hands on Rinoa's delicate, slender shoulders. She stopped talking, looking up at him, blinking.

'Just hold on…' Squall said sternly 'Don't get all excited over this…we don't even understand what's happening, or if it really means anything at all…'

'You really don't believe me? Squall, I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't feel like something was going to happen!'

Squall said firmly 'I never said I don't believe you…you're a sorceress after all, and I guess your dreams shouldn't be taken lightly…'

Rinoa looked satisfied.

'But…' Squall added, and Rinoa stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

'Oooh, always a but, I knew it Squall, why can't you just accept that maybe I'm right for once?'

'I'm not saying you're wrong…I'm just saying that I think we should really think about it a little before telling the others. Speak to Edea and Cid about it first' Squall advised her.

Rinoa relented, pulling a reluctant face.

'Oh but Squall…'

He tilted his head at her his deep blue eyes looking straight into her warm brown ones. Rinoa felt her heart leap as she looked up at the devastatingly handsome young man who was what she honestly believed to be the love of her life. Everytime he looked at her in that way she would drop the argument, knowing that really he had a point after all, and that she had better think about what he was suggesting.

'Oh okay…I don't doubt what I'm saying, but if it'll make you sleep easier…' she giggled at him, and he rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head.

'…Whatever…' he said in a bored tone, and she grinned and impulsively stepped forward and threw her arms around him, kissing him on his cheek quickly. When she pulled back Squall was flushing slightly, the way he always did when she showed him affection. It was so adorable to herhowthe mighty 'Lion'looked so much like an embarrassed little boy when she did that.

Someone called out to him then, and the young couple turned their heads to see another SeeD member, Nida, coming towards them. He nodded at Squall, before addressing him.

'Hey Squall. Just got a message to tell you that Cid wants to see you.'

'Great, we can go see Cid and Edea now!' Rinoa said. Nida looked at Rinoa apologetically.

'Uh…actually Headmaster Cid would like to see Squall alone…'

Rinoa blinked, feeling a little embarrassed.

'Oh…right…right then…Squall, I'll see you later okay? I'll be with Quistis'

Squall nodded to her and she moved off and disappeared around the corner. As she did so, Squall turned his attentionback to Nida, curious.

'Did the Headmaster say what he wanted?'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Rinoa walked down the hall, enjoying the late sun's rays spilling all over her face and warming her as she passed the countless windows that lined Garden's halls. She loved this place…even though she had only been here a few months, she still felt like it was really a place she could call her home. The others had certainly gone through a lot of trouble to help her fit in, even though they all shrugged it all off when she said that. She knew that her real home was still open for her, but she felt awkward about seeing her father again, especially after all that had happened to her. She missed her dog Angelo greatly, but had decided to let one of her friends from Timber look after her for a while.

As she turned another corner, she collided with someone suddenly, and immediately began to apologise.

'I'm so sorry…' she began, then stopped, as she realised who it was she had bumped into.

Seifer stared down at her, looking just as surprised as she felt. For a moment Rinoa felt very numb…she didn't see Seifer a lot nowadays…after all that had happened, he was always in some disciplinary meeting or something…seeing him again was always quite a shock, because she always remembered what he had done to her and the rest of them. Rinoa was a very kind and good-natured person, quick to forgive and quick to smile. She always saw the best in people, and her carefree and spirited nature endeared her to many people wherever she went. Seeing her ex-boyfriend again now…well, it hadn't been official that they had been dating, but they did spend a lot of time together a year back and had hugged and things…even if it hadn't been serious, sent a pain through her heart. She greatly missed the Seifer she had met just over a year back, the Seifer who was yes, arrogant and all the usual, but had been fun to be around and had cared about her and her resistance group, taking her seriously when everyone else around her hadn't. She pitied him immensely, knowing that many of his actions had been forced by Edea/Ultimecia, but at the end of the day, he had made the mistake of attracting the evil sorceress's attention, and he had agreed willingly to become her knight…he could have resisted if he had really wanted to, but Seifer's heart and will were weak in areas that concerned greed and power.

'Rinoa…' he spoke finally, and she blinked up at him, feeling very awkward. It was the first time they had talked since…well, since the SeeD graduation party where she had first met Squall…back then Seifer had introduced her to Headmaster Cid.

'…Seifer…' Rinoa said, and managed to smile at him.

Seifer felt so stupid…stupid…and embarrassed. He looked down at the girl, not even sure what he wanted to say now. She was alright…that was evident. A feeling of guilt stronger than ever before overwhelmed him as he looked down into those dark eyes…eyes that, when he had dragged her to be sacrificed to Adel, had looked up at him so wildly, so full of fear, full of such hurt at his betrayal andat his actions. He could hardly stand to look at her without feeling so disgraceful and ashamed…he truly regretted then all that he had done to her, and would have said it all there and then, if sorry even meant anything at this stage.

But Seifer's ego was too big for a simple 'sorry'…he had never apologised in his life…and therefore he found it very difficult to open his mouth and say that one word. He said awkwardly,

'You…I heard you fainted…'

Rinoa looked away, feeling terrible. She wished it wasn't like this between them…she didn't hate Seifer like Squall did…she was just so upset at his actions…upset that he always had to hide behind that superior façade of his.

'Yeah…it's nothing, I'm fine now…' she stuttered awkwardly, then added quickly 'It's really nice that you care…'

'…' Seifer stared stupidly at her, hating himself inside. She wouldn't even look at him now…Hyne; things had all turned out so wrong…

_Rinoa…I am such an ass…I know what I did was…was…wrong…but it's not my fault…she tricked me damn it…I..I am sorry_…

Even admitting it to himself was so hard. He was trying to push down the feeling of guilt, but it kept rising up. He kept telling himself it wasn't entirely his fault, but he knew he had been the one to start it off. He was a fool. He looked cocky and unconcerned on the outside…but inside he was dying. His very soul was dying. He was dying from the guilt that he knew he would never get away from, nor would anyone else, not even Rinoa, let him escape from.

'Rinoa…I…' he began, then a familiar voice he hadn't wanted to hear at that moment called out just around the corner,

'Rinoa! Wait, have you gone?'

_Oh no…Squall!_ Rinoa thought frantically, feeling strangely guilty that she was about to be caught talking to Seifer. But it was too late to act. Squall came around the corner and saw Seifer with her, and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes moved from Rinoa, to Seifer, glaring at him, his usually passive face suddenly not so neutral, as a look of anger, hate and disdain crossed his handsome features.

_Squall…I just bumped into him and was apologising_…Rinoa attempted to calm Squall down before he do something unnecessarily drastic, but it was obvious her knight wasn't going to listen to her now.

Seifer was the first to speak. It took a mere moment for him to switch from guilty mode to his normal, haughty self.

'Cool it Leonhart. It's not like you think'

Squall glared, and just about managed to speak in a controlled voice that was very quiet, and very dangerous.

'You have no idea what I'm thinking…'

'Just as well…I wouldn't want to know what goes on in that shit of a mass you call your head …'

'Seifer…that's not fair!' Rinoa gasped, in shock, totally disbelieving how Seifer could still have the nerve to address Squall in such a rude scornful manner.

She had no idea however, what was causing Seifer to still speak like this. She didn't know what he was feeling inside…the self loathing, the inescapable guilt, the trapped feeling of having no future, the jealousy that Squall had everything while he had nothing…of course he would never let the world know all that…he was having a hard enough time trying to suppress it all inside himself, trying to disregard and think nothing of the increasingly persistent feelings…

'Let me guess…you fainted to get away from his bitch mood swings' Seifer snarled. Rinoa stared at him, stunned, and suddenly feeling very angry on Squall's behalf.

Squall's fury was extremely evident now, as he glared daggers at the older Balamb Garden student. If looks could kill Seifer would have died on the spot.

'Get away from Rinoa' Squall hissed, hands clenching into angry fists. Seifer's upper lip curled into a haughty sneer, but as he gazed at his Squall, he suddenly saw more than just his life-long rival. He saw Squall as what he was…a young man who held in his eyes a look of deep and intense hatred for him. Seifer had not only turned against Squall and the rest of them…he had also hurt them.

The feelings inside of him enraged him-he was feeling so vulnerable and he despised it. He couldn't get away…what was happening to him?! The fury caused him to lash out once again at Squall.

'Sure…I already had some of her before…you aren't the first one 'puberty boy'' he sneered, looking at Rinoa, whose cheeks blazed a furious and indignant red.

'S…Seifer!' she spluttered 'Sh…shut up right now!' Though she thought of her past memories of last summer with fondness, she knew Squall wouldn't like you know about it…he'd hurt enough in his life…she just wanted to make him happy…but Seifer was being such a big mouth now, mentioning their past, and she could sense the furious envy and hurt inside of Squall, even though he did so well to mask it on the outside.

Squall's eyes widened on hearing Seifer's comment. His breathing became heavier as he struggled to keep a hold of himself…but Seifer was so good at that, at saying all the right things the exact right way, knowing exactly how to get to him and make him feel so angry…

'What's the matter Squall?' Seifer mocked 'Don't like the truth? Don't like the fact that I knew Rin and had a thing going with her an entire year before you arrived at the scene?'

'Shut up!' Squall exploded, outraged.

Rinoa wanted to cry…this was terrible for her and Squall…why was Seifer being like that?! She couldn't understand it.

Seifer was laughing haughtily, and Squall had had enough. He spoke coldly, and said the exact words Seifer hadn't expected him to say, or wanted him to say.

'Since we're talking about your past, why don't we mention a more recent issue?! The fact that you were a sorceresses begging slave, and fucking licked the floor beneath her feet?!'

'Fuck you!' Seifer yelled, stepping forward.

'What's the matter Seifer?' Squall mocked Seifer's earlier words 'Don't like the truth? You allowed yourself to be dragged into a spiral down to nothing but damnation! You ruined your own self! You turned against all that you ever valued, in pursuit of some shit of a dream…oh I forgot, you never valued anything except your fucking self did you, getting down on all fours to be Ultimecia's little bitch and nearly killing Rinoa and us all, then having the nerve to still act like you're worth something, well you aren't worth no-one's shit and are a fucking traitor and a nobody… you can take your issues go straight to fucking hell! '

With that, Squall turned away abruptly and stormed past Rinoa and Seifer. They both stood, equally shocked at Squall's backlash. Rinoa was shaking, very upset-she could still feel Squall's anger…she knew there was never going to be a way for Squall to forgive Seifer anytime soon…the wound inflicted was still so fresh, and she also knew that she could never think of forgetting the past if Seifer acted in this way. She had never seen Squall let loose on his anger and hate so openly before, and it was shocking to say the least. He usually always kept it to himself, and Seifer had obviously never gotten to him in this way before…Squall didn't usually launch into such long and fury filled insults…

She looked at Seifer, tears in her eyes. Seifer swore inwardl: he had just screwed up so badly…he just felt so bad…so angry…he hadn't been able to help getting Squall angry…

'I hope you're happy' she said, voice trembling 'What's your problem, lashing out at people like…like a great big baby?! Why are you so mean to people…why are you so mean to Squall? It's no one's fault but yours that you did all those things…when are you going to accept that?!'

'Rinoa…' Seifer said, truly horrified that she saw him in such a bad light now. Why did it matter what she thought…why did it matter what Quistis or Squall or any of them thought? They weren't people he cared about damn it, why the hell was he feeling like this then?

'You've changed Seifer…you're so different…you're not the Seifer I remember…now I'm not sure I want to know you at all…' Rinoa said, tears streaming down her cheeks. A small sob escaped her lips as she looked up at him sadly, then she shook her head and turned and rushed away after Squall.

Seifer was left standing alone. He was trembling with a rage of frightening intensity…Squall had always only ever ignored him…he'd never expected the SeeD to retaliate so harshly. He always got off as such a cold and arrogant asshole…yet he had just yelled like anything but. Seifer turned slowly, eyes finally looking up.

Quistis was standing there, at the door of her classroom further down the hall, having heard everything and come out to see what all the fuss was about. Students were trying to peer out past her to see what all the yelling was for, but she ordered them quietly and sternly to get back inside.

_Oh crap…now I'm gonna get my ass in deep shit…Xu and Cid and Matron again…damn, I was stupid to yell so loud near to classes_…

To his surprise however, Quistis did not beckon him over. She just stood there, one hand on her slender hip, staring fixatedly at him, as if he were the most interesting and puzzling thing she had ever seen.

_I can't believe it…Seifer was so different to me…and now he just gets back to being his old jerk of a self to Squall and Rinoa…what's going on?_ She thought.

Without a word, she quietly went back inside her class, and Seifer was left there, to contemplate the results of his own reckless actions, the feeling of guilt and hate…self-hate more than anything else…crushing and weighing him down, and threatening to suffocate him.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

The boy was definitely improving, and it was impressive to see that he was such a quick and eager learner. Bo glanced at his watch. Only seven in the morning, yet they'd been here for an entire hour, helping Zane with his fighting techniques. This was how it was going to be from now onwards, until the final fight…training every morning before school for Zane, then after for a couple of hours. There wasn't much time, and they had to help him improve, and quick.

The boy's mentor chuckled as he once again swept Zane's legs out from beneath him. The boy was evidently irritated by the move that always seemed to catch him off guard. He jumped up again quickly, and attacked some more. After a few more minutes exchanging blows, Rica came into the room, with a tray of cold drinks. Morgan was busy reading a big book, sitting at the small desk in the corner, his grey haired head bent down intently over the book.

'Enough Fleck, you'll wear him out before the real fighting begins' Rica warned.

Fleck, who had knocked the boy to the floor once again, to Zane's excessive annoyance, grinned and helped him up.

'You're kidding me! This kid's got enough fire to keep going for ten invasions!'

'Whatever…' Zane muttered, brushing himself off. It had been three days since he'd first met these people, but he hadn't really been told anything extra about his so called destiny. He gratefully took a cold glass of drink and swallowed it down quickly. It was seven-fifteen…just enough time for him to get back home, shower quickly, and do the rest of the things he needed to do before he had to get to school.

Bo smiled 'Getting better tyke…'

Zane gave him an exasperated look, but didn't bother to correct him this time. He grabbed his bag, stuffed the towel he had bought with him, and was about to leave, when Morgan spoke.

'Hey boy…'

Zane glanced over at him.

'Before you leave, take this…' he stood up slowly, and took something out of his pocket. It was a silver chain, with a strange symbol on the end. Zane looked at it then back at Morgan.

'What's this for?'

'The time when evil enters this Earth cannot be predicted…it could be today, tomorrow, anytime. You must be alert and prepared at all times…this necklace will help you to withstand the most basic of magic attacks…'

Zane was stunned. Magic?!

'Magic…?' he repeated stupidly 'Oh come on, you are not seriously telling me that exists too…'

'Indeed it does…I shall explain it in more detail after your school session for the day…however; this pendant is more of a danger sensor than protection. When the eye glows red, you will know when evil is about…' Morgan said, looking at the young man gravely.

Zane took the necklace, and examined the pendant. It looked like some animal's head…he wasn't sure what it was…some mythical beast perhaps? Sure enough there was a dark blood red stoneas the eyeof the animal. He slipped the necklace around his neck…it looked cool enough for him to wear without needing to hide it as anything suspicious looking. Then he headed for the stairs.

'See you at five' Fleck called after the retreating boy 'Have fun at school kid!'

He was rewarded by a scowl from his young charge, and a moment later the door upstairs was closed firmly. Rica smiled.

'Well, I'd say we definitely have this one in our hands…'

'Could get kind of fond of him you know…' Fleck smiled, thinking of the boy, who frowned more than he spoke.

'Now we need to find the others…but how?' Bo asked, scratching the slight stubble on his tanned face.

Morgan sighed. 'They are doubtless to be Zane's age…all Chosen ones tend to be…'

'Could it be anyone from his school?' Rica questioned.

Fleck took a sip of his drink 'You never told him what it means when the stone turns purple…'

'I was hoping he would sense other Chosen on his own…' Morgan said, looking troubled. 'But we shall tell him of that other aspect when he returns…'

'You know, I heard that a nearby school is holding a charity ball…' Rica said.

'Yeah, and…?' Bo asked, confusedly looking at her. 'In case you forgot, high school proms were over a long time ago for us…'

'No Bo…I never said I wanted to dress up and go…' Rica said in irritation 'I was just thinking… well, maybe there'll be Chosen One's there?'

'That's so stupid Rica' Fleck said 'I mean, Chosen Ones are scattered all over, they don't genuinely tend to be all grouped together and friendly…'

'Actually they could be…right Morgan?' Bo asked the older man. Morgan nodded.

'Anything is possible…'

'Well, they could be in any school, either in this country, or in the North Pole…we just don't know…we were lucky to get even hold of this one!' Fleck said.

'He's got a point…' Bo conceded, looking back at Rica.

'Yes, but there will be a lot of kids there, in one given area, so I guess it'll be a good way to check it out in case…' Rica said.

'When is it?' Fleck asked.

'Friday' Rica replied.

'Hmmm. Morgan, what do you think?' Fleck asked Morgan. The wise man considered, before replying

'I think it would be worth a try…only because we have no idea where to start looking for the rest, and Rica is right…there will be many young people…'

'But we may as well go to a disco!' Bo said.

'It's worth a try' Morgan replied to him, and that shut him up.

Fleck laughed suddenly 'Hey… besides…Zane should have more fun…I bet he'd look great dancing…

They all laughed merrily at this, grateful for even a second to take their minds of the impending doom that was heading their way very soon.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Okay, that's all for now…I wanted to carry on, but I thought it's best to split it up, otherwise it'll get way too long. Plus I need to go fix dinner! So stay tuned, for the next chapter coming your way hopefully very soon! (ps thanks for the support on the exam thing people…you bought tears to my eyes! )_


	11. First Meetings

**Chapter XI: First Meetings**

Ash entered the school's main entrance hall, brushing back a stray strand of blonde hair that fell lightly out of place in proportion to the rest of his hair. Carrying his sports bag casually over one shoulder, he walked down the halls. There were a full fifteen minutes left before his first lesson, English class began, so he took the time to go up to the general notice board. He hadn't even managed to fix his eyes on anything interesting to read, when he heard voices calling his name.

'Ash! Hey Ash!'

Ash turned his head to see Opal Hallmarks waving at him. Opal was a small girl with average features, dark blonde hair, and brown eyes. She was with her group of friends, across the hall, who all giggled with her, looking his way. Ash sighed. It sure wasn't easy being so popular with so many girls…

_Maybe Costa enjoys the attention, but I sure don't feel extra important with all those eyes on me…_he thought to himself.

Just because he didn't have a girlfriend currently, since his break up with Marina Tompkins a few months back, a lot of girls seemed to think they were in with a chance. It wasn't just that Ash was a good-looking and nice, polite guy, it wasn't just that joined with the fact that he was on the football team, and was an all round ace at most things. Ash came from a rich family; he drove an expensive car, and all these things combined seemed to attract girls in their numbers. Sometimes it was hard for him to know who was a real friend and who wasn't. Most girls didn't see past his good looks and his fancy car. Most people were just content to walk next to him, in awe of him like he really was something amazing, when he wasn't. He was just an ordinary guy. He hated it when people made a deal over him, just because he came from a well-known and wealthy family, just because he happened to look good. To him it seemed picking out real friends was hard…harder than it should be. Lots of people got nervous around him, he, the leader of the football team, a rich guy, who they seemed to think was going to have them thrown in prison if they displeased him. Yes, he was rich…he was not, however, spoilt. His parents had made very hard work of the fact that he was not to take anything for granted, and appreciate his good fortune. He, and his older brother Rick, had been bought up very well, respectably and realistically.

It's just a little irritating…girls acting like nervous wrecks around me, flirting and smiling such fake smiles…why can't they act natural? None of them ever do…

_…Except…Vreya…Vreya, and Sara…but Sara doesn't care anyway…Vreya just acts so normal…now why can't her best friend be like that too…take a page out of Vreya's book…she has it all…a sweet personality, the looks, the confidence…all so natural in her…I…admire that…a lot…_

'Ashes to ashes, what's up?' Brian Williams said, having approached Ash from the other direction, and giving him the customary greeting of a friendly punch on the shoulder. Brian was also a member of the football team, and someone Ash had known for a while. This guy at least, he could hope, was a real friend.

'Hi Brian…'

'So Opal's on your case again?'

Ash sighed 'She knows she's not my type…'

'Parties, sleepovers, make-up shopping, not your type?'

'Too…I don't know…' Ash pulled a face, turning away from the notice board, forgetting all about reading any messages.

Brian smiled 'Too much like Marina?'

Ash was silent. Yes, his ex had turned out to be pretty bad…she had started off great, but had changed over the months. The break up had hurt him more than her.

They walked together in silence a while, when Brian spoke up again.

'So, you're coming to practice today right?'

Ash blinked…of course…it was Wednesday today…but he couldn't, hadn't the others agreed that they wanted to see a dream therapist as soon as possible?

'I'm not sure…have to check with…' he broke off.

'With?'

'Uh…my dad…he said he needed help with the garage after school…' Ash lied, not feeling too good about it, but it was necessary.

'Okay. So you got English now yeah?' Brian said.

Ash nodded, as the bell rang, signalling the start of the first lessons in the morning, nine o'clock sharp.

'Great. I got English next door to your class. Walk you there'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Vreya raced through the school's main entrance front doors, feeling panicked. It was all she could do not to drop the folder she carried in her arms. Not only had she completely forgotten the fact that she had a test, but she was also running late for it.

How could she have forgotten?! Of all the stupid things to do…what was happening to her…? She felt like she was just not with anything these days. She couldn't understand how it could have slipped her mind yesterday entirely-so much so she'd happily gone to Roxy's place and wasted all those precious hours of revision time. Odder still, Sara hadn't reminded her! Not that she had a right to blame her friend…it was Vreya's fault and she had to take the blame for her carelessness.

_Damn, I'm going to fail again! Oh no, how could I forget I have a psychology test today? It's over…now I am seriously going to be in trouble! I'll go in late, and Mr. Andrews will give me a lecture, because he gets all fussy when people are late, then he'll give me the test, I'll fail, then when he marks it he'll call me over and tell me off like Ms. Jennings did…oh God, please let the test be postponed, even if it's just for a day, I've done no revision!_

It wasn't like Vreya really had an excuse for not getting the studying done. Sara had lent Vreya her excellent notes, two days back. No doubt Sara had gotten all her revision out the way a week in advance. Vreya was the type who had to revise up to the point of just about entering the examination room. She felt terrible; the mid-term reports were going to be handed out anytime in the next couple of weeks, and teachers were recording all the grades students were getting in these trial exams. Her parents were seriously going to be disappointed…she hated that…she just wanted them to be proud of her and happy with her.

She rounded the corner to the right, at the end of the first hall. As she passed the school secretary's office, she caught sight of three individuals, standing next to the tall plant outside the office, ahead of her. They were dressed very strangely; well, the woman certainly was. In this warm weather, Vreya wore a light pastel blue three-quarter sleeved top and denim hipster jeans, however, the woman wore a black skirt suit, looking as though it were tailor made because it fit her so perfectly. In contrast to Vreya's hair, which was let down carelessly loose about her shoulders as usual, this woman's copper-coloured hair was drawn back and up in a tight, sophisticated bun, with not even a one single strand of hair falling out of place. The woman wore black sun-glasses and a smart white shirt beneath the black suit, and black heels. She was clutching onto a small black bag, and wore black sleek gloves.

The other two individuals were two men, one looking as though he was in his late twenties, like the woman, and another younger one. The older of the men had spiked up blonde hair, and was also dressed smartly in a black suit, with a grey shirt on underneath. He was tall and stood with his arms folded. The other younger man, looking to be about twenty-two years or so, stood beside him, clutching something in a closed palm, also dressed in a black suit. He had brown hair that had grown out a little. Both men, like the women, wore black shades.

_Talk about the Men In Black…oh, plus a woman…who are they anyway? Maybe some younger year's parents? Pretty cool…but it's a little warm to be wearing black suits_…Vreya thought, puzzled.

As she approached them, since her class was further on down the hall, all three heads simultaneously turned to look her way.

Vreya found this rather creepy.

_That's just freaky, all looking at me at the same time! Okay, I am just a student here_…

She couldn't help but give them a curious look. She realised how rude she must look, and not giving the school a good image, so she quickly replaced the look with a smile. The three strangers just looked at her blankly. She was just passing them, when the woman spoke up.

'Excuse me'

Vreya glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes moving to the clock hanging up on the wall behind the woman. It was a quarter past nine. She was fifteen minutes late…Mr. Andrews was going to kill her…

But Vreya was a very polite girl, and she did not dismissively say 'I'm late'. She turned her attention to the woman, and said politely,

'Can I help you?'

The brown-haired man shifted, opening his hand. Vreya didn't notice this, as her attention was directed at the woman.

'We were wondering where the headmaster could be found?' the woman said. Her voice held an upper class tone and she gestured elegantly with a hand.

Vreya shrugged.

'Well, that's his office there…is the secretary not in?'

'No' the blonde man spoke up.

'Oh…well…they should be along…probably got caught up…' Vreya said. She stared a moment, then blurted out 'Are you Inspectors?'

There was a small laugh, and Vreya looked in the direction where it had come from-the brown-haired young man.

'Yes. We came to evaluate the situation…' he said, not making any sense to Vreya.

She stared at him, thinking then it was definitely time to go.

'I'm sorry I can't help, I'm kind of late…' she began, but the brown-haired guy added, even more oddly,

'I'd say we've found one aspect of what we've been looking for…'

She felt all eyes on her, and backed away, completely caught off balance by these strange people. The brown-haired guy had a tiny smile on his lips, and if the other two were amused at all, they definitely hid it well.

_Weirdo's…I have to get to class_…

'Ummm…' Vreya said, feeling inexplicably nervous 'I…er…I have to go…'

The blond guy mumbled something that sounded like 'you bet' but had to be something else like 'well met' or something. Vreya gave them a final strange look, then turned and rushed down the rest of the hall.

The three strangers watched after her. When she'd disappeared into a classroom, the orange-haired woman looked to the brown-haired man.

'Nice going there Harris. You scared her off'

'Oh puh-lease' Harris said in a bored tone of voice 'She can't be as wimpy as she looks'

'Actually I thought she looked pretty brave, in a stubborn way' the blond guy retorted.

'Shut up Tai, you'd think a baby was brave too' Harris replied 'Besides Jez, if she's scared of us, what's she going to be like when she faces…'

'Quiet idiot!' Jez snapped, glancing about, to make sure no one was around. She said after a pause 'So, is she one of 'them'?'

Harris nodded 'Yeah, the heart stone picked up on her' He looked down at the stone attached to the necklace which had only a moment back been glowing with a purple light.

'If only Locky was here…' Tai sighed.

'We could've asked him if this girl was part of the group he was spying on…' Harris agreed.

'Yes, well, he had appointments' Jez said then added 'so, we can either leave now, or see if there are anymore here'

'They can't all be in the same area' Tai said.

'You never know. I suggest we continue to play the part of Inspectors, and visit classes'

'We can't visit them all Jez' Harris said, checking the time. It would be half-past nine in five minutes.

'No, I never said all. Don't they all tend to be of similar age?' Jez asked.

'Yeah…so they do. Need to wait for the head if we want that plan to go into motion' Tai commented.

'So we wait. Right, now remember what that girl looked like all of you. We're going to get her after school' Jez instructed.

'So soon?' Harris raised his brows in surprise.

'We have little time to waste. How long did it take us to find one only?! Three months!' Jez exclaimed.

'That's because we wasted like two months ignoring the fact that we had a part to play in all this…' Harris reminded her.

'Oh shut up!' Jez snapped, 'Just remember what she looks like'

'Okay' Tai shrugged.

'Oh sure no problem. She was a babe…' Harris grinned, only to be rewarded by a look of extreme disgust from Jez, and one of exasperation from Tai, who said to him:

'Harris…do us all a favour and get a girlfriend as soon as this is over…'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Vreya entered the classroom, and all her hopes of a possible escape were dashed, as her eyes met with the sight of students with their heads bowed low over test papers, and her ears met with nothing but a hushed silence of concentration.

_Oh no…damn it_…

Mr. Andrews looked up immediately, and beckoned a significantly flustered Vreya over to his desk at the front of the class. As she walked around desks, Sara lifted her blonde head, and nodded a greeting to Vreya. The stress and panic were evident in Vreya's brown eyes, forever full of such expression and emotion, and Sara's shoulders dropped, as she realised her friend had forgotten all about revising.

Nervously, Vreya arrived at her psychology teacher's desk. A few people had glanced up, which only made her feel more self-conscious.

'Good Morning Vreya' Mr. Andrews said. He was over forty years of age, and had greying hair.

'Morning Sir' Vreya said quietly, as not to disturb the class.

'Sleep well?'

_Crap…don't mock me…I hate getting mocked_! Vreya thought to herself angrily. The she just felt guilty. She hardly had any right to be mad.

'Why are you late?' Mr. Andrews asked next.

'Ummm…there were these Inspectors outside…they needed help' Vreya said, hoping he'd buy it. It wasn't completely a lie…she'd been running late anyway.

'Ah yes, those three people dressed in black. Good that you helped them' Mr. Andrews nodded, marking her as present in his register.

Vreya was surprised, but was careful to hide her relief. Mr. Andrews took out a piece of lined paper from his drawer, and handed her a test paper.

'Here you are. You would have had an hour and a quarter to complete this, but you'll have to stay in at break a while'

Vreya didn't have the courage to ask if she could do it tomorrow lunch time. She didn't need to ask-he seemed to read her mind.

'No, in case you were wondering, you can't do it at a later time. I must have these marked by tomorrow; I have to hand in the reports'

Vreya's spirits sunk. She had done no revision, and he was going to mark them by tomorrow. Life was just excellent for her! Ms. Jennings was right…she was not going to pass at this rate.

She took the papers and went to a vacant desk. Slumping down, she set down her folder and bag, and took out a pen, and stared at the first question.

1) Describe what psychologists mean by the term attachment.

Her eyes slipped down to the mark total for the first question. Six marks. Panic filled her.

She looked at the second six-mark question. It was hardly better.

2) What is meant by the term conformity? Discuss the different ways in which people conform in society.

Finally she looked down at the final twelve-mark essay question.

3) Describe the first three models of memory, and include brief examples of experiments conducted to support each.

She was dead…she was so dead…her eyes moved to Sara, who was writing away rapidly.

Swallowing, she put the pen to the paper, and began to write what little she could recall from memory in an attempt to at least get one mark out of the total of twenty-four for the three questions.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Squall let out a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He had never felt so angry since…since…well, the entire Ultimecia thing. He couldn't believe he'd just said all that…let out his emotions so openly…it wasn't like him at all. He felt troubled and didn't know why. It was more than just anger at Seifer. Something else…a feeling of uneasiness was bothering him, and had been for a while now. It frustrated him that he didn't know what the cause of it was.

A sweet voice called out to him, some distance behind him.

No…he didn't want to face Rinoa now…not now…

'Squall!'

_Just leave me alone_…he thought angrily to her.

_No! Squall wait for me_! Was the response in his mind.

He continued to walk on, in the direction of Headmaster Cid's office, when suddenly he felt a hand grab at his, and he was jerked to a stop. Rinoa was so good at grabbing him and dragging him to where she wanted to go…just like she had dragged him to the dance floor on the evening they had first met each other, at the SeeD graduation ball.

'Squall! Please, I'm sorry! Really I am really so sorry!' Rinoa pleaded.

Squall kept his face averted from hers. He still wasn't too comfortable with showing emotions on such a regular basis, but her beseeching voice found its way to his heart again, the way only she could. Sighing, he turned his face to look at her steadily.

'For what?' he questioned.

Rinoa's eyes searched his, and then lowered. She still had a fistful of his jacket in her hand. She said softly:

'For Seifer'

Squall could hardly contain the scornful sneer that threatened to break out at that moment. He said after a pause,

'It's not your fault he's such a…' here Squall broke off, and said no more.

'Nothing ever really happened between me and Seifer…gee, he has to be such a jerk…' Rinoa frowned, troubled 'He's just lashing out Squall…he must really feel bad inside, and he can't take it…'

'Whatever. I have to see the Headmaster now' Squall answered curtly, hating how Rinoa always had to see the best in Seifer and try to defend him. He tried to disengage her fingers from his hand, tried to turn away from her.

'Squall!' Rinoa pleaded, close to tears. She remembered how Squall had been to her at the start of their mission, when she'd been his 'client'. The thought of Squall being so cold all over again dismayed her beyond anything else. She'd worked so hard to break down his defences. 'Please don't be that way again to me…don't shut me out…Squall…I…please…'

Squall couldn't shut out that voice or those eyes no matter how hard he tried. He sighed inwardly, and turned to her, reaching out and pulling her close to him. Rinoa's arms wrapped around him, and she buried her face in his chest, relief flooding through her. If she ever lost Squall, she'd lose herself. She had no idea Squall thought the exact same thing about her.

Squall kissed the top of his Angel's head lightly, feeling a whole lot better holding her close to him.

'Never Rin…' he said quietly, in reply to her comment of him shutting her out.

Rinoa squeezed her eyes shut, love for Squall taking over her emotions stronger than ever. Finally she pulled away slowly, Squall having let her take all the time she needed in his arms. She smiled up at him, sniffling a little.

Squall's blue eyes softened, to melted ice.

'I have to see Sir now…' he said in a tone of voice less hard 'I'll see you later alright?'

'Okay' Rinoa smiled, then tip toed up to plant a quick kiss on her knight's lips. She stepped back, as usual quick to revert back to her normal bright and cheerful self. Giving him a quick wave, she added:

'Oh, ask if we can see them about you know what'

Squall nodded, and watched as Rinoa turned and skipped off like a delighted little girl. He took a breath, composed himself, then turned and continued his journey to Headmaster Cid's office.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Sara grabbed hold of Vreya's shoulder, as she passed her on the way to the canteen. She hadn't been able to discuss how the test went that morning with Vreya, since she'd been kept behind at break to finish it off. It was lunch now, and she'd finally found her friend again.

'Vreya!'

Startled out of thought, Vreya blinked, noticing Sara at last.

'Oh. Hi' she said, hardly enthusiastic.

'Ouch. Did it go that bad?' Sara asked, wincing.

'Don't even go there' Vreya muttered, uncharacteristically moody 'It's all over Sara. My parents will see what a failure I am and I'll be grounded forever and confined to my room to study twenty-four-seven'

Sara clucked her tongue sympathetically 'So you forgot we had a test today? But I gave you all my notes'

'I'm sure they were great notes'

'Oh Vreya, you did study at least one topic?' Sara pleaded that she was right.

Vreya shook her head a negative.

'I can't believe it. Something is really wrong with me Sara. How can I forget?'

'I forgot to remind you' Sara said somewhat guiltily 'Sorry'

'It's not your fault. I am such a failure' Vreya pouted.

'Look, we have had a lot of things on our minds lately' Sara attempted to cheer her friend up.

'Tell that to the teachers! When I come to class tomorrow, Mr. Andrews is going to seriously roast me in the staff room oven for all teachers to see'

'They have a staff room oven?' Sara looked perplexed, and this prompted a giggle from Vreya.

'I don't know. It's just a saying silly!'

Sara smiled, and suddenly a loud yell alerted them to Roxy's presence.

'HEY! LIKE WAIT FOR ME!'

Both girls stopped and looked back. Roxy, red faced, almost as red as her hair, collided into them.

'OH MY GOD! IT WAS SO WEIRD!'

Vreya frowned 'What? What was?'

Roxy huffed a moment, recovering her breath.

'Phew! Have you peeps seen the Inspectors?'

'…' Vreya remembered the morning encounter.

'No' Sara said 'Inspectors here again? They were here only two months back!'

'Who cares? The woman stopped me and she was so weird! Her and the guys…oh but the brown haired one was cute…'

'I saw them' Vreya said, feeling slightly confused herself 'The woman had orange hair right?'

'Yah! She asked me where the secretary's office was…'

'That's crazy! When I saw them they were right outside her office in the morning!' Vreya said.

'Maybe they got lost?' Sara put in.

'It's not too hard to find…I mean, the school's not too big…' Vreya frowned. They reached the canteen, and Gen-Ray joined them.

'Hey…am I late? I got stopped by these people in black…this woman was asking me…' he trailed off as the three girls exchanged glances.

'You too?' Sara asked.

'Huh? What? You mean you did too? All of you?' Gen asked, moving out the way to let another student pass him.

'No…I haven't been, but Vreya and Roxy have' Sara replied.

'What did she ask you?' Vreya asked Gen curiously.

'Oh, just now…where is the secretary's office'

'NO WAY!' Roxy exclaimed loudly. Sara shot her a motherly look and she piped down, though not embarrassed.

'She couldn't have gotten lost again!' Vreya said. It was so strange…so many unexplainable things were happening lately. It was frustrating not to have any answers. Besides, those people had been just plain weird. She couldn't remember what the man had said to her, but it had definitely been something along the lines of 'we found something we were looking for' when she'd arrived. It bothered her-it was just too strange…they hadn't been the usual stern Inspectors that came to visit the school…Inspectors dressed smartly, yes, but their clothes had been a little too formal.

'Well isn't that just a bizarre coincidence' Sara quipped.

Vreya thought a moment, remembering suddenly yesterday's meeting. 'Hey Gen, did you find anything online?'

'Oh yeah…I talked with Ash…he said we could all go tomorrow to this place…it's not too far, but it costs a bit. Ash found it and he won't tell me how much it is'

'He's not going to pay for us all surely?' Sara asked.

'You know, Kat can get us in for free…she knows someone…' Vreya said 'But we'd have to wait…'

'Personally, I want this sorted out as soon as possible' Gen replied, as they entered the canteen together 'The sooner the better, that's what I always say.'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Zane was seriously going to fall asleep. This lesson had seemed well over an hour. Mathematics wasn't exactly a subject he adored, but it had been either choosing that or a science. He hated science, especially Biology. He couldn't give any less of a damn how bones worked and why plants did this or that. As long as everything did its job properly, he wasn't too bothered. In terms of how the Earth worked and the carbon cycle and pollution and all, he couldn't care less.

Finally the lesson was ending. The teacher set the homework, and then announced a reminder to the rest of the class.

'Today is parents evening, as you all know. I expect to see you all there…' the blonde haired woman paused, looking at Zane directly.

'Zane a moment please?'

As the rest of the class got up and packed their things, Zane left his desk, and walked over to the teacher at the front. What did she want now? It was annoying that he had to wait for her to finish talking to another girl. While he stood trying to be patient, another girl passed him and smiled. He stared back at her stony-faced. He knew that the girl had a crush on him. She was always asking him stupid things like 'what's the time' when there was a bloody clock right in front of her.

_I_ _mean, can't she even be a little more discreet for her own dignity? Talk about pathetic_…he thought in irritation.

'Zane' the teacher addressed him finally. Zane turned his attention to her.

'I ah…as I said today is progress evening'

Zane stared at her blankly, noting the difference in her tone. She'd said 'parents' evening before, but when talking to him had called it something else. It irritated him. Did she think he was a sop bag, that he'd start crying if she mentioned the word parent in front of him? For God's sake, if he had known his parents, then maybe he'd understand…but it had all happened such a long time ago, too long to care. Zane didn't care much for anything except himself and passing.

'Parent's evening. You can say it' he replied flatly.

'Yes' the woman blushed, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. People seemed to like giving him 'special attention' just because he lived in a house all on his own and was quite well off and had no parents. To him it wasn't a big deal at all.

'Will you come, even if it is alone? Or perhaps you would like to bring along a friend, a guardian or any other close acquaintance?'

Zane stared at the woman. He didn't have any real people he could count as 'friends' but that wasn't because people didn't want to get to know him. He chose to distance himself from others, simply because he wasn't bothered with all the emotional effort of becoming attached. He'd lived in several foster homes before he'd been allowed to take control of his parents' fortune at sixteen, and all throughout his life he'd been on the move. He never stayed anywhere too long, and consequently never stayed with the same people too long. In his view, there was no point getting attached to people and making friends. That way, when the time finally came when you had to leave them, the separation would be so much easier and hassle free.

Zane shrugged, not caring a bit 'Maybe, maybe not'

'I'm serious here Zane…I would like you to attend, regardless of…' she paused, changing the subject direction 'You should discuss any problems you have with your various tutors, and tonight will be the perfect opportunity. We are here to help and support you'

_You sound like Fleck. Discuss any problems? Oh yeah, you know the world is going to end soon and I got to try to save it_… Zane almost laughed out loud, something he rarely did. He hardly even smiled, let alone laughed a genuine laugh. What a ridiculous thing for this teacher to say. It was Zane Ivanstorm she was talking to, had she forgotten? He never spoke of anything to anyone. He kept himself completely and entirely to himself.

'Hmmm' Zane said simply.

The teacher sighed 'Will you at least try for me?'

_For you?_ Zane thought, regarding her with his usual neutral stare. _What's so special about you?_

He had to shut herup however, and said dismissively 'Yeah. Whatever, I'll try'

'Good. You can go' the teacher smiled, but there was a worried look in her eyes. Zane hated it when people regarded him with pity or sympathy. He wasn't a charity case, why couldn't these people see that he was just a normal person?

Letting out a quiet breath of relief, he turned away and exited the classroom: another long and boring school day over.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Lila bumped into Ash at the school gate. She recovered from her surprise, having been on her cell phone. She abruptly said a quick goodbye to the person she was talking to, and switched off the connection, smiling up at the object of her affections, ready to devote her entire attention to him.

'Hi Ash…'

'Hey Lila' Ash nodded to her.

'Haven't you got practice today?' Lila questioned, shading her eyes from the sun's glare.

'Oh…no…that is, yes, but I'm not going. You heard about tomorrow didn't you?' Ash asked, glancing behind him and quickly waving off a friend who'd said goodbye to him just then.

'What…? No…' Lila said, confused.

'We're going to go see the dream people'

'But I have a full day'

'We're missing the last two lessons of the day. All of us' Ash replied.

'Oh. How much does it cost?'

'Don't worry about it' Ash replied.

'No really…' Lila said, touched that Ash was prepared to do her a favour so readily.

'I said it's nothing' he replied, and before she could go on, the others arrived.

'Lila where were you in History?' Costa demanded, poking her in her stomach.

'Oh…I bunked' Lila threw her head back dramatically.

Vreya shook her head in disapproval at her best friend.

'Oh please. You're all going to tomorrow anyway!' Lila said in defence.

'She got a point' Roxy said, chewing on a chewy sweet.

'Time to go maybe? Ash, my way?' Costa said, to Ash who nodded.

'But you have practice…' Gen said, confused.

'No, I'm not going today'

'Don't you get in trouble?' Lila asked worriedly, batting her lashes up at Ash. He shrugged.

'It's just this once. It's not like I'll be missing on a regular basis…'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Jez…hey Jez, look, they're all together!'

Jez nodded to Tai, watching from the car. The red haired girl and the oriental boy they'd picked out at mid-day were standing together, and there was the dark haired girl from the morning.

'Can't believe we found three all in one area…' Tai shook his head, in disbelief 'What luck we decided to check this place first'

'What about the others?' Harris asked, sipping on some lemonade.

'We don't know…' Jez said, eyeing the blond haired boy, the other brown haired girl, the Latin looking young man and another girl who had blonde hair.

'Anyway we can check?' Tai asked.

'It'll look strange if we just go up to them. We can't get them all now anyway. Look…they're leaving in a group…damn!' Jez cursed, watching as the young people walked off together. She realised then that the dark haired young lady they'd first met in the morning was going off alone in a separate direction.

'Hey, isn't she…' Tai said, and Harris nodded.

'Yeah, that's the babe…'

Jez slapped him on his arm, almost causing him to drop his bottle of drink.

'Hey!'

'Shut up. I'll get out there and get her to follow me. You tow stay here. Tai, drive the car in a secluded area'

'How are you going to get her to follow you?' Tai asked. From the back of the black sleek car, Harris now leant forward, paying attention and being serious.

'I'm not sure. I'll find a way. If I'm right then she will follow…she seemed curious about us in the morning'

'Most people were. Can't believe we managed to fool everyone…but Jez, what if she screams and stuff when we get her in here?'

'She won't…it'll be a secluded area. You can use your charm to seduce her into here silently' Jez replied dryly. Tai chuckled.

'Score one for Jezebel'

Harris frowned, as Jez got out of the car, closing the door behind her.

'Oh yeah, very funny'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Vreya walked at a steady pace, letting most of the younger school student pass her. A light breeze blew away the strands of her hair that fell into her face. She sighed. What a day.

'Bye Vreya!' someone called to her, and she glanced up to see a girl from a year below her who she knew fairly well.

'Bye!' she smiled back, and the girl ran off, happily.

_Wish life was that great for me…it was, until those insane dreams started, and then I started failing tests…Oh God, it'll get better, it always does, right?_ Somehow she couldn't quite convince herself entirely.

As she watched the girl run off, something caught her eyes, across the road. Her eyes widened on realising who it was. The orange hair, the black clothing, those dark shades…the woman she'd seen in the morning. She was standing mysteriously close to a corner. Vreya slowed, curiously. The woman seemed to be talking to someone on her cell phone.

_I'm probably just being real silly…maybe these people really did get lost…but why would Inspectors be here the entire day? Don't they have other appointments?_ She stared curiously, and then the woman looked right at her, across the street. She gave Vreya a look that suggested she had caught her doing something, and quickly the woman turned around the corner, disappearing into an alleyway.

Vreya blinked, confused. What was going on?

_Who cares…just turn around and go home_…her sensible voice instructed in her mind.

_What, you mean you're not going to follow her and see what she's doing_? Asked the wild and carefree side to her.

_What if I get caught? What do I say? I'll look stupid_! Vreya worried, and then assured herself that if she did get caught, she could simply say that it was a short cut home she was taking. It would be as simple as that. She didn't need to be such a wimp. It was just a woman, not the boogieman's wife.

She crossed the street, glancing around to make sure there was no traffic. As she slipped into the alleyway after the woman, a black car started, and moved quietly out of the parking space.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Is she following?' Jez's voice asked in Harris's ear, as Tai drove the car along the roads.

'You bet she is. Got to hand it to you Jez. Pretty smart plan'

'Oh naturally. I'll call back' Jez said, and then there was a click as the connection broke off.

'Heh heh, I guess it's a case of bringing the lamb to the slaughter' Tai chuckled.

'What exactly are we going to do with her? Her parents will worry' Harris said.

'We won't keep her forever! Just explain the basics, and let her go back home. We'll drive her back home' Tai replied 'Safe and sound back to momma and papa. The danger isn't here quite yet…we still have some time'

'Yeah but talk about a tight deadline…how limited is it now?' Harris mumbled.

'I guess only time will tell.' his friend replied.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Vreya managed to make it into the alley just in time to see the orange haired woman round another corner. Well, this was definitely not Inspector like behaviour to her.

She sped up a little, trying to act unsuspicious at the same time. Rounding the corner she continued to follow, her curiosity growing by the second.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Have you found a secluded spot yet? I've been walking for ages and my feet hurt!' Jez hissed down the phone.

'Almost…just got to round the corner Tai says, and we'll be near to where you are' came Harris's response.

'Hurry up! I have no idea where we are now, or what part of town. I've been walking for fifteen minutes!'

'Is she still behind you?' Harris questioned.

'Yes. She's rather more energetic, but then, she's not wearing heels is she!' Jez whispered, being careful not to be heard.

Harris's laugh was directly next to her ear, irritating her.

'Told you not to dress up for a fashion parade Jez'

'Shut up Harris! Call me when you get there' with that she closed off the line again. She seriously hoped the girl was still following. A few minutes of walking later, and the cell phone rang again.

'Hey Jez. Hide, and get ready for us to grab her. Just tell us where you are…we're at a Mason Avenue. No one's here'

'I'm at…' Jez looked around, trying to find the name of the alley she was in. She spotted a name 'Yaleview Alley'

There was some conversing on the other side of the line, and then Tai was speaking to her.

'Jez…we're to your left…go straight on after turning left, and then turn right and hide. We'll be there to your right okay?'

'Right' Jez replied, and slowed a moment. Yes, the girl was still following her. She rounded the left then cursed. There was a group of very unpleasant looking boys, and two girls who were dressed so skimpily Jez swore they were prostitutes. She hid behind a small dent in the wall around the corner…those people looked like trouble, and she could see broken bottles of beer near by. She couldn't go past, she knew, without being bothered, especially dressed the way she was. On the other hand she couldn't go back because the girl would be there. She had no choice but to hide, and ring the others for help.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

Vreya couldn't believe how silly this was. How long had she been following for? The problem was she was lost and had no idea how to get back. A fine mess she'd gotten herself into.

_Great, here I go again, blindly putting a foot forward without thinking, totally impulsively, and regretting it later! I never learn! Now did she go this way_…?

No sooner had Vreya rounded the corner and finished this thought when she found herself in the same small alleyway as a mob of very bad trouble.

Her stomach turned upside down with an instant fear. For a moment she stood frozen, unable to move. Then to her horror, her cell phone rang, betraying her position to the gang. They looked her way instantly, alerted by her presence.

'Hey baby…looking for something?' asked one of the boys. He was definitely what her mother would call a 'punk'. Big and heavily built, about her age, with disgusting tattoos all over his exposed arms and a nose ring, as well as bright green hair. To make it worse his dress sense was terrible.

'No…' Vreya said, fear making her throat tight 'S…sorry, wrong road…'

'Whoa, hey!' another guy said, he had long blond hair and a pierced eyebrow. The other members looked relatively normal, except for the two girls, who wore such short skirts and high heels she wanted to scream and run a mile.

'What's the rush!' the blond guy said. Before she knew it she was surrounded. Her heart raced; she knew no self-defence, and it didn't need a great philosopher to work out that these people were trouble.

_Mum…dad, I'm so sorry…God, please help me, this is all my fault, for following some stupid woman…where is she, I bet she wanted me to be led here to this…Oh God, please help me_…Vreya prayed; the feeling of fear was one she hadn't felt in a long time.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Tai! Harris, get out here now!' Jez hissed. She could see that the girl was surrounded, but she couldn't help her. They'd both get in trouble then.

'What's happening?' Harris asked.

'You never told me there was a gang of punks here! They've surrounded her! I can't help!' Jez hissed, feeling desperate and frantic. If anything happened to that girl it was over…it would seriously reduce the chance of everything turning out alright.

'Has she seen you?' Tai had grabbed the phone off Harris again.

'No you fools, I'm hiding! Get out there now! Before she gets hurt! It's right round the corner!'

'Right…how many are there?' Tai asked 'Do we need a weapon?'

'Yes, grab a brick or something, there's…' Jez counted quickly 'Four boys and two girls. Teens. They have broken bottles'

'Aw crap Jez, there's only two of us!' It was Harris again.

'Drive the car round or something! Do anything!' Jez hissed.

'Right okay! Gee, some great idea!' Harris muttered as he broke off the connection.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Hey Whistler, she's pretty fine…looks like your type…' the blond haired guy said to the green haired one, to Vreya's horror.

'U…ummm, I have to get home…' Vreya said nervously.

The other two guys, one a skinhead and the other of some other race, grinned maliciously at her, evidently enjoying her discomfort. Vreya tried to look brave, but there were too many of them, and she couldn't help being scared. She knew when she was in real trouble. Suddenly facing Mr. Andrews tomorrow about her rubbish marks seemed a heaven compared to this…this was real danger.

'There's no rush baby…haven't seen you around here before…' the green haired guy 'Whistler' said to her, a sick look in his eyes. He stank of beer, and Vreya was trying very hard not to start screaming. That's what they wanted her to do.

'So what's you name?' the blond guy said.

'I…I…ummm…L…Lucy!' Vreya blurted. She wasn't so stupid to give her real name.

'Lucy huh? You sure? Why don't we check your bag?' the skinhead said.

'Hey Noosh, I like her necklace. I want it and her matching ring' one of the girls said. She looked truly awful; she had lipstick on that was too red, and her hair was such a fake blonde colour, all the dark roots were showing and it looked terrible. Vreya could only stare at her and the other girl who hardly looked any more decent, in horror.

'What'cha lookin' at little girl?' the other girl demanded 'Seein how I'm a real woman and you're a little mummy's girl?'

'Yeah…look at her, all neat and tidy and pretty…' the blonde girl said in disgust, blowing a big bubble with her chewing gum.

'That's a nice set…' the blonde guy agreed, his eyes slipping lower, drinking up the sight of Vreya's body greedily.

'Y…you're disgusting!' Vreya couldn't help from saying furiously.

'Say what?' the blond guy demanded, stepping forward. As he did so Vreya's heart leapt violently. But the green haired guy stopped him.

'Hey she's mine. You get the afters!' he snarled.

_Oh God, what are they going to do to me_?! Vreya thought, petrified. She was almost shaking in her fear.

'Hey baby, why are you looking so scared? I aint gonna harm ya if you come willingly…wanna be my special girl?' he reached out to touch her face, and Vreya could hold back no longer.

'NO!' she screamed 'DON'T TOUCH ME!'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

The boy waited for the traffic light to turn green. How long did it take? He would've thought this mode of transport would be quicker than a car…that's why he'd bothered to learn how to drive this thing. There wasn't much of a difference right now however; he was still stuck with the rest of the traffic at rush hour. And he'd decided to take this route too…first time, thinking it would be quicker.

_What a dunce…bloody hell, I'm going to be late_! _They said five and it's bloody four-twenty now, and I still have to get home first and get my things! This stupid helmet is annoying me!_

He waited, tapping his gloved fingers on the steering handles. Suddenly he heard something-it was clear and sounded close by. He turned his head to the left instantly, and he saw a secluded little road, empty, leading to several alleyways.

_Some poor idiots've got themselves in trouble. Too baaaaad_…he thought absently then heard the scream again. The lights were changing.

_It's a girl_…?

The lights changed to green and he made his decision.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Holy shit girl, you scream like a bloody banshee!' the blond guy snapped 'Whistler just grab her and shut her up!'

'No, leave me alone!' Vreya screamed, then because in situations like this dignity meant little she cried out for help 'Help! Someone help!'

The green-haired guy grabbed a tight hold of her, fingers crushing down painfully on the small delicate bones in Vreya's wrist.

'Let me go!' she sobbed; heart racing so fast and hard she feared it might actually burst out from inside her.

'Shut up bitch! I could've given you such a nice ride, but now you chose the hard way…'

'No…please…!' Vreya said, trembling, while the others sneered sadistically as they watched on.

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Shit, where the hell are you, get out there now, they're going to hurt her!'

'We're coming Jez…' Harris said, and Jez snapped

'Stuff you, I'm stopping this myself!'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Here, just take the bloody brick!' Tai snapped and both men grabbed a brick, and moved to help the girl around the corner. She was screaming and crying…they could hear it.

Suddenly another sound filled their ears, much louder than anything else. The roaring of a motorbike; they looked to their right to see a person on a sleek bike come racing their way. The person stopped before them, engine humming at the ready. There was another scream and the person on the bike didn't hesitate to round the corner, right into the scene of trouble.

'Who the hell was that?' Tai asked, but Harris was staring open mouthed at the necklace in his hand. It was glowing an even more luminous purple than it had ever done before.

'…Someone we've been looking for…'

--------------- **◊** ---------------

'Hey you!' Jez yelled, stepping out of her safe hiding place 'Let her go now! Don't you have anything better to do than take your sick pleasure out of terrifying girls?'

'Who thehell are you bitch?' the skinhead snarled back 'You best move your hide or we'll drag you in here too!'

Vreya, gasping in her terror, managed to twist her head to see that the person who had spoken was the same orange-haired woman she'd been following.

'H…help me!' she squealed

At that same moment there was a roar of an engine, and all heads turned to see a figure on a motorbike. Jez stared in shock. That was not Harris, or Tai. What was going on?

The figure spoke up, pushing up the eyepiece of the helmet. His eyes stopped on the victim; a pretty girl who was in the clutches of a guy way too ugly for her.

'You gonna let her go or what?' he demanded, resting a hand casually on one steering handle.

'Who are you?' one gang member asked, eyeing him warily. He certainly lookedtough dressed as he was, and riding an expensive looking bike.

The guy on the bike ignored the question, repeating his own.

'Are you going to let her go?'

'It's none of your business! She's my girl!' the green haired punk holding onto the petite girl sneered back.

'She doesn't look to happy about it' the biker guy commented.

'Fuck off or else!'

The guy got off his bike.

'Or else what? You'll kick my ass? Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you if you don't let her go right now.'

Vreya drew a breath. Whoever it was she was grateful. Two other guys appeared from behind him, holding bricks.

'What the hell is this?!' a girl said 'I told you we'll get caught! It was her screaming!'

The other girl tried another approach. She looked at the guy with the helmet on, mysteriously hiding his features, then said,

'Hey sugar, let them be, we can go play our own little game…'

'Fuck you whore. Go put some clothes on' was the icy reply.

'Son of a bitch! I'll teach you to cal my girl that!' the blond guy yelled, and lunged at the biker boy. He dodged easily, and struck the guy in his gut. He followed up with a roundhouse kick that left the guy floored. Everyone stared in shock. The skinhead yelled in fury then and tried to have a go himself. The boy disposed of him just as easily.

'Who's next?'

Tai grinned. The boy was great.

Jez had a strange feeling everything was going to work out alright. She felt bad…it was all her fault that the girl had to endure this terrible experience.

The other guy picked up a broken glass bottle. The guy with the helmet seemed unfazed. He was relatively well protected.

'Let her go NOW' he ordered harshly.

'You want her, come and get her!'

Vreya cried out as the green haired guy dragged her back by her hair, his other hand keeping her arm at bay. The guy on the bike swore, and turned, getting back onto his bike. The skimpily dressed girls fled around the corner, all that were left were the other two guys. With a roar the boy on the motorbike charged at the green haired guy who yelled out curses, pushing Vreya out in the way of the incoming bike.

Vreya screamed, waiting for the impact, but nothing came. Instead she heard the voice address her directly. It sounded relatively young, but she couldn't tell because she was cowering pathetically on the floor and wouldn't look up; he was also wearing a helmet, obscuring all his features.

'Get on'

She blinked, shaking her head and crying.

'Get on girl!' the voice ordered again, slightly muffled because he wore a helmet.

Vreya looked up, clutching her sore arm, and her eyes widened as she gazed up at the person who had helped her.

She felt a very strange feeling rush up and overpower the fear she'd felt, and she froze, mouth open slightly in shock, stunned into silence.

He was urging her to get on his motorbike again, but she hardly took notice. She was pinned to place by his intense gaze, by his piercing eyes.

His eyes…the boy's eyes were green.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_That was the longest EVER! Hope you liked it, I am so spent now, I'm so sorry it was so long, but I couldn't stop! Anyway, I hope this was okay. Who is it huh? Who's the cool guy? Suggestions anyone? I have thrown in a few hints as to who it may be, if you people read properly, just to give you a clue. Had to end here, else I'd never stop writing! By the way, my updates will probably be weekly now, because I have so much other commitments (school!) so just to let you all know, but if I ever did get time to update during the week, I'll do it okay? Stay tuned for the next chapter, and Leah, thanks for the advice, I hope this was enough on the 'earth side' for one chapter!_


	12. Shaken

**Chapter XII: Shaken**

Vreya couldn't move-she could barely breathe; suddenly she was back in the dark fields, with the brilliant white feathers swirling around her and through the velvet curtain of white were those same haunting eyes…those beautiful green eyes…

The boy stared down at the girl, feeling a frown settle on his face beneath the helmet. He'd spoken to her a few times, but she seemed to be in a daze, looking up at him with eyes that were wide with a look of fear and something else.

_Why is she looking at me like that…? Do I know her…? _

He couldn't dwell on anything for too long; he had only rested his eyes on her for a split-second before he sensed movement and turned his head away from her.

Jez's eyes widened as she spotted the gang member with the bottle rush to attack the guy on the bike. The girl was still on the floor, looking up in a rather stunned manner, at the boy on the bike when the green haired punk also picked up a broken bottle. Before anyone could react, the other member threw it straight at the dark haired girl on the floor.

'Take this bitch!'

The boy on the bike intercepted the bottle. It crashed against his motorbike, and he looked to the punk with rage.

'That is so it' he hissed, getting off his bike again, and rushing at the guy who tried in vain to pick up another bottle. The boy wearing the helmet moved faster, dropping low and knocking the gang boy's legs from out beneath him. As he tried to scramble up, the biker boy grabbed him roughly and caught him under his jaw with a swift hard uppercut punch. The gang member howled in pain, falling back to the floor, clutching his injured face.

Vreya watched, stunned stupid. She needed to get a grip-_now_. She was being ridiculous…many people in the world had green eyes…this was no reason nor was it the time to zone out. Yet confusion made her reaction time even slower. Who was this boy…? He fought so amazingly…moved so fast…he'd just appeared out of nowhere to help her…maybe God had listened to her prayers for help after all. Heart pounding, she managed to stand shakily, backing away from the entire scene. Part of her was screaming for her to run now, while she still had the chance.

_One problem…you're lost, don't know the way back to the street opposite school, oh, and yeah, you'll just leave the guy without saying thanks…? _The sensible voice said in her mind. She still wanted to run…she'd looked like such a wimp, but she really had been so scared…besides, she could still feel the heat in her cheeks-she had no idea what had come over her to stare like that-gazing up into the stranger's eyes had seemed to last for an eternity, when it had probably only been for about three seconds before he had broken contact She felt embarrassed and disconcerted and confused. Amongst all these feelings of fear and unsteadiness she was feeling something else…a strange feeling foreign to her…she didn't know what it was, didn't recognise it. She felt like…like all her senses were suddenly so alive, so alive that it was painful. The urge to run was overwhelming but she resisted.

This time she listened to the sensible voice, and stayed put.

The gang leader looked very uncomfortable, but his pride wouldn't let him just run. To Vreya's horror he pulled out a knife-it was only a small hand one, but any knife could do great damage. As the biker boy finished with the other gang member, the green haired one, Whistler, rushed at him from behind.

'Hey boy…!'

Vreya looked behind the biker boy to see the other two 'Inspectors'. The one with the blond spiked up hair had called out in warning to the boy.

But he didn't need it. He spun around just as Whistler reached him and raised an arm to block the stab attempt. Using his other hand, he caught hold of the gang leader's wrist, twisted it mercilessly, causing the green haired punk to cry out in pain.

'Arghh I'll kill you, son of a…'

He didn't get to finish. Disarming him, the biker boy twisted and elbowed him in the face, delivering a final kick that floored the fool. He got up, spluttering, clutching a broken nose.

'W…who the f…' he attempted to speak, but the boy wearing the helmet just stepped forward intimidatingly, causing the punk to scramble back.

'Run to momma asshole' the biker boy said in a cold, hard voice 'or you want some more?'

Cursing violently and clutching his nose, the green haired boy turned and slipped into another alley, running away finally.

'Assholes…' the biker boy muttered, dusting himself off. That had hardly been difficult for him…when was he ever going to meet a proper challenger?

Excluding the one who'd floored him a few days back. He wasn't counted.

Harris spoke finally.

'Excuse me?'

The boy, who still wore his helmet, glanced over his shoulder.

_Please, no 'wows'…damn, what's the time?! I am definitely late_…he thought. 

'Thanks…' the brown haired man with shades told him.

The boy checked his watch. It was quarter to five. He had fifteen minutes…he was never going to make it.

_Are they even together_…? The biker boy wondered. Turning his attention to the brunette girl, he thought somehow not. 

Vreya said shakily, glancing back over her shoulder to see the orange-haired woman,

'Th…this is your entire fault! Now I'm lost! I'll never get back home…you…you led me here!'

'Now listen girl…' Tai stepped forward and she yelled.

'You aren't Inspectors! You…whatever you are…stay away from me! If I see you at school ever again I'll…I…'

She couldn't even finish. Her cell phone lay clattered to the floor, probably not working by the looks of it. Her parents were going to flip…God; she had gotten herself into such a mess.

_I deserve every bad piece of luck I get! I am so stupid! _Vreya cursed herself. What would her mother and father say when they saw her go back home in this state? Her hair a wild mess, the arm of her top ripped, her phone broken…they would worry so much, and it was all her clumsy fault.

_Great…so she's lost and hates these people…so what…? I have to go now anyway. _The guy got back on his bike. Helping her survive was enough. Now he was really going to be late for his after school 'special class'…

'We can take you home' the brown haired guy offered, and though his voice was significantly kinder than she'd ever heard before, there was no way she was going to take any chances. No way was she going to trust these people.

A rather hysterical laugh escaped Vreya's lips 'Y…you've got to be joking…you…you think I'm going to go anywhere with you?!'

'Look girl, we were coming to help you…' Harris began again, but it was evident the girl was not going to have any of it.

Vreya bit her lower lip anxiously. Weighing up her options, she realised she was in a very bad situation. She was stuck in an unfamiliar part of town, with these people she was convinced wanted to hurt her. Finding her way back to school would be near impossible. There was no way she could remember all the twists and turns of the alleyways she had gone through. She was not going to make another foolish mistake by allowing the strange 'Inspectors' to help her back-God knew what they would do and where they were planning to take her. On the other hand, if she refused help she'd be trapped in this bad part of town all night. She couldn't even call the police because her cell phone was useless.

She had only one option. She had only one other hope, and she would have to turn to it before it left her here with these people.

She turned to the boy on the bike, who pushed down the helmet's eyepiece. He was readying himself to take off.

Summoning up her courage, she addressed him.

'Please help me'

The biker boy looked in her direction, but didn't respond.

_What…? Is this girl serious? I saved her ass, what more can she expect me to do? I'm not her minder…let her sort out her own problems, because I sure as hell don't give a damn…_he thought to himself, looking through the eyepiece with an incredulous look on his features, though the girl couldn't see this.

He got his bike into gear again, preparing to make off. But the girl just pleaded with him again.

'Please! Don't leave me here with them…I'm lost and…please help me! J…just drop me off anywhere but here…please…'

The boy felt even more exasperated than usual. For goodness sake…did he look like a taxi service?

_Aw…my heart bleeds for you, you're lost, how sad, boohoo…! _He thought, completely irritated. Why should he care?

_It was stupid to help out…since when was I Superman, helping those in need? Pathetic…_but the girl was looking so desperate and so lost and so completely a state that he felt something inside of him relent. He wasn't too happy about this, but then again, what if these people really wanted to hurt her? Not that he cared too much, but he'd done this much to get her out of trouble.

'Please?' Vreya begged, hoping and praying to God this guy would have at least a small dose of compassion in him.

The boy sighed inwardly. This was so ridiculous. He was more irritated with himself than with anyone else here…it was crazy, but when he'd heard her scream, he'd felt an automatic urgency to go help the person in trouble out. Even now he felt so strange…an uncomfortable feeling and he had no idea why.

'Stop them Tai!' Harris hissed 'They're both one of them!'

'What you want me to do? I can fight it out but he's got a bike!' Tai hissed back.

'Look children, can we just discuss this…' Jez said, stepping forward 'We really meant no harm, and it really is rather important that you both come with us…'

The boy blinked behind the helmet. No, she couldn't mean what he thought she did…he had others, and he didn't think there were more.

Vreya edged a step away as the orange haired woman advanced. The biker boy had already had quite enough. He was late, and it was high time he should leave.

'Please!' Vreya said desperately, terrified of the prospect of being left alone. The biker boy was certainly not too willing to carry her off away from here.

The boy on the bike sighed. There was absolutely no way he would usually do this, but the girl was in such a mess.

'Get on'

Vreya looked at him, and was suddenly doubtful.

'Do…but I…would you…?'

_What a stupid girl! What's her problem? All that begging and when I finally agree she's going to decline? Two can play at that! _He thought.

'I won't offer again' he said through his clenched teeth, gripping onto the steering handles tightly.

Vreya's mind filled with rapid thoughts.

_Wait a second…I'm acting impulsively again…do I know I can trust him? Even if he did help me…he…he could be as bad as the others_! The biker boy didn't give her much time to reconsider. 

'I'm leaving now. You want to stay lost?' came the impatient voice.

Vreya hesitated. Could she trust him? Oh to hell with it…she wasn't better off being lost and left with these people was she?

'Hold on a second you can't take her…!' Jez spoke up, stepping forward. All that and they weren't going to get the girl? Not that she was in any condition to listen to them anyway…

Vreya made up her mind, and grabbed her scattered things. She moved to the bike and got on the passenger seat behind the guy. The motorcycles engine roared to life once again.

'Hey boy, just hold on…' Harris said. The necklace in his hand had glowed crazily in this boy's presence and still was. They had two of who they were looking for right here, and they were just going to get away…the boy they had a small chance of seeing again, and the girl knew them now to not be caught off guard. Neither would she come willingly after this unfortunate experience.

'Look, we never meant for her to get hurt…' Tai said 'Just please, we'll take her back home…'

The biker boy took no notice, and veered back. Vreya clutched onto his sides lightly, ignoring the 'Inspectors'. They could go to hell for all she cared. She would never forget this…if they bothered her again she'd call the police.

'Where to?' the boy asked her brusquely.

'Maple Drive'

He knew where that was. It wasn't too out of his way. This was crazy, helping this girl. But she might not even get home if he didn't take her. He began to move the bike forward.

'Wait!' the woman called after them, but the boy just sped up and raced down the alley. Tai and Harris had to jump out the way of the speeding motorbike, and all three watched helplessly as the two young people with intertwined destinies disappeared around the corner, out of reach and out of sight.

There was a silence as all three of the remaining adults listened to the fading sound of the motorbike helplessly. Finally Jez snapped, kicking a broken bottle with her foot:

'Perfect! Just peachy! That really kicks the boot! I can't believe it…all that and she's just gone! What's more, she hates us!'

Harris sulked, hands in pockets.

'The guy was one too Jez'

Jez's head snapped up, and she looked at her two comrades, incredulously.

'Ha!' she laughed, but it was not a laugh of amusement, as she threw her head back, looking up to the heavens 'Ha! Oh Lord, that is SO rich!'

'Oookay Jez, calm down…' Tai began, but the copper-haired woman just launched into a fiery frenzy of fury.

'I can't believe you let them get away! Why didn't you go chase after them in the car?! You idiots! Oh God, now what, tell me what we do now! If she ever sees us again in school she'll flip out. We'll get arrested! Damn, why didn't you tell me there were gang members here, I would never have led her here!'

'Jez, she doesn't have to see us in school!' Harris insisted, trying to calm the woman down.

'What an idea that is!' came the response.

'I'm serious Jez…you can arrange a meeting with her in private…say you're happy to be a support teacher!' Harris said.

'And just why would that girl need support?' Jez said, through her teeth.

'Maybe she's not doing well in school!' Harris said.

'How could we check that? We don't know her name' Tai said.

'We can listen in…no…we can get Locky to pretend to be err…like, a visitor!' Harris said, thinking that it was a brilliant plan 'No-one's seen him yet!'

Jez was about to open her mouth and tell Harris how stupid he was, but stopped. It actually sounded…plausible!

She said nothing, as she stormed past the two men, back towards the car. It had all gone so wrong. Why couldn't She help them? There was so little time, and she could see no way of getting that girl or the others once the girl told her friends, as she was bound to do the next day.

'You think she likes my plan?' Harris asked Tai, who sighed.

'Give her time Harris. You know how Jez is when she gets worked up. It'll be okay…hopefully'

The two turned and left the now empty alleyway, following Jezebel back to the car.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya stared dully at the blur of grey that was the passing road. She'd never been on a motorbike before, and she would've thought that she'd enjoy it a little more.

She would have, if the circumstances had been a little better.

She had never felt so miserable in her life. It had been such a terrible experience; no doubt that gang had wanted to take advantage of her, and if it hadn't been for this stranger, she…God knew where she'd be now…

She squeezed her eyes shut, as the wind rippled through her hair, clutching onto her saviour more tightly. He hadn't spoken a word to her the entire journey. She was far too scared and embarrassed to say anything to him. She wanted to thank him, but the words seemed to be caught in her throat.

_I just hope that I don't get anymore nightmares after this; I have enough to deal with already…_she thought, which prompted her to think about the boy with the green eyes from her dream, and the fact that she was now with a boy with green eyes.

_I'm being stupid and childish and spoilt, being all miserable and thinking that maybe this is the person from my dream. Most likely he's not real, and so what, how many people have green eyes in this world, like he's the only one, I don't think so!_ _I won't see this guy again, that's for sure! _Vreya told herself, as they finally entered the part of town she recognised because it was close to her house.

The boy was aware that the girl's grip on him had tightened, and it irritated him. He seriously hoped she wasn't going to gush all over him and call him her 'Hero' and everything. He hated the princess types, and hoped God would be kind enough to reward him with an easy ride back for his actions.

So far so good…the girl had only tightened her grip on him slightly, but she hadn't gushed over how amazing he fought, or how she was going to be eternally grateful and that he was her hero. She wasn't even asking him questions like who he was or anything. Good, she was sparing them both the bother. Her silence was welcome-he had absolutely no intention to speak, or to make a big deal over this. Yes, he'd helped her out, let it just be left at that, he wouldn't be seeing her again-her part of town was not very close to his.

_My parents are going to flip…seeing me in this state…Oh, I am so dead, _Vreya thought, letting out a groan of dread. They were going to ask so many questions, and she'd have to lie about half the things if she wanted to be allowed out any time soon.

_The charity ball on Friday…that's only two days away…they'll never let me go now…oh damn_… 

Vreya had been looking forward to the charity ball that was going to be held at her school in two days for a long time. She had helped to organise it and distribute formal invitations to parents. It was open for anyone to attend, but money was to be collected before hand, a donation paid by anyone who wanted to go. It would be mostly people from her school, sixteen to eighteen year olds attending, because anyone lower than this age was not permitted to attend, unless they were a brother or sister, and even then only as young as fourteen would be allowed in. Parents and other staff would probably be there too, so it was bound to be a good time, with a hired band, and caterers and all the other works. She'd seen the hall that was going to be the venue…a large, magnificent place that would be perfect for hosting a ball. The thought of not being allowed to go, when the big event was only two days away made Vreya feel so disappointed and upset. The only real excuse to dress up in a nice dress, and feel good knowing you're donating money for a good cause; it was going to be denied to her.

'I am so dead…' Vreya muttered, her sense of dread increasing as the guy veered to the left, into the street that lead to her road.

The boy heard her comment, presuming that she meant her parents were going to be angry. He wouldn't know the feeling…he hadn't known his parents.

He took a right, and stopped at the middle of the road. Engine still humming, he waited for her to get off.

Vreya got off the bike rather clumsily, since she was shaking still and had never been on a motorcycle before. She drew a breath, as the engine behind her roared once more. She had to compose herself before she could face him. She'd looked fool enough in front of him already, and she wanted to set it straight before they parted that she was definitely not a damsel in distress type and could take care of herself…oh yes, a mighty fine job she'd done proving that today! The truth was she'd been terrified and had never felt so helpless-if it hadn't been for the biker stranger, she would have been seriously hurt or worse. She did owe him-big time; there was no use acting all proud and stubborn.

'Thank…' Vreya began, turning back around to face the biker boy, but she was surprised to see that he had already taken off. Just like that. He hadn't even said goodbye or waited for her to get to her door safely.

_What do you expect idiot? He doesn't even know you…he just helped you because he thought you were too pathetic to be just left there, so what's the big deal? Why should he care? _A nasty little voice sneered in her mind, mocking her. It only made her feel worse.

The wind whipped her hair across her face as she watched the lights of his sleek bike disappear further on down the road, out of sight, probably forever.

'…You…' Vreya finished softly, and was shocked at herself when she felt a little wistfulness tug at her heart. What was the matter with her? She didn't even know what he looked like…and she'd already forgotten the image of his green eyes in her mind. Miserably she turned and trudged to her doorstep. This was not going to be pretty…

She didn't even have the keys to open the door and make a dash upstairs.

_I could climb up, _she considered, looking up at the pipe that ran down her house. Then she just snapped at herself for thinking something so stupid, and taking a breath, her heart racing, she reached out and pressed the doorbell once.

It was just her luck that Katrina opened the door. But her cousin was so shocked by what she saw on the doorstep that she couldn't help but exclaim loudly:

'OH MY GOD VREYA, WHAT HAPPENED!?'

Vreya desperately tried to quieten her cousin down, but it was too late. Her mother had heard, and had poked her head round the kitchen door.

'Vreya darling, you're late, what…' her mother's voice trailed off, and Vreya looked to Katrina, who was looking guiltily at her.

'My God Vreya! Get inside right now!' her mother instructed, in a tone of voice she rarely used with her daughter. A severe tone that meant she meant business.

Vreya swallowed, on the verge of tears, and stepped into her house, closing the door behind her. It was going to be a long night…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Fleck paced the room impatiently. It was now half past five. Where was he?

'Maybe he stood us up' Bo yawned, sitting on the wooden floor of the training room, looking as though he was going to fall asleep at any moment.

'Do you think so?' Rica questioned. She was propped on a chair, resting her head in her hands.

'Maybe he played along and now made his break' Bo said.

'That's stupid. Why would he do it now?' Fleck asked, and huffed, in irritation.

'Hmm, three's a magic number?' Bo said.

'Oh drop it' Fleck said, tugging on his short blonde ponytail 'He's probably been caught up in some traffic'

'Some rush hour…' Rica said.

'The boy will come' Morgan said, from his corner of the room. They looked to the wise leader of their group.

'You think he is taking us seriously?' Bo asked him

'Yes. That boy will look up to us in time. Especially to you, Fleck. You are his mentor. You will be spending the most time with him, and he will respect you. He already does. I have seen the way he regards you every time you knock him to the floor'

'Hah' Fleck snorted 'with a glare you mean? He has no manners'

'He's just a tyke I guess…he has to learn, and he does live alone and all' Bo said.

'His parents?' Rica asked 'In the three months we've been watching him we've never seen any adult with him'

'Maybe he doesn't like his parents. Maybe they're in another country?' Bo shrugged.

'Maybe they're dead' Fleck said, exchanging a look with Morgan. Bo and Rica looked to him.

'You think so?' Bo asked, with an eyebrow raised.

Fleck shrugged 'Could be. Who knows? Right now, who cares, because he's late!'

At that moment they heard the door above the large basement close, and feet came down the stairs. Zane appeared, chucked his riding gear in the corner, looking very annoyed indeed.

'You look pissed' Bo commented, receiving a customary glare from the young man.

'What happened?' Morgan asked. Zane huffed, and said dismissively, waving his hand,

'Nothing. Just got caught up'

'In?' Fleck asked.

'Nothing. Let's just get this over with'

'It's not nothing…what happened? Why are you late?' Fleck pressed, rather concerned.

Zane picked up a sword, and chucked it over to his mentor who caught it. He was having second thoughts about not knowing how it felt to be lectured.

'Traffic' it was a half-lie.

Fleck looked at Zane suspiciously, but when it became evident that the boy was not going to say more, he let it drop reluctantly. Zane appeared to be alright…he wasn't hurt or anything, and he was here, even if he was late, and that was all that mattered.

He readied his stance, and said: 'Ready kid?'

Zane looked like he was contemplating something at that moment, and mumbled something incoherent, then said 'Yes'

Fleck sighed. In his eyes, it was going to take a long time to get the boy to respect and trust him enough to open up a little. He was already such a withdrawn individual.

'Well then' Fleck said, regarding Zane steadily 'Shall we?'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Squall knocked on Headmaster Cid's office door lightly with a gloved hand.

'Enter!'

Squall opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind him.

'Ah! Squall! Just the man I was expecting! How are you my boy?' Cid exclaimed, looking up as Squall entered.

Squall nodded in greeting to Cid respectfully, then noticed Matron was present also.

'Hello Matron' he said nodding to her politely.

'Hello Squall, please take a seat' Edea invited, gesturing gracefully to the empty chair.

Squall sat down, wondering what the Headmaster and his wife wanted to see him about.

'…' Cid regarded Squall's face a moment, then chuckled 'You're wondering why I've called for you? Don't look so nervous my boy…you're not in any trouble'

Squall frowned lightly. Had his face become that readable?

'We wanted to ask your opinion on a rather…sensitive matter' Edea started.

Squall resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was hardly the best person to address in personal and sensitive issues…even though he had altered his lines of thinking after the experiences he'd been through, he was still very much Squall…quiet, pensive, preferring to keep to himself and out of other people's affairs, and other people out of his own. Besides, the entire encounter with Seifer minutes earlier had hardly put him in the best of moods.

'It concerns Seifer' Cid said, looking at Squall's face closely, as if waiting for a reaction.

Squall was careful to keep a blank face. Speak of the devil…no sooner had he had another run in with the troublesome fool, now he had to discuss him.

_What a waste of air…_Squall thought gloomily _I could have been with Rinoa now…_

'It concerns his rehabilitation' Edea added.

'Sir, Matron, with all respects, I don't think I'm the one to talk to in regards to…' Squall could barely manage to say the name; he hated it so much '…Seifer…' he finished.

'No Squall, that is precisely why we wanted to see you' Cid said firmly, pushing his glasses up so they rested steadily on his eyes again.

'Xu has suggested to us that we should have Seifer transferred to another Garden'

Squall resisted the urge to voice his thoughts.

_No Garden deserves such punishment, _he thought scornfully.

Edea continued 'And we were wondering, how you and the others would feel about this'

Squall's eyes rose and rested on Matron. Was this a trick question? Edea and Cid, and the entire world knew what he thought of Seifer. What he thought was also what the rest of the 'Orphanage Gang' and Rinoa thought.

Cid chuckled again 'Edea my dear, I think our star student is a little confused by the obviousness of your question'

Edea smiled at her husband, then looked to Squall and said seriously 'You understand why we decided to allow Seifer back into Balamb Garden?'

The young SeeD folded his arms across his chest, and tilted his head to one side, not even bothering to hide his exasperation this time.

'I know what your intentions were' he replied.

'They still are' Cid said, hands clasped together and resting on his desk 'but we are not happy with the way things are developing'

'Seifer won't change Sir' Squall said, voice quiet and ever serious, his deep blue eyes locked onto Cid.

Edea sighed 'Oh dear. We've heard that phrase many times'

'Squall, you are a mature young man, yet we know that you harbour a deep hate towards Seifer…' Cid tried again.

'Yes' Squall said, not hesitating to admit this fact.

'Having a deeper hate than Zell is quite an achievement' Cid attempted to joke, but was only rewarded by a stony stare from Squall.

He sighed heavily 'This is no matter to joke about, I admit. But in all seriousness, when we agreed to allow Seifer back into Garden, we did so truly believing that he will improve and allow us to help him'

'Quistis tells us that he is quieter in lessons' Edea said 'I believe that is an improvement'

Cid nodded at his wife 'Yes. We do see that as an improvement. We do believe Seifer can become better…but to do so he requires not only staff help, but pupil encouragement'

Squall stared in disbelief. He had made it plain that he wanted nothing to do with Seifer once he returned…now what were Cid and his wife suggesting?!

'Sir…' Squall began to protest, but Cid held up a hand indicating for the SeeD to quieten down.

'Let me finish Squall. We are all very aware of Seifer's past actions and decisions. We know fully well that he decided to take the path he did willingly'

Edea added sadly 'With some gentle persuasion…'

'But what has happened has happened. Should we all live in the past? What kind of a life, and a world would it be, if we let the past constantly keep us back from making progress and decisions? I appeal to you Squall, because I would have thought that you,more thanall the rest, understand how the past can inhibit you from gaining the best out of life'

'How long ago was it that you were haunted by your own past? At times you still are, Squall, I see it in your eyes, though you may try so hard to keep the expression reticent' Edea said gently.

Squall's eyes lowered. They had a point. But his past had never harmed anyone, had it? Seifer's past actions were inexcusable.

'You may think that your past actions did not affect others Squall' Cid said, as if reading Squall's mind 'I assure you they did upset quite a number of us. Edea and I, Quistis, Zell, Nida, and many other students who were hurt by your curt attitude towards them'

Squall felt uncomfortable. Edea said gently, voice soothing:

'But you may be excused from blame. We understand your past now, and the circumstances under which you were as you were. Did we not help you to rediscover yourself? Your other approach to life? One that, instead of shunning life and its people as worthless and troublesome, sees life as an exciting and hope-filled future, full of wonders and surprises?'

'You have friends now Squall…friends who love you and care for you, as well as the staff. So many people appreciate you and are in your debt. Your future is one full of hope; you are cherished by a remarkable young woman, and you have everything to look forward to' Cid continued.

Squall was silent, considering all this.

'Now think of Seifer. His childhood was similar to your own. Very similar in fact, now tell me Squall, what does Seifer have to look forward to? Not only does he shun others and the world, but the world and others also shun him. He is isolated and feels alone. That is why he lashes out. You do not see past his arrogance and pride, and his seemingly selfish and self-centred acts. Most people do not…but I have known what more there is to Seifer…I was allowed into his mind once, and I found that he was as lost and alone as you once were, not so long ago' Edea said, looking to Squall and pleading for him to understand.

'Seifer thinks that there is no hope in the world, and no future. He regrets what he did; there is no doubt about that. I believe Quistis in particular has become sensitive to this in him'

'Quistis?' Squall exclaimed, speaking up at last. What did the Headmaster mean by that?

'He is in her classes' Cid nodded, then went on 'I want you to imagine how a life like that would be for you. Wouldn't you long for help and yet shrink from it, afraid that people would see your weaker side, afraid of what people think of you?'

It wasn't hard for Squall to imagine what Cid was asking him. Not too long ago, it was exactly how he had felt inside.

A sudden thought struck him, horrifying him.

_Are Seifer and I so different_…? 

Edea was continuing with the subject.

'Seifer may appear to you all haughty and not sensitive to what others feel and think of him and his actions. Though he would never admit it, I assure you that it affects him deeply. He doesn't like what others think of him, but he doesn't know how to change it. He feels that by making other student fear him he has achieved some sense of identity. That worked for him for the past couple of years. He is beginning to realise now however, that there is more to one's identity than that'

_Just like I was…they used to say Squall, the one who doesn't talk, he's so distant, when they thought I couldn't hear them…I knew people talked about me, and it hurt that they felt like they knew me and could judge me just like that, by what impression I gave out, when they didn't even know the real me inside…_Squall thought to himself. He remembered the miserable feeling he'd get, that he would always push back and attempt to suppress.

'I believe they call it 'ego'' Cid said, before his wife took over again.

'Seifer needs help Squall. He needs help, and that starts with those closest to him'

Squall looked up at this. No…no way was he going to agree to let Seifer think that he could bully him and others all over again and be given another chance.

'Seifer doesn't care…' Squall began, but Edea cut in immediately:

'Aha! But Squall, on what terms to you make such a judgement? I know what you were going to say…Seifer doesn't care about anyone, am I right? Tell me my son; did you care when people said about you the things that they said? To others it appeared that you couldn't care less…but the reality is not what others think you are feeling…it is what you feel inside'

Squall stared at the two adults, speechless. They had delivered to him quite a powerful speech.

_Wonder if they rehearsed it, _Squall thought dryly.

'So you see son…are you so different?' Cid asked. Squall was silent at this. He didn't know what he could say. Seifer just made himself so unlikable, and he'd done such bad things to Squall…taunting him endlessly, giving him the scar across his forehead, betraying all his fellow students and staff at Garden to help an evil sorceress wipe out SeeD…torturing him when he'd been captured after the sorceress had knocked him out, hurting Zell, hurting all his friends, hurting Rinoa…how could he just forget and forgive all that? It wasn't easy at all…Squall was in no way as bad as Seifer, even though he had to admit to the other similarities Cid and Edea had pointed out.

'We understand it is difficult to forget all that Seifer has ever done to you and those you care about' Edea said, again making Squall feel as though his mind had been read 'We don't ask that you totally disregard all of that. We won't ever forget what Seifer did…but what use is it to us now that we shun him and constantly remind him of his previous actions? What do any of us gain from it? By indirectly bullying him-because that is what you students are all doing-are you being any better than Seifer?'

'All we ask is that you make the effort to at least show him that you are not against the idea of him improving. We're not saying get all friendly and shake hands and laugh it all off…we simply ask that you give him a chance, which means not constantly reminding him of the past, and being cooperative' Cid said.

'If you begin to make the effort, then you are all the better for it and Seifer will soon come round and cooperate in time. Yes it will take time, yes it will take hard work on all our parts, and yes, it will be trying…but if we do not make the effort, Seifer will never improve, and as one of my children, and because it was also in part due to me indirectly that Seifer did what he did, I personally feelthat I owe him as much as another chance, and I hope that you will all support me in this decision' Edea finished.

There was a long silence. Edea looked to her husband, feeling rather hopeless. Squall was not responding; the young man just sat there, arms folded, eyes cast down to the floor.

'Squall? Will you make the effort?' Cid asked at length.

Squall couldn't believe it. He seriously hoped he wouldn't regret it.

'We will talk to all the others, but we believe Quistis and Selphie, and indeed Rinoa are willing to cooperate, as well as Irvine. It is just you and Zell' Edea said.

Squall sighed 'I can't promise anything' he said finally.

'We just ask that you will try, if not for Seifer, then for us?' Cid questioned.

Squall blinked, and said at last, voice passive and face unreadable:

'Fine then. I'll try. Not because I believe in Seifer…but I do believe in you'

Edea smiled warmly. 'Thank you Squall'

Cid nodded approval 'That's my boy…sorry to take up your time. You may go now'

Squall stood up slowly, feeling as though he had made a terrible mistake by saying he'd try. He decided to forget about it for the moment, and as he reached the door, he turned back, remembering a request.

'Oh…Sir, Matron?' he said, looking back at husband and wife.

They looked to him expectantly.

'Rinoa asked if she could see you sometime soon. It's rather urgent she said'

Edea looked slightly worried 'Is anything the matter with her?'

'No…' Squall hesitated, remembering how she had fainted so suddenly, but he decided not to worry Cid and Edea about it now. Rinoa could tell them herself.

'Very well, would tomorrow do?' Cid asked 'Would eleven-hundred hours do?'

Squall nodded 'Yes Sir. Thank you Sir, Matron' he nodded a respectful farewell and left the room, to find Rinoa. He knew she would be with Quistis…precisely the person he needed to see at that very moment.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya bit her lower lip anxiously, as her parents more-or-less made a huge fuss.

'I can't believe that you thought you could take a short cut home via that route!' her father exclaimed, in disbelief.

After Vreya had showered and changed into more presentable clothing, she'd been stuck in the living room with her parents. Katrina and her mother were in the kitchen, having tea. Vreya's stomach growled hungrily. She felt so exhausted and hadn't even had her dinner yet.

'Vreya you know that those alleyways are full of bad trouble…full of punks!' her mother said, throwing up her hands rather melodramatically to get her point across.

'I didn't know…' Vreya said, wiping a tear away. She couldn't help bursting into tears…she just hated disappointing her parents…as if it weren't enough that she was failing miserably at school, and would again tomorrow, when she got her results back.

Her mother sighed. She hated seeing her little girl so upset because of them, but it was necessary to teach their daughter how to stay safe. This seemed the only way to get her to listen.

'You say your cell phone broke?' her father asked, looking very grieved by the entire situation.

Vreya nodded, feeling like a complete monster for lying about taking a short cut through the alleyways. But what could she say…that therehad beenthis Inspector woman who was acting suspicious, so she decided to follow her? She'd really get it then…her parents would never let her go out again. Then she would have her parents going into school, and asking about the orange-haired woman, and it'd only be hassle and bother for everyone. Vreya didn't need any extra hassle and bother…she just wanted a nice normal, peaceful life, but it seemed to herlike that was becoming increasingly too much a thing to ask for.

'How did you get away from the muggers?' her mother asked, and Vreya wanted to scream.

_Why this, why that, why did you do this and we can't believe this happened…can't they see that I'm really in bad shape here? I don't need this right now! I feel terrible about lying, why can't they just say 'you're grounded' and leave it at that? Why the huge lecture? _Vreya thought, feeling very distressed.

'I…someone helped me out. Dropped me off' Vreya said. That wasn't a lie, at least.

'You let a stranger bring you home?!' her father said.

_Oh damn…God, I'm so stupid…I can't do anything right! _Vreya snapped at herself.

'He was really friendly and said he dealt with punks all the time. He offered. His son works in the army' Vreya lied, not knowing how she was keeping this up. She always told the truth, but lying was unavoidable here.

Her mother sighed 'Do you remember what these people looked like? We can contact the police'

'I don't remember' Vreya said quickly 'And I promise never to go there again…I'll come straight home…mum, dad, I know it was stupid of me, and I'm really, really sorry, I swear I'll never do it again, but it just happened and I was so scared…if it wasn't for the b…' she broke off, catching her breath. She'd just run along so much that she had been about to say 'biker boy'. She covered it up by sniffling and pretending to catch her breath, and amended quickly: 'If it wasn't for the brave man, I…I…' she let her voice trail off.

Her father and mother exchanged worried glances. Mrs. LillyMoore moved over to where her daughter sat on the couch, and wrapped her arms around the slender girl, smoothing her daughter's freshly washed and dried hair.

'Darling, we're just worried for you…we can't help it, I'm afraid…we're just so frightened that should anything happen to you, well, we'd probably lose it completely as you would say. We don't know what we'd do…you're our only child Vreya…'

Tears spilt down Vreya's cheeks. She had a sudden overwhelming urge to get rid of all the weight on her chest and confide everything to her parents, but she stopped herself. She couldn't be so weak. There was no way she could break down now…she'd get into even worse trouble.

'I'm…s…sorry…' Vreya stuttered 'I'm sorry I cause you so much trouble…'

Her father sat on the other side of her.

'Now listen here Vreya. I don't want you thinking you're any burden on us. We knew what having a child and watching it grow to the teenage years would involve…we were your age once too. We just want you to be more careful. Your mother and I love you very much. Tomorrow I will pick you up after school, and it's no more nights out for you until this calms over'

Vreya looked at her father.

'But dad!' she exclaimed. No more nights out?! But Friday…and tomorrow she was supposed to go with the others…

'No but this or that, I've made up my mind' her father said sternly.

'But mum!' Vreya turned to her mother, imploring 'The charity ball is on Friday, and I've got everything ready!'

'No ball' her father said, causing horror and despair to fill his daughter; just then Katrina came in at that precise moment, hearing everything.

'Aw, uncle, no! Please, Vreya's got the most gorgeous dress, and it'll all be fabulous, and she's going with such a large crowd…she'll be picked up and dropped off by Ash!' she pleaded on behalf of her cousin.

_You sneaky little…Ash: you're the one who's mad to get to know him better…_Vreya thought, but she appreciated her cousin's help, even if she was a little mad that she had blown her chance to avoid all this.

'…I don't think that after today she'll be in any state of mind to…' Vreya's father began, but Vreya jumped in quickly.

'Oh daddy, please, please, I'm okay really, you can pick me up tomorrow, but please, please don't stop me from going on Friday…' she looked to her mother again 'Mum, I've been looking forward to this for weeks, I helped organise it and everything…'

'Yeah, and she agreed to introduce me to people from her school, and staff will be there, and I'll only go if she goes…so if you stop her you stop me, and my mum will be mad because she bought me a nice new dress just for the occasion and…'

'I heard that Katrina!' her mother's voice called from the kitchen, and Katrina grinned sheepishly.

'Okay, all right, the pair of you quieten down!' Vreya's father said, then sighed, as both girls looked at him with eager anticipation.

'Darling?' Vreya's mother looked to her husband. If he said no again, she would appeal for her daughter…it was true that teachers would be there and she didn't want her daughter to miss out on something she'd looked forward to for so long.

'You may go to the ball…' her husband said, looking at his daughter whose tear-stricken face now broke out into a beautiful and joyful smile.

'Oh dad you're the greatest…' Vreya began,

'All right uncle! Woohoo!' Katrina grinned.

'BUT!'

Both girls stopped, waiting for the punch line.

'You have to promise me that you will be sensible. I will pick you up tomorrow Vreya' her father finished.

'Okay dad…thank you so much!' Vreya kissed her father on the cheek 'I promise!' she hugged her mother, feeling a lot better, and jumped up.

'Go clean yourself up darling…I'll get dinner ready for you' her mother smiled, and Vreya nodded and rushed upstairs, to the bathroom. After cleaning her face up, she went back into her room, to retrieve the broken cell phone. Her father had asked earlier for her to bring it down so he could get another model the same, knowing how much his daughter loved the make.

There was a tap on the door, and without waiting for an answer, Katrina entered the room, closing the door quickly behind her.

'Very, I am such a big mouth and I know it'

'Good. I don't need to tell you then' Vreya said.

'Are you mad at me?' Katrina's shoulders slumped.

'Possibly'

'Aw Very, please don't be…I'll do you a favour! Ask me!'

Vreya thought a moment, looking at her cousin. This wasn't an opportunity she got often. Her lips broke out into a sly smile.

'Uh oh can I say I take back my offer?' Katrina smiled weakly.

'I'll forgive you…if you promise not to make a bid deal over Ash anymore…'

Katrina said 'I knew it! Aw that's asking much…'

'Oh well, we could just not talk then…' Vreya said, twirling a strand of hair idly around a finger.

'Okay, okay Very you win. Now it's your turn!' Katrina said, looking at her cousin seriously.

'What do you mean?' Vreya asked, looking back at Katrina, puzzled.

'I'm not silly. Not that your parents are, but they never saw it!' Katrina said, lowering her voice.

A sick feeling twisted up inside Vreya's stomach.

'I saw the biker guy drop you off…that wasn't a nice friendly man with a son in the army!'

Vreya tried to summon up words to explain herself, but failed.

'I want to know who the cool dude is, and I want to know what really happened today. Truthfully Very…I can read you like a book'

Vreya sighed, and realised there was no point of lying to her cousin. She sat down on the bed slowly, and Katrina plopped down beside her, all attentive.

Vreya took a breath, and began slowly 'Okay…but this is going to sound totally crazy…you promise not to tell?'

'Come on, you know me better than that! I blab about everyone else, but when it comes to me and you, it stays here!' Katrina pointed to her heart.

Vreya smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. Katrina saw a sudden sadness in her cousin's eyes-a sadness and tiredness and a confusion she'd never seen before.

'Thank you Kat…' Vreya said softly, reaching out and taking hold of her cousin's hand, to show how much she appreciated her.

'Always here for you Very' Katrina smiled affectionately 'We're sisters remember? We always look out for each other'

Vreya nodded, and sighed. Where should she start? After a brief pause, she spoke again, glad to be able to tell someone at last.

'Okay…it began this morning…'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Hope that was alright! We're moving right along here, and pretty soon something exciting will happen, promise! Please leave a review and the next one will be up soon._


	13. Lectures

Right, here we go again everyone!  I hope that you're all liking this because it is taking a lot of new pairs of hands!  ^__^ But who am I to complain-I'm loving it too!  On a slightly downer note, where have all my other reviewers gone?!  Seems like I only have like 3 or 4 reviewers now, where did everyone else go?!  -_- Is my story that bad at keeping attention?  Boohoo! I am trying to make it as interesting as possible as a crossover!  I haven't got a new reviewer in a while!  *pouts a little* Ooooh well, guess I should be thankful I have got this much, who am I to complain?!  As long as it pleases some people, that's good enough for me, to bring a little joy to a small minority and make the world a happier place somewhere!  ^__^Thanks to Leah and Cute-Kitty and thanks Noacat, if you can I'd love a picture of him, teehee, someone's got the hots for Zane! *grins evilly* Mwahahaha!  He's all MINE!  Property of me, isn't that right Zane?  Zane: *pulls a disgusted look at me, rolls eyes* Teehee, anyway without further babbling here we go again, next chapter!

Chapter XIII: Lectures 

****

'So you see, magic does exist, it's just that the planet doesn't allow us to use it here' Fleck said, to his very bored charge.

Zane blinked, stifling a yawn…it was far too early in the morning for this…

'Right…' he said, not particularly interested.  If they couldn't use it here, then he couldn't care less.  Everything they were telling him sounded insane, but he guessed that none of this really made sense anyway.

'…Not yet…' Bo said, looking thoughtful 'I wager that'll change once the merging begins'

'When exactly will that be…?' Zane asked, shifting in his seat uncomfortably.  He was supposed to be practicing wasn't he?  Ever since he'd gotten here, all he'd done was listen to them speak with each other, and he'd been stuck in the chair.

'Who knows…isn't that the thrill of it…being caught off guard!' Bo grinned.

Zane looked at him stonily.  In his opinion the man was insane.

'In any case Zane, you must be prepared…that necklace, as we told you, is more of a sensor to dark magic' Morgan said.

Zane looked down at the pendant he wore.  It looked a bit obvious…didn't they have anything more discreet?  He looked up again, about to ask them this, but Morgan seemed to have read his thoughts.  

'You may take this also…as an extra measure…' he said, holding out something to Zane in his hand.  A silver ring, which seemed to match with the necklace, having the same griffin like head on it, and the same stone set eye.  Inside the silver band was an inscription.  Zane studied it a moment.

It seemed to be in another language.  

'What does this say…?' he asked, looking to Morgan.

Morgan looked back at him grimly, then said 'It is written in the ancient language of the ancient race, the warrior race who were wiped out.  It is a very ancient form of Latin…translated it is written: _'Strength, Hope, Trust.  I believe in you and the power of Love, O righteousness of light smite the evil dark…from weakness may I find Strength, lead me to the light, Hope, Trust, Love, with my soul entwine, I trust to the heart, you will forever keep mine'_

Zane blinked, not sure he liked what was written.  All that was written in the inscription…?  The writing was very small and delicate.  It sounded…too intimate; he didn't like emotional things…still, he slipped it on his right hand's middle finger anyway; after all, it was only between himself; no one else would be given this from him.  It fit securely, as if it had been made especially for him.

'It has the same affect as the necklace…but is less obvious.' Morgan said.  Zane simply nodded, and then Rica spoke up.

'You going to tell him about tomorrow Fleck?'

Fleck looked at her, and then back at Zane, who was now looking at him expectantly.  Fleck smiled a little nervously…the boy was not going to like it…

'Err…tomorrow we'll not be having any practice after school'

Zane wasn't about to complain.  He needed a break.

'But…we will be going somewhere else'

Zane rolled his eyes.  Great.  Alternative activity.

There was a silence, and then Bo grinned.

'We're going to go to a party tyke'

Zane glanced at him with an irritated look on his face.  

_Does he find that a funny joke…?  How lame…_he thought to himself.

'Seriously Zane…' Rica said, and Zane looked at them all.  Morgan nodded his head.

'Good for you' Zane said finally, and stood up.  Fleck shook his head and said to him:

'No…you see; you're coming with us'

Zane said abruptly 'I don't party'

'We know…but it's for a good cause…' Rica said; all four were looking at him pleadingly.

Zane gave them all a look 'Are you serious?'

'Yeah' Bo replied.

'Very' Fleck nodded.

Zane shook his head 'No'

'But we need you to come…we're going to look for Chosen Ones there…' Rica explained.

Zane stared in exasperation.

_Are they for real?  That's stupid…they said Chosen Ones could be anywhere!  _He thought to himself.

'It's at a school not too far off…tomorrow, from seven in the evening to late…it's a charity ball party…there'll be a lot of young people around in one area...we reckoned it'd be as good a place as any to start looking for people…' Fleck said.

_Charity ball?!  No way…absolutely NOT… _Zane hated everything about parties…too loud, too social, too many stupid young people getting drunk all over the place…but a charity ball?  He knew exactly how it'd go…he'd turn up a complete stranger, people would get curious, because he wasn't from the school, and approach him, and girls would ask him to dance and he'd generally be bothered all evening.  He preferred not to have to go through all that.

'You don't have to dance or anything…just…stand around and watch' Fleck said, knowing very well how annoyed Zane was by the entire idea.

'Forget it' Zane said 'I came here thinking we'd work out, you're talking about going to a party'

Morgan said 'You must come with us boy.  The time draws nearer day by day and we have not found anymore Chosen, neither have we located the Children of Fate'

'I bet they aren't even here' Rica muttered to herself.

'We have no idea where to start looking…it's hard and we could use your help'

'Why me?' Zane said through his teeth 'You'll do fine…'

'No…you can sense other Chosen…if they're close, you get a strange feeling…like…well, I don't know, but it feels strange' Fleck said.

For a moment Zane thought of the girl he had helped out yesterday…he'd felt strange then…but that was silly…it was probably nothing anyway.

'Please' Rica said, looking directly at the young man.  

Zane glared 'You'll use any excuse won't you?'

Bo grinned 'That's a yes'

Zane shook his head, sighing in irritation.

'You can go…we'll spar after school…please don't be late…we just wanted to talk now' Fleck told him.

'Shame you won't dance…I bet you'd look great…' Rica said, and Bo sniggered.

Zane turned fiery eyes on them, glaring in anger.

'…Shut up or I'll change my mind…' he threatened.  Rica managed to wipe the smile from her face, and so did the others.

'Right…sorry…have a nice day' she amended.  She received a dirty look from the boy, who grabbed his things and left without another word.

When he was gone, Morgan looked at Rica, shaking his head in disapproval.

'That was a foolish thing to do.  He really wouldn't come'

Fleck nodded his agreement 'Yeah…I guess it's a two way thing…we have to know how much we can push it too' 

'Do you think there will be any Chosen there though?  The chances seem very small…' Bo said, running a hand through his dark hair.

'Here's to hoping…' Fleck shrugged.

Bo shrugged also, and then looked to Rica who sat on the chair Zane had left unoccupied.

'Hey Rica…so what dress are you gonna wear…?  How about that hot red number from…'

He didn't get to finish.  A piece of wood was thrown at him.

'Youch!' Bo flinched, as it slammed into him.

Fleck shook his head, and Morgan just went back to his library section in the corner.

'You keep that mouth shut Bo!' Rica ordered, and Bo sniggered.

'Heh heh…after all these years, you still act like such a…'

'Bo!' three voices chorused at him, and he sniggered, and shut up.  Friday night was something he was looking forward to very much…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya opened her locker and grabbed her English book, stuffing her psychology textbook in for her to pick up later.

After she had told Katrina about what had happened to her yesterday, and after she had finally managed to convince her that the biker boy was not someone she knew and she hadn't seen his face, Katrina had advised her not to tell the others.  It would only worry them.  

_She's right…they would flip…and think me weird…God, I hope she isn't here today…I'd make a scene, I know myself…well, at least I actually had a break from dreaming yesterday…_she thought to herself.

'Vreya!' a voice called to her.

Vreya peered around the door of her locker, and saw Costa waving to her.  She waved back, managing to smile, but then her papers slipped out of her grasp and fell to the floor, and she cursed at herself.  Bending over to round up the scattered sheets, she realised someone had gotten down to help her.  She glanced up, to see Ash, also bending down to pick up the papers.

'Thanks' Vreya smiled a genuine smile of appreciation.

'You okay?' Ash asked her, cool blue eyes looking at her with worry as he stood up and handed her work back to her.

'Ummm…yeah, sure…thanks…' she said, smiling again.  But Ash still looked at her.  He got the feeling something was bothering her…she didn't seem so bright and chirpy this morning…

'Hey…' he said quietly, as she averted her gaze, unlike her.  

She let out a breath, and looked back to him, her eyes resting on his.

'Are you sure?'

Vreya bit her lower lip rather anxiously.  God, she was a terrible liar…why was it that she could lie to her parents yesterday alright, but not today?  She had a sudden overwhelming desire to confess all at that precise moment.  She resisted it however.

'I'm fine…really…you're sweet Ash…' she said, smiling at him again, closing her locker door shut.  

Ash regarded her a moment, then shrugged.  She'd come round…he hoped…maybe it was just another rough night…

Vreya composed herself, and said, taking a light hold of Ash's arm 'Walk me to class?'

Ash was pleasantly surprised.  She didn't usually do that…but then that was how Vreya was, full of surprises…that's what he loved about her.  Her arm was linked through his lightly, and he didn't mind the least…in fact, hope filled him…maybe they did have a chance; if only he could find the courage and the perfect moment to tell her…

'Sure' he replied, and she thanked him softly and sweetly

_Tomorrow at the charity ball…she's bound to go out for a breath of fresh air…after we dance…_he planned to himself.  It would be perfect; she was bound to look beautiful whatever kind of outfit she wore, and it'd be night and all…the perfect time to get her alone and tell her.  He hoped it would work out okay…he hoped he wouldn't chicken out again. 

Costa joined up with them.

'Hey Bonita, you okay?  I saw that…was going to come help, if it wasn't for Sara demanding my attention as ever…' he smiled a brilliant smile.

'I'm okay...Ash helped' Vreya replied.

'Ash to the rescue huh?  Darn…I see you're rewarding him by hanging onto his arm…drop your papers again!'

Vreya giggled.  She could always rely on Costa to make her laugh.

'Sorry Costa…maybe next time' Ash said, smiling a small smile.  He was aware that a few girls that liked him were looking his way curiously, and rather jealously at Vreya.  He didn't care…let them think what they liked.

They turned the corner, and an unpleasant sight met them.  Lila was arguing with no other than the three girls who had a serious deal with Vreya and her group of friends.

Constance Faith, Heaven Harris and Raquel Ellen were all bothering Lila.  Vreya noticed Roxy with her.

'You got a problem?!' Lila practically shrieked.

'Well duh!  Isn't she just vile!' Constance said, rolling her eyes.

'She never deliberately bumped into you!' Roxy said.

'Shut up shrimpy!' Raquel snapped at her.

'Yeah, you should look where you're going, you're so stupid…' Heaven said.

Vreya frowned angrily.  No one spoke to her friends like that!  She detached herself from Ash's arm and stepped forward.

'Hey!  What's the big idea?!' she demanded.  These girls had a serious attitude problem…

'Oh look who it is, goody two shoes…' Constance jeered and her friends snickered.  Vreya's eyes narrowed.

'Come to save the day?  Oh, you're going to tell the teacher now, yes, that's right, run to the teacher like a good little girl…' Raquel sneered.

Heaven took a sip from her water bottle.  Vreya glared, infuriated, as Constance grabbed Lila's pencil tin and 'accidentally' dropped it,  sending the writing equipment scattering all over the floor.

'Hey!' Costa yelled at her, and she blinked, looking up.  Smirking, she said 'Oooh, it's the prune…'

'What did you call me…?' Costa said, advancing, but Roxy held him back.

'No, she wants to get you mad…'

'Oooh, you almost sounded like you had a brain…almost…' Heaven said, tilting her head back like the snob she was.

Vreya snapped 'You think you're so good don't you?!'

'We know…have you got a problem prissy?'

Ash frowned, looking at Constance 'Hey, leave them alone…'

'Hi Ash…' Raquel tittered, batting her lashes at him.

'I'm gonna be sick!' Lila gagged, and Heaven opened up her drink bottle.

'Here, have some water then!'

Vreya couldn't stand it anymore…every time they ran in with the girls it was the same.  One of them would be left humiliated. 

'Y…you bitch!' Vreya hissed, stepping forward and raising a hand to stop Heaven from spilling the water onto her best friend.

Heaven sneered and tilted it at her.

'What the hell did you call me you slag?!'

The water flew out of the bottle, towards Vreya, and her eyes widened.  No…if she got into any more trouble, then it'd be all over…no ball, no nothing.  

But the water did not touch her.   Something very strange happened…

As it spilt towards her, Vreya lifted her hand, in a vain attempt to grab the bottle before Heaven could spill anymore.  The water that was already in the air spilt back onto Heaven instead of Vreya.

Costa's mouth dropped.  From where he stood the water had looked like it had been reflected away from Vreya.

'Huh?' Ash said, looking confused.   It looked...so weird…

Heaven spluttered as water flew all over her face, ruining her make up and soaking her white top.  She was wearing a black bra underneath that was now clearly visible.

Lila got over the initial confusion of how the water that had seemed to be headed towards Vreya had turned back, and began to laugh nastily.

'Heh heh heh…ha ha ha ha ha!  Hey Heaven!  Nice bra!'

Roxy snickered with her, and Heaven blushed bright red as boys who'd been watching whistled at her.  She spluttered and moved forward to hit Vreya hard.  

'You…you little whore!'

She drew her arm back to slap her, but a hand intercepted.  Ash glared at her, twisting her wrist and pushing her back.

'I don't usually hit girls, you better leave before I change my mind' he threatened.  

Constance sneered at them.

'It's not over priss…' she snarled at Vreya, and then the three girls turned and stalked off.  Vreya let out a shaky breath…her heart was pounding.  How had that happened?  She was feeling very disconcerted…she recalled how a similar thing had happened when she'd woken up to get a drink a few days back…the water had just moved…randomly when her hand had drawn close.

It was too strange…Vreya had enough to worry about anyway…she didn't need to overload her mind any further.  Apparently the others were just as willing to forget about the strangeness they had just seen; no one had an explanation, so they decided not to make a big deal over it.

Lila hugged her 'Thanks so much Vreya...are you okay?'

'Ummm…s…sure' Vreya said rather shakily.  The truth was she felt terrible…a run in with the 'bitch-squad' first thing in the morning was always a bad thing…and she felt rather worried…when the girls threatened to do something they really did mean business.

Roxy piped up 'That was cool ya know!  You managed to make the water spill onto Heaven!'

'Hell more like, the bitch' Lila muttered; Costa bent down to help gather her scattered writing equipment.

'I just hope she has a spare shirt' Roxy snickered, and Lila laughed heartily with her.  Vreya smiled a little; it had been very satisfying to humiliate the girls like that, but what if they retaliated seriously?  She didn't want to get into any more trouble…she couldn't afford anything else to go wrong before tomorrow.

'Vreya?'

Vreya turned her face to Ash, who was looking at her.

'Hmmm?' she asked, frowning a light worried frown.

'Don't worry about them doing anything…I'll make sure they don't'

Vreya blinked, and felt gratitude fill her.  She knew that Ash said that meaning he really would make sure they wouldn't be able to cause her any more trouble.  How sweet of him…she was touched.  

_He really is a nice guy…_Vreya thought to herself, and sighed.

'Thanks Ash, you just made me feel a lot better'

A small smile touched his lips, and he said lightly 'Don't mention it'

Vreya smiled back, and it occurred to her very suddenly how good-looking Ash really was.  She'd always taken the fact for granted, but she'd never really thought about it before.  Now as she smiled at him, she noticed how cute he really was.

_I don't blame Lila and the other girls for going all gaga over him…he's really cute, _she thought, and then laughed a little nervously when he raised a brow at her, signalling she'd stared a little too long.

Luckily Lila came to her rescue.

'Hi Ash!  You never said good morrow to me' she grinned at him.  

Vreya had averted her gaze but could still feel Ash's eyes on her.

_God, I must have looked stupid staring that long…he probably thinks I'm so weird…_she worried, feeling heat rise into her cheeks.  She couldn't believe it…where was this coming from!?  Since when did she feel self-conscious in front of Ash?  

Ash's eyes finally moved away from Vreya, though he was frowning a little.  Was she alright?  Something told him otherwise…

'Morning Lila' he replied, and the brunette grinned at him.

'HAY!' Roxy demanded attention 'So are we going after second lesson?'

'Yeah, like we said before…is everyone okay with that?' Ash asked, looking at Costa who nodded.

'Yeah, Sara says she'll be out five minutes later because she has to talk to her tutor, but we can wait for her, and Gen's cool with it'

Ash nodded, looking to Lila.

'Sure I'm going!' she nodded enthusiastically.  Vreya bit her lower lip.  She still hadn't told them she couldn't go.

'Ummm…guys…?'

Ash looked to her, as did all the others.

'I…can't come…' Vreya said, pulling her apologetic look on.  She really would have liked to go, but it was either that or the ball, and there was no way she would miss tomorrow's party.

'Huh!  Vreya!' Lila frowned 'But we said we'd go together!'

'Yeah Bonita, we would have thought you most of all would have liked to find out why…' Costa said, face confused.

'Yeah, you said!' Roxy said, wrinkling her nose unhappily.

'Hey…calm down, give her air!' Ash said, then looked back to Vreya, and asked calmly

'Why not?'

'Ummm…' What could she say, without revealing anything of what had happened yesterday?  'Ummm…my dad and I…my dad is coming to pick me up…we need to go somewhere, and I couldn't tell him I finished early, because he knows today I have a full day…'

'Oh, prearranged appointment huh?' Costa said, then shrugged 'Well Bonita, personally I think we should go together, but if it's just you…'

'That's not fair, I'm going when Vreya's going!' Lila exclaimed.

'Yeah, like me too!' Roxy nodded in agreement.  Ash sighed.

'Okay, we can go another day…it's not like its fixed appointments…it's a walk in place…'

'Doesn't that sound kind of weird…?' Costa questioned, and Ash shrugged, as the bell rang, signalling the start of the first lessons of the day.

'Weird or not, it's our best bet' he replied, and together they moved off to class.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Quistis nodded to the last departing students, and moved to pick up the loose pieces of paper that lay around the now abandoned classroom.  She made sure to log off on any computers that students had forgotten to log off from.

_They must e the students who are in a real rush and can't wait until my lessons end…it must be boring for them, _she thought, mildly amused by the thought, as she moved to one student's seat, to find that he hadn't logged off.  Just as she expected…Ringer Kepalis was one student she always caught with his eyes on the clock instead of his work.

_Well, at least I'm done for the day now…_Quistis thought to herself.  The lesson that had just ended had been the last of the day.

She looked out the window, to see that it was near to sunset.  Perhaps she'd take a walk later…she felt like some fresh air and some time to herself.

A soft knock on the door attracted her attention away from the window.  Quistis turned her head too see Rinoa poking her head through the door.

'Hey Quisty!' she greeted cheerfully 'You busy?'

Quistis smiled, and shook her head.  She was glad Rinoa was here…Quistis hadn't always liked Rinoa, once mistaking her as a rival for Squall's affections, but over the months she had gotten to know Rinoa better and found that she was quite pleasant to have around, and was good company.

'So I can come in?' Rinoa asked, being halfway into the room anyway.

'Well, since you're already in anyway…' Quistis said, and Rinoa smiled her contagious smile.

'Oh I am aren't I!  How silly' she giggled sweetly, then moved to Quistis's desk at the front and propped herself up on it, swinging her slender legs childishly.

Quistis didn't like people to set up shop on her desk, but since it was Rinoa, she allowed it.  The girl certainly didn't weigh very much to put any extra strain on the already overloaded table.

'You're done for the day right?' Rinoa asked, watching as Quistis pushed a chair in behind a table, and picked up the last stray sheet from the floor.

'As far as I know, yes.' Quistis replied, and moved back up to the front, placing the papers she'd gathered neatly onto the pile on her desk.  Rinoa grinned at her.

'What do you say me, you and Selphie have a girls night in?'

Quistis eyed Rinoa rather curiously, raising a fine brow.  She knew how much Rinoa liked to gossip, although she would insist any moment that it was 'catching up'…

'What!?' Rinoa asked innocently, brown eyes wide, lips parted angelically.  Quistis couldn't help but laugh at her friend.

'What are you up to now?' she asked, finding that she had also automatically sat on her desk.  She would never usually, but Rinoa had that affect on people, making them feel so comfortable and at home wherever they were.  She had the gift of making a person relax and be drawn into pleasant conversation.

'Up to…why Quisty, what do you mean?' Rinoa asked, but a smile was playing on her lips.

Quistis rolled her eyes and Rinoa giggled at this.

'You're just like Squall!  Teehee, how about I call you Quall?'

Quistis swatted Rinoa with the rolled up sheet of paper she held in her hand, and Rinoa giggled some more.

'Very funny Rinoa…' she said, but she was smiling anyway.

'Yeah, you're smiling so you can't say anything!' Rinoa smirked, and then said 'For real though, I think we need to catch up'

Quistis laughed at her and Rinoa gave her a look.

'What?'

Quistis only found herself laughing harder at Rinoa's confused face.  It was strange, but she felt good letting all the emotion out…the past few days had been crazy for her, what with Seifer acting so strange and all the energy used in one day being an Instructor…

Rinoa smiled, looking at her blonde friend like she was insane.  It wasn't everyday she witnessed Quistis laughing so merrily or for so long.

'Oookay Quisty, you just keep smiling…'

Quistis finally composed herself, and sniffled a little, wiping her eyes.

'Sorry Rin…it was just funny…I was waiting for the 'catch-up' line…that's what you call gossip in your dictionary isn't it?'

Rinoa giggled 'Gee, you see right through me huh?'

Quistis chuckled 'You can't fool me Rinoa Heartilly'

Rinoa grinned 'Okay okay, so how about it?  Me, you and Selphie'

Quistis sighed, now fully in control again.  As much as she'd like to have a nice night in of what would undoubtedly be fun with Rinoa and Selphie, she did have a lot of work to do; she needed to get those assignments marked and graded before tomorrow.

'Sounds great…' she sighed, and Rinoa regarded her with a sideway glance.

'…But?'

'But the fact is I have a lot of work to do…marking assignments actually…'

Rinoa pulled a face 'Aw c'mon Quistis, do it tomorrow!'

'That's the entire point, I have to have them marked by tomorrow…I've been putting it off for long enough, I think it's finally time I faced those papers!'

Rinoa sighed in her turn 'You work too hard!  You should really take some time out you know…'

'Being an Instructor is tough, but I love the job.  It's very rewarding, when the students show appreciation…'

Rinoa pondered a moment, and said suddenly 'Quistis, can you tell me how Seifer's doing?'

Quistis blinked in surprise, and glanced at Rinoa, who was waiting for her response.  Where had that come from…it had been very sudden…

'What do you mean?' Quistis asked.

'I want to know how he is in lessons…is he still disruptive?'

Quistis didn't really want to discuss Seifer; especially not after how strange he'd acted around her, and how he'd done her a favour.  But she couldn't hide anything from Rinoa anyway, and the girl was still waiting for an answer.

'He's quieter.' Quistis replied, not looking at Rinoa.

'Oh.' Rinoa said softly, then 'Quisty?'

Quistis was now forced to look at her.

'Do…do you think he'll ever change?'

Quistis sighed, and shrugged 'It's up to him to make the effort isn't it?'

'Well, he hasn't been causing that much trouble lately…I mean, less for Seifer…' Rinoa said.

'I saw that you had a run in with him' Quistis told her.

'Yeah…he heard I fainted and…' Rinoa began, but Quistis cut her off.

'You fainted?  You never told me!'

'Oh…didn't you hear?' Rinoa glanced at Quistis, who shook her head.

'What happened?  Are you alright?'

'Yeah, it's nothing to worry about…anyway, Seifer ran into me and told me he heard and I think he was asking me if I was okay…that's kind of a first for him…usually he avoids me because I'm with Squall…'

That _was_ strange for Seifer…but then again he'd been acting pretty strange…

'Yes, Seifer has been out of character lately' Quistis muttered, more to herself, but Rinoa heard and said curiously

'What do you mean by that?'

Quistis blushed, realising she'd been heard, and replied 'Seifer's just been…more quiet lately'

She didn't really want to tell Rinoa about the favour, as much as she felt the need to tell someone, she didn't think it was appropriate to discuss Seifer at the moment.  Especially not here, in the classroom, where anyone could come and listen in from outside, and neither of the young women would notice.

'Hmmm…is that it?' Rinoa asked, her dark eyes fixed on Quistis intently.

_Hyne, that girl has the sensitivity of a guardian force; she can pick up on anything!  _Quistis thought to herself.  Rinoa was very good at spotting a worry on a person's brow.

'Yes, that's the only difference.' Quistis said rather brusquely, keen to change the subject.  Talking of Seifer made her feel more uncomfortable than she cared to admit…to cover it up she got off the desk and turned to grab her folder, and the keys to lock up for the day.

Rinoa's eyes narrowed a little, as she watched her friend appear to be busy.  There was something Quistis wasn't telling her; she could see it so obviously.  However she decided to let it go, hoping Quistis would tell her what was bothering her when she was ready to talk about it.  The young sorceress found it strange however, that Quistis had seemed to look troubled only once they had started to talk of Seifer.  

'Well, I'm locking up' Quistis said to her, walking to the door 'You'd better hurry up before I lock you in, and then Squall will be asking around for you'

Rinoa smiled, forgetting about Quistis's strange vagueness for the moment, and got up also.  She exited the classroom, waiting for Quistis to lock up.  When the Instructor was done, Rinoa turned to her and said

'At least come with me to get an ice-cream…it's a nice day…I'll get you one too!'

Quistis smiled 'You know as an Instructor I can get it free…'

'Great!  No reason for you not to have one with me then!' Rinoa said, then giggled as Quistis shook her head and rolled her eyes unwittingly again.

'Come on.' Rinoa giggled, linking her arm through her friend's and pulling her along 'Let's get going 'Quall'…'

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

'Right, do you know what to do now?'

Locky glanced at Jez, and shrugged.

'From the sounds of it, you want me to go in there and pretend that I'm what…a career advisor?  Don't I look a little young?'

'Yeah, I'd go if she hasn't see me already.' Tai said, shrugging.

'Damn, I can't believe she got away!' Jez said, still fuming from the previous day's failure to capture a Chosen One.

'You said the person who helped her was one too?  How'd you figure that?' Locky asked, and Harris spoke up from his space in the back of the car.

'Simple, the Heart Stone was flipping' 

Locky pulled a face 'Right…'

'Locky, she's not the only one from this school…there are like three here…there could be more!' Tai said.

Locky raised his eyebrows.  'You do know how weird that is right?  I mean, the chances of finding them all in the same place are very low…'

'Well who cares about chance, fact is what matters, now get out there and take this with you' Jez ordered, stuffing a silver necklace into Locky's hand.  He looked at it, and then sighed.

'Right you guys…I seriously hope this brilliant plan will work…'

'Oh it's naturally bound to go wrong at some stage, Harris thought of it' Jez said curtly, and Harris said in exasperation

'Give me a break Jez, at least I had an idea, I don't hear you suggesting anything, your last one worked out so well didn't it!'

'Shut up you moron!  You were supposed to tell me that there were gang members there!' Jez retaliated.

'Oh yeah, we can really see through walls!' Harris said sarcastically.  He hated how Jez tried to shift the blame onto him, just because he was younger then her and Tai.  Still, they didn't treat Locky that way, and he was only twenty years old.

'Hey, as much as I hate to break up your flirting, can you remind me who I'm looking for?' Locky asked.

Tai spoke for them 'A brunette girl, with a fabric black shoulder bag, and err…you know Jez, this is pretty hopeless, because there's going to be so many brunette girls, and she may have changed her bag today…'

Jez sighed 'Look Locky, just get in there, walk down the halls at break or lunch, or whenever, with the necklace in your hand.  The others we saw were a red head and an oriental looking guy.  The necklace will glow at some point…keep in touch using the phone, got it?'

Locky sighed 'Okay, let's hope it works…'

'Try to get her name' Tai called after him, as he got out the car and moved towards the school front gate.  His companions watched after him.  All they could do now was wait.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya knew exactly what was coming.  Psychology had just ended, the lesson before lunch, and she'd gotten her results.  She'd managed to get just less than half the marks, which she was actually pleased with considering she hadn't done an ounce of studying for the test.

_Now all I have to do is revise, then I can get double and I'll be able to pass with flying colours!  _She tried to assure herself.  Easier said than done however, of course.

'Vreya' Mr. Andrews's voice came to her, just as she had cleverly calculated before hand.  She gathered her things and went up to her teacher's desk.  She looked at him and tried to smile brightly, and appear normal.

'Hi Sir…' she said, and he raised a brow, unamused.

'Hello Vreya…do you know why I've kept you behind?'

Vreya's smile faltered and she sighed 'Yeah…'

'This is not the first time.  I'm voicing concern from a number of teachers.  Vreya, you cannot continue to get these grades or you will not be able to go to a decent university…now you strike me as a sensible young woman, and I know how intelligent you really are, but for the past few months you're effort has really gone down hill, now I would like to know why!'

Vreya bit her lip and shifted on her feet uncomfortably.  What could she say?

'Sir…I haven't been able to get much studying done…' she said.  It was the truth.

'Why?  Are you having trouble at home?' Mr Andrews asked, arms folded.  He was rather more approachable than mousy Ms. Jennings, but still a teacher all the same…she didn't want to let anything slip…he would contact her parents and she didn't want that.

'No…it's more personal…' Vreya said hesitantly, then suddenly the thought came to her; why didn't she use what had happened yesterday as an excuse, and say that it had happened a few days before the test?  Perfect, he couldn't accuse her of lying, if he needed proof she could get her parents to write a note.

'Actually…you see…a few days ago I ummm…' Vreya began, frowning and pausing for good affect.  Mr. Andrews waited patiently.

'I was…I…I was attacked…by this gang…'

Mr. Andrews's eyebrows shot up, almost reaching his head.

'They were…God, I don't know Sir, but I was scared, and someone helped me out…and I got home and I was really…it was…upsetting…' Vreya said, feeling genuinely upset about recalling the previous day's horrific experience.  She looked very convincing.

'And…this was two days before the test…Sir, I tried to study, but I was just really shaken, and my parents were so worried, and they had to calm me down…I couldn't concentrate…I'm so sorry Sir…' she sniffled, looking up at him with tearful eyes.

Mr. Andrews sighed.  'No Vreya, I'm sorry…I had no idea…you should have told me on the day…I hope they didn't hurt you?'

'No…not much…this…nice man helped me out…gave me a lift home…Sir, I would have revised, it's just…'

Her teacher raised his hand 'No Vreya, it's all right, you don't need to make any excuses.  I won't count this result then, and I'll have a word with your form tutor.'

'Sir, if you don't believe me…' Vreya began, but Mr. Andrews again waved his hand at her.

'Of course I do!  Look how upset you are…you have been a little under the weather lately, I've noticed…if you need any support, you know we're here to help you…' Mr. Andrews said kindly.

Vreya nodded 'Thank you Sir…and I am sorry…really.'

Mr. Andrews nodded 'Don't worry about it, you can go now, I hope you can put it behind you'

She nodded and turned and left the classroom, letting out her breath in relief.  That had been close, but it had gone well if she did say so herself.  She felt bad, but it wasn't completely a lie…it had happened…just not on Monday, that was all.  She was becoming quite the expert at pulling off these lying stunts anyway, much to her tremendous guilt.  

As she walked down the corridor, past the crowds of students heading towards the canteen, a voice called out to her.

'Vreya!'

She glanced back over her shoulder to see Roxy, who came running up to meet her, latching onto her arm instantly.

'Hey!  How's it going?'

'Oh I just failed another test…' Vreya sighed.  Roxy pulled a face

'Oh the psych one?  Hmmm, how did the lecture go?'

'Not…too bad…Mr. Andrews was pretty understanding' Vreya replied honestly.

'Heh, did you pull on the 'I'm so sorry I'll try harder next time or else you can kick my ass' teary face?'

Vreya smiled 'Something like that…'

Roxy chuckled 'Ha Vreya, you're classical!'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Locky sighed.  This truly was a hopeless idea…he'd been here for more than three hours and the necklace hadn't glowed once.  What a waste of time…he was going to kill the others…how many brunettes and redheads had he seen, yet none had made the necklace glow on their passing.

He wasn't too comfortable with the looks he was getting either.  He had a 'visitor' tag on, and the people here sure did like to stare.  The girls especially; the again, he was only two years older than the oldest students here, and he had great looks too.  He couldn't blame them for staring really…the thought made him smirk to himself, and he turned his head on a whim, and his eyes widened slightly.

A brunette was walking with a redhead in his direction.  They were engaged in conversation and laughing together.  Hope filled him…he'd seen redheads and brunettes, but never walking together like this…he hoped these were who he was looking for.  If not he was seriously going to leave.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya giggled as Roxy chattered to her, and they were so involved in their talk that they almost missed the person who called to them.  He had to call twice before he got their attention.

'Hello, excuse me?'

Vreya glanced to her left to see an unfamiliar young man standing by the notice board near to the canteen.  He was relatively tall, about 5'9 inches, and had hazel-green eyes, and fair hair, that was so light it almost looked platinum in colour.  It had rather cool streaks of a platinum light brown here and there, falling into the young man's eyes softly at the front.

She heard Roxy's gasp of surprise.  She couldn't lame her friend for reacting like that; the young stranger was very handsome, but did she need to make it so obvious?  He had the tag 'visitor' on his top.  He was dressed casually in jeans and a black top.

'Can we help you?' Vreya asked, feeling a terrible sense of déjà vu as she said it.  This was like the meeting with those 'Inspectors' yesterday…what if he was one of them?  It seemed rather odd that all these strangers were about all of a sudden, but unlike those yesterday, this young man was dressed casually and had a n innocent look to him.  He didn't look much older than them at all.

'Yeah, I've come to give a speech about life at university in the careers room, could you direct me to it?  I've been standing round here like a dork for quite a while…' he gave a charming smile, and Roxy piped up,

'Sure!  Come with us!'

'Ummm…' Vreya began uncertainly, but the guy seemed to pick up on her uncertainness, and his eyes rested on hers.

'You can just give me directions and I'll find my way…'

'Do you know the way to the library?' Roxy asked.  Vreya was regarding the boy intently, trying to figure out if he was for real.  He seemed genuinely friendly, and genuinely lost.

_I am being a little paranoid…just because the people who showed up yesterday were bad, doesn't mean every stranger is one of them…_Vreya told herself, then blinked and said more hospitably,

'No, it's fine, we can take you there…'

The young man smiled appreciatively and followed them to the careers room.  

'So you've come from a university?' Vreya asked, and the young man nodded.

'What's it like there?' Roxy asked, relishing the chance to flirt with a cute guy.

'It's not much different to here actually…except you're suddenly the smallest after being the oldest here'

Roxy giggled 'True!' 

They walked on, and Locky took the chance to glance at the necklace.  His eyes widened as he saw it glowing an intense red.  Yes, these were two of the ones Jez and the others had told him about…there was no mistake.  

They reached the room, and the brunette said to him

'This is it'

'Thanks…you've been very helpful…' he said, turning to them, hiding the necklace safely in his pocket again.

'Pleasure's all ours mister!' Roxy grinned.

'Oh, the name's Locky.' Locky said, seeing no harm in telling them his name.  It would help him to get theirs.

The redhead giggled.  'Okay Locky.'

'Thanks again…you know, if you told me your names I could drop you a good line with your Head!' he said, smiling amiably.

Vreya stared at him, and was about to make up a name for her and Roxy, but Roxy beat her to it and blurted out before she could stop her,

'I'm Roxanne, but you can call me Roxy, and this is Vreya.' she pointed to Vreya who smiled weakly.

'Well Roxy, Vreya, I appreciate your help, and I'll be sure to give you a good word…maybe we'll see each other again, who knows?' he said, smiling mysteriously, looking to Vreya, with a smug look on his face.  

Vreya stared at him blankly, whereas Roxy grinned stupidly.  

_She must be the girl who they tired to get yesterday…I can tell by the way she's looking at me, all suspicious…ha, she's got no proof though, and now I know her name…Vreya…isn't she pretty…?_  Locky thought to himself, congratulating himself on a job well done.

'Well, gotta run.  Thanks again girls' he smiled, and turned and slipped into the careers room.  As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, Vreya blinked, and then glared at Roxy.

'What?' Roxy said 'Sorry, did you like him and I embarrassed you?'

'That's not the point!' Vreya hissed 'Why'd you tell him our names!'

'Why not?  He's just a student!' Roxy frowned 'Gee, what's up with you?  He said he's give us a good work with the    

Head…'

'And you just decide to give a complete stranger our name!' Vreya said, totally irritated 'That was stupid Roxy, way to go'

'Vreya what's your problem?' Roxy demanded, but Vreya just sighed and exclaimed

'Nothing…let's juts get to lunch' She moved to head back to the canteen.

Roxy stared after her, confused.  She was acting so weird…but Roxy knew better than to push her when she was annoyed.  Shrugging she followed after her friend, deciding to ask for details later.  For now, she had a stomach's appetite to see to.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

Zzzzzzzzz…it's late and I am done for the day…please read and review people…thanks a lot…zzzzz hope you like this…and Cute-Kitty, they'll all meet up soon, and everyone can be one big happy family…^__^ sorry, but I am real tired, and may talk complete and utter nonsense if I don't be quiet now, so thanks for reading and I'll update soon, kay?  Now zzzzzzzz g'night…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz


	14. Final Preparations

_Greetings all, here I am yet again!  Thanks so much for the reviews, much appreciated I assure you all!  Welcome Pierson and Rinoa Heartilly to my humble little fic, hope to see you sticking around while this continues, thanks for your reviews, thanks also of course to the usual Leah, Noacat, Aryssa and Phoenix-hey it's great to have you back!  ^__^ Pool party, are you referring to what I think you are, i.e. our very animated conversation a few days ago, teehee, NO spandex lol, as much as I'd love them all to be there it won't be a pool party lol.  Well, I'm updating pretty quickly this time, have to do as much as I can before darn exams start again, which reminds me people, I may not update for a while in the May/June period due to exams!  Instead of updating like I love doing I will be resigned to my room studying like mad.  Apologies in advance!  I assure you all, I DO have plans to finish this fic (it'll take a long time, but it WILL finish!) it's just that when it comes to exams or updating I'm afraid this is second best!  Not that I don't appreciate you all but please try to understand!  You've all done exams most likely and you know studying needs to be done if I want to pass!  So my apologies, I'll try to update as much as I can before then…I'll keep you notified on when the last one for a while will be right?  Anyway that's then this is now, so get reading! Note: this chapter and the next will have no Final Fantasy characters in I'm afraid, but don't worry!  The big meeting is closer than you all think ^__^( _

Chapter XIV: Final Preparations. 

****

'Vreya and Roxanne' Jez said, twirling the biro pen idly between her slender fingers.  After Locky had made the identities of two of the girls known yesterday, they had spent the entire time trying to think of a way to get their hands on the teenagers.  

They were still thinking of a plan now, the next morning.  It was Friday, two days after the attempted snatch of the brunette Vreya, and Jez was still irritated at how they had let two precious days waste like that.  

'Uh huh' Locky replied, leaning back leisurely in his seat in the living room at Jez's apartment 'Vreya and Roxy'

'So we know their names and faces now…what do we do?' Tai said.  They'd been asking each other the same question for the past half day, ever since Locky had come back to the car smirking, announcing the mission to be accomplished.  

'You should have gotten their full names' Harris commented from his seat by the television.

'Give me a break.' Locky said, glancing at him.  'You think they would have told me?  Especially that Vreya…she was eying me so suspiciously and got angry when Roxy told me their names.'

'Damn, damn and triple damn.' Jez cursed 'How do we get to them?'

Tai said 'Well there is that party today.'

'We can't be seen there by them' Jez said automatically.

'Whoa just think about it Jez…what are the chances of them seeing us there?' Tai asked, leaning forward on the counter in the conjoining kitchen.  

'We can't take chances!' the copper-haired woman snapped 'Don't you idiots realise that!  We already took one and look where it got us!'

'Jezebel, there will be so many people there…' Locky said pointedly.

Jez sighed stressfully 'Just tell me if that cursed girl was part of the group you were watching'

Locky nodded signalling a 'yes'.

Jez sighed again 'Then there's nothing to it.  It's that entire group isn't it?  We have to get them all.'

'Again, how do we do that?' Harris piped up.  He was annoyed by the entire hopelessness of the situation.  They were making no progress.

'I suggest a plan.' Locky said.

'Go on oh maestro of all things holy' Harris muttered.  Locky grinned a heartbreaking smile, and leaned forward.

'We can't get a hold of them physically…but we can grab their attention.'

Jez looked at him, a frown on her face.  'Explain' she instructed.

'Using my excellent sense of hearing I was able to overhear the conversation the two girls were having before they passed me.'

Tai stared at the white-blonde haired young man, who had a satisfied grin on his handsome face.

'And what did you hear?' he asked.

'Well, apparently this babe isn't doing too well at school…failing tests…' Locky shrugged 'I heard her saying to Roxy that 'extra tuition' may be the only option.'

Jez stared at Locky blankly and said flatly 'And that is a brilliant plan how?'

'It's brilliant because it's so simple and has been in front of you the entire time Jez.  You go into school.  Say that you are a student support teacher, like a mentor-no pun, because that's what you will be-and say that you would be pleased to help a student who is underachieving regain their full potential.  Say you work with the seniors.'

'But the school staff think we are Inspectors' Harris pointed out.

'No, Jez, just go in their dressed all posh again, and say that you also work with young people at a ummm…youth place from time to time…' Locky said.

'Pshh, they will never buy that.' Harris said scornfully.  'With no previous appointment, hell yeah, that is a sweet plan…'

Locky gave Harris a look.  'Got a better plan Harris?'

Harris glared back moodily.  'Yeah.  Stuff the Chosen Ones and screw it all, because if they're gonna be so bratty I am not bothered.'

Tai shrugged 'He has a point.  It's proving harder than we thought originally and we have been looking so long.'

Jez shook her head, hopelessly.  'No Locky, if she sees me again…'

'Then I have an alternate plan.  Why don't I pretend to be the student support person, and you can be my supervisor?'  

Jez looked at the young man 'But you were a career advisor today.'

'Yeah, that's why it'd be perfect.  I'd say I do it part time in between university.  That I can help out and all.  You put the shades on and pretend to be my supervisor.' Locky said.

'Look, how the hell is the Head gonna believe you twit head?' Harris asked.

'Well I'll go in there saying I'm on a program…a week trial course to see if the mentor system works…and offer my service at their school.'

Harris turned his face away.  'It's too risky and we can't take chances can we?'

'Oh come on guys…it sounds plausible to me.' Tai stated.

'And where's our proof?  We need documents.  To show we're genuine.' Harris said, looking to Locky to see if the young man had answers to that.

Locky looked thoughtful.  'Hmmm.  Good point…that's all we need.'

'I got it…!' Jez said snapping her fingers together 'We can go to the local youth advice centre and say we'd like to promote the mentor place at a school…sign up…yes…yes…YES!' she yelled ecstatically.

The three men exchanged confused looks at Jez's sudden change in spirit.

'Don't you see you fools?' Jez laughed 'It is perfect!  Locky, you are a genius.'

'I know.' Locky smirked.

'Heh did she just compliment you?' Tai chuckled.

'It's perfect!' Jez repeated 'We'll do just as you planned, and because we have a week she'll be bound to be sent to us…we'll have our own room…we'll get her alone…then we can tell her everything…she can't scream if teachers are there…yes, boys we've got her now!'

'Ummm, Jez it's not just about her…' Harris spoke up.

'It is to me.  The little brat.' Jez said 'Because of her two days are gone.  Damn tomorrow is the weekend.  We have to wait until Monday.'

'But anything could happen up to that point…the invasion is due at any time.' Tai said.

Jez cursed 'Well go to church and pray your asses off that it won't be in the next two days.  Hopefully we have more time than that.'

Locky shrugged 'So is that the definite plan?'

'Yes.  Excellent.  We'll sign up today.  As for the party, we are going.' Jez said.

'What?' Tai said, looking at her.  Had the woman lost it?

'She won't recognise us if we dress up for a party.  Well, not me, and if she does know Locky he is not a threat to her.' Jez said.

'But why?' Harris asked, confused.

'Because we have to see if any more Chosen are there stupid.  This is the best way.' Jez replied.  'Now let's get going.'

'Where?' Harris asked stupidly.  She was jumping from subject to subject again.

'To the youth advice centre!' Jez said, getting up and walking out the front door.  The three men exchanged glances again, and then moved to follow.

'Great…haven't been to a party in a long time and all…' Harris sighed, irritated at the turn of events.

Locky slapped him on the back and smiled.  'Think of it as an opportunity, Harris.  Maybe you'll snag yourself a girlfriend.'

'Oh shut your conceited little face…loser.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Sara sighed, utterly bored.  How much longer did she have to sit through Chemistry like this?  She glanced at Gen-Ray to see him listening to the teacher intently, as ever.

Well, he is hardly thinking about the party is he, he'll just turn up however.  But I have so much to do before then, including going with Vreya to check up on the last minute preparations.  Thank God school closes at lunch to give us time to prepare…

On the exterior Sara appeared to be a very satisfied individual.  She was a brainchild, very clever and intelligent, having no trouble in passing exams.  She was also very attractive, a stunning tall and slender girl, about 5'6 and a half inches in height, and having cool blue eyes and sunshine blonde hair.  She was as cool as ice under pressure and a very witty individual with a popular personality.  She came from a relatively well off family, though she missed her father, who had died a few years back, leaving behind his wife and his two children; Sara and her older brother who was away at university. 

However many a time Sara was anything but satisfied.  On many occasions she didn't feel like anyone understood her completely at all…before her father had died they had always been moving, frequently on the move, a family on the go.  Even now she didn't feel secure in the place she was in…it was hard to make friends and keep real ones, because of moving.  She always felt like at any moment her mother would sell the house and they'd be off again…just when she thought she had finally found real friends.  Vreya had been her first real friend in this school; three years back Sara had lost her way and a smiling, kind and pretty brunette had detached herself from her crowd, on seeing a lost blonde, and gone over to help.  On many occasions she felt very lonely.  She missed her father terribly; she didn't let anyone see it, see how unhappy she was.  It was all part of the act.  Sara was the one you could rely on in a crisis.  The one who was always calm, composed and rational.

The bell signalling the end of first lesson went and Sara blinked out of her reverie.  Gen's voice came to her.

'Hey you were daydreaming.'

'No I wasn't.' Sara replied matter-of-factly.

Gen grinned 'There's pre-match nerves and then there's pre-party nerves'

'Shut up Gen, let's go.'  Sara said, gathering her things and getting up to leave, making sure that her cool and calm façade was on as she left the classroom.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Roxy skipped happily down the halls, meeting up with Costa.

'You're looking extra bouncy today.' Costa commented dryly.

'Yah!  Like today is party time!' Roxy said, grinning silly.  She loved parties and good company; she was a full force party girl.  Ever bright and cheerful, Roxy could be annoying at times with her chirpiness, but was very good fun to be around and have around.  Roxy also loved good food and guys.  Her favourite past time was giggling at the 'weirdness' of guys, as she liked to put it.  She was loud and proud of it.  Always part of a crowd and never alone, Roxy was a fiery young woman who's personality matched the red of her softly curled hair, which was just above shoulder length.    

'Calm down, we still got a few hours Roxy.' Costa said putting on the impression that he didn't care when in actual fact he himself could not wait.  His favourite things would be there; women, and lots of them, all looking beautiful and groomed; the perfect chance for him to do a spot of flirting as well as have a great time.  He was staging a competition with Lila; to see who would dance the most.  The loser had to treat the winner to whatever the winner wanted.  He liked parties and liked to be noticed too.

'I am just soooo excited!' Roxy gushed 'It is going to be a major hit!'

Costa smirked.  'Just as long as there's guys there right?' 

'Just as long as there's girls there right?' Roxy retaliated and Costa rolled his eyes.

'Ha.  Ha.  Very funny.'

'I thought so.' Roxy giggled, as the two headed off to second lesson together. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya sighed, as her final lesson of the day ended.  Now all she had to do was find Sara, and they could go and inspect the hall where the party was going to take place that night.

'Vreya!'

Vreya glanced over her shoulder to see Lila come running up to her.

'Hey…'

'Hi, you're going to go check out the final preparations right?' Lila asked hurriedly.

'Right…' Vreya nodded.

'Okay!  Now how are you getting there tonight?'

'I don't actually know…can we get a lift somewhere?'

Lila smiled 'Yes, I was hoping you'd say that.  Ash says he'll give us a lift if there's enough of us that need one.'

'So…that's me and you so far…' Vreya said.

'Yeah…Costa and Roxy too I think, Sara and Gen will make their own way.  Great, I'll tell him now okay!  Vreya what are you going to wear?'

Vreya smiled at her best friend, a mysterious smile.  'You'll see.  Just rest assured I won't come as a stripper.'

'Oh leave that to Heaven!' Lila said and both girls burst into laughter.  Lila finally got a hold of herself and grinned.

'Well, I'll see you later okay…about seven, is that okay?'

'It starts at seven doesn't it?' Vreya questioned, smiling as a person from her previous class waved at her as they passed.

'Yeah, but we got to arrive fashionably late.  I am so excited…do you think Ash will ask me to dance?' Lila wondered excitedly.

Vreya shook her head, smiling at Lila.  'If he doesn't you can always drag him to the dance floor.'

'Hmmm, true.  Is Kat coming?'

'Yes, later on though…she told me to wait where the drinks are served for her when I arrive.' Vreya replied.  It was hard not to be caught up in the excitement…the school had never hosted anything like this before, and it was bound to be a success.  So many people were coming, so many parents, and so many staff.  A hired catering staff, a band, and people from other schools too.  It was going to be big…a lot of money was going to be raised for charity and it would be a fun way to do it.

'Okay then, I'll see you later!' Lila grinned, giving Vreya a quick hug and rushing off.  Vreya smiled after her, shaking her head again, hoping that tonight's atmosphere would work some magic between her best friend and Ash.  After all Lila had liked Ash so long and deserved some happiness.  She was a great personality and would look gorgeous tonight.  How could Ash refuse?

Sighing Vreya turned away and continued in her search for Sara.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane entered his house, kicking the door shut behind him.  Great.  Friday afternoon, his usual relaxation time…'usual' was the key word.  He couldn't relax today, thanks to the insane antics of Fleck and his friends.  

The young man picked up the letters that had been delivered while he'd been out at school, and looked them over.

_Bills…bills…and more bills…_he swore in his irritation.  Did the bills never end?  Hadn't he paid the electricity one a few weeks ago?  What was the big idea?

Zane let his school bag fall to the floor, took off his riding helmet, setting it on the table by the door, and went to the kitchen, opening the fridge.  Grabbing a can of coke he closed the fridge door again and went over to the living room, switching the television on and slumping down on the leather sofa.  He switched between the channels absent mindedly, and found nothing that particularly caught his interest.  Swallowing the coke in his mouth he turned to another digital channel and stopped, lowering the can in his hand slightly.  His eyes fixed onto the screen, darkening at the sight before him.

'Thank you so much mum, you're the greatest!' a little boy was saying to his mother on screen.  It was an advert for a toy or something.  The picture switched to a little girl.  She was looking very shyly at a Santa Claus who was holding out a present to her.

'Here you go, merry Christmas ho ho ho.' Santa said, and the girl apparently got frightened and ran back to her laughing father.

'Daddy I'm scared!'

Zane blinked, not even realising the mood it had put him in.  When he'd been scared as a small boy he'd had no father or mother to run to.  He'd never gotten any presents from his family…with the exception of one foster home that he'd been in at age eight, where the couple had given him a little ring with his initials inscribed.  He'd lost it of course; he'd moved into and out of so many foster homes since then, but he vaguely remembered the feeling of joy that he'd felt when someone had cared enough to notice it had been his birthday.

His eyes lowered a moment, in thought.  He'd been alone his entire life, and his personal outlook to people and life in general reflected this fact.  Zane didn't like to think he needed anyone else.  He'd managed fine by himself up to this point.  Because he was so used to being alone he hated people meddling in his affairs.  After he would leave school he'd leave all the classmates behind too, which made him feel his reason of avoiding having friends all the more justified.  They'd leave.  Just as his parents left him, just as his foster carers all left him.

_Whatever…who the hell cares…?  Why am I thinking about it now…?  And besides, that's a stupid advert anyway.  It's bloody acting.  _Zane snapped at himself.  He hated it when he had nothing to occupy himself with.  He'd start getting all these memories coming back to him about his broken and insignificant past.  All the adoption records he'd thrown away.  He didn't want to keep in contact with people who were in his past.  They hadn't cared enough to keep him, so why should he care enough to let them know how he was getting on?  He was getting on fine without them and nobody.  He lived a solitary life and he didn't want it to change.  He hated change…and he hated thinking about emotional things too deeply like he was doing now.

Sighing in exasperation he got up and switched the television back off.  He glanced at the time.  It was five-thirty.  He had an hour and a half before Fleck and the others would pick him up.  Seven they'd said yesterday at practice.  Morgan wasn't coming as he'd expected.  

_Well I got an hour and a half to throw some food in the microwave, shower and get ready.  God this is a stupid idea and I can't believe I'm agreeing to it.  It's just going to be a waste of time…what the hell am I going to gain from this…a whole load of bother and girls asking me for my bloody pone number.  Shit, it's so stupid…_he thought to himself, going back into the kitchen to figure out what he would eat to keep him alive today.   

_High schools are all the same…full of the same immature students…I'd donate a massive cheque if I meet anyone even remotely interesting to waste time with…_

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya entered her house, calling out to her parents.  She had no idea what the time was; she'd left her watch at home in the morning.

'Mum, dad, I'm home!'

'In the guest room sweetheart!' her mother's voice called back to her.  Vreya kicked off her shoes and rushed to the guest room.

'Mum, dad!  Ohmigosh what is the time!' Vreya asked frantically.  Checking or the final preparations with Sara had taken longer than both girls had expected…they'd ended up having to help set up the chairs and the last minute decorations, as well as the stage for the band.

'It's almost six darling…aren't you going to get ready, you're a little late!' her mother said, as her daughter rushed over giving both her parents a peck on the cheek.

'Why did you take so long?' her father asked.  'I thought you said last minute preparations?'

'Well how was I supposed to know that final preparations would turn out to be decorations, setting up the tables and chairs and the stage for the band?' Vreya exclaimed.

'Oh dear…' said Vreya's mother, and then 'Well go on, I'll get dinner ready quickly for you, just go drop your bag upstairs…can I help you with anything else?'  

'Just the dress…it's in your wardrobe…' Vreya replied.

'Which one are you wearing?  The ivory and lace one?' her father asked, and Vreya shook her head.

'No…the blue one…I want to wear full length, not short…okay I'm going up stairs to drop this off…mum quickly please!'

'Yes baby don't worry, when are they picking you up?'

'Seven!' Vreya squeaked.  She'd hoped to get back by five but this was a disaster!  Only an hour to eat, shower, get dressed and ready…how was she going to manage?

'Don't panic…' her father said, but both his wife and daughter shot him 'you wouldn't understand' looks.  He was a man after all.  He chuckled and said 'I'll be watching television if any of you ladies need my help.'

With that he got up and left the room.

'Right Vreya…now hurry!' her mother ordered, and Vreya darted out the room without another word.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane closed the door of his wardrobe shut and caught a look at himself in the mirror.  He looked fairly presentable he guessed.  A grey shirt and black trousers…the usual gear for an event like this he hoped…he didn't want to stand out any more than he needed to.  He ran a comb through his soft light brown hair, and it fell over into his eyes as usual, no matter how much he tried to get it under control.  He despised the use of gel in general and he never used it.  It made him sick how some people, especially girls, splattered on too much so that their hair looked like plastic.  Where was the beauty in that? 

_Girls are just weird…so shallow…_he sighed to himself, and then the front door bell rang.  He glanced at the time…seven exactly.

It was time to go.  Grabbing his watch and a light jacket Zane moved to the front door, when he remembered something.  The necklace Morgan had given him…he'd taken it off before he'd showered.  It was still in the bathroom…

He glanced down and saw that the silver ring was still on his hand.  It was enough wasn't it?  It was also more discreet; Zane didn't want to catch any extra attention.  He decided to forget about the necklace, and went over to the door, opening it with a sigh.  He still couldn't believe how stupid the entire idea was.

Bo and Rica stood there; Bo looking very smart and so dressed up in his black suit Zane almost laughed at the change; almost, if he were accustomed to smiling and laughing.  Rica wore a violet coloured velvet dress, full length and figure hugging, with a black fake fur jacket over it.  As soon as they saw Zane their features lit up.  Rica's eyes trailed over him admirably.  

'Hey handsome…ready to release the inner party animal?' she said, lips twisting into a teasing smile.  

Bo chuckled and added slyly: 'Looking to break a few hearts tonight, huh tyke?'

Zane scowled; he hated compliments, they were just a feeble attempt at forming attachments, and snapped in reply, as he stepped out and closed the door behind him 'Shut up.  This is a stupid idea…and **don't** call me tyke!' 

Bo chuckled some more as the three made their way to the car where Fleck was waiting.   

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The doorbell rang and Mrs. LillyMoore peeked through the curtains of the living room.  Lila stood outside, and parked outside the house was a car with the music on relatively loud, and four other young people in it.  

'Reminds you of the days when we were rebels doesn't it?' her husband chuckled, and was rewarded by a beautiful smile from his wife.

'Yes…I remember how I used to be before you picked me up for dates…panicked, like Vreya is now…'

Her husband smiled again, placing a tender kiss on his wife's perfumed cheek.

'Really you had nothing to worry about…did you?  Now we had better inform our own little princess her chauffeur has arrived…' 

'Vreya darling!  Lila is here!' Mrs. LillyMoore called, and her daughter's sweet voice answered from upstairs.  Mrs. LillyMoore sighed, holding onto the jacket her daughter would be wearing.

A second later their daughter appeared, stepping down the stairs very carefully and slowly in her heels which matched the colour of her dress, a beautiful dark and deep blue.  Vreya's parents gaped up at the sight of their daughter.

She looked absolutely stunning.  The colour really looked striking against the paleness of her smooth and creamy skin, and her hair was left out naturally, silky and dark, adding a further nice contrast.  She had minimal make-up on…just a touch of light lip-gloss and the faintest touch of light blue eye shadow, mixed with silver.  No mascara, no blusher, no foundation.  The perfume she wore was light and breezy and floral sweet.

'Good God…' her father exclaimed 'I can't let you go out like that…'

Vreya giggled, having reached the bottom of the stairs, and gave a little twirl.  The dress was spaghetti strapped and was full length, slim fit and flattering all her curves.  It was an elegant and sophisticated outfit and she looked mesmerising in it.

'How do I look?' she asked, and her mother smiled proudly.

'Darling you look stunning.  Enjoy yourself, and please for pity's sake don't break too many hearts…'

Vreya laughed; it had been a race against time but finally she had managed to get ready.  Her mother handed her the jacket, which she slipped on, as her father opened the door.  Lila stood there, wearing a light denim jacket over a short and sweet black dress.  Her hair was tied up and back into a sophisticated bun.  She looked elegant and ready to party.

'Hello Mrs. LillyMoore and Mr…Oh my God!' Lila exclaimed, forgetting her manners, as she caught sight of what Vreya wore.  Vreya's cheeks were flushed with a charming and natural red, from all the compliments.

'Hi Lila, the LBD I see' she smiled; referring to the little black dress her friend wore, classic and timeless.

'Good grief, I may fall in love with you myself!  No one will want to dance with me now!  Looks like Costa won already!' Lila joked, and smiled, shaking her head.  Vreya kissed her parents goodbye and stepped out into the night.

'Have fun and drive safely!' her mother called after her, and she waved back at her father and mother.

'And don't come back too late!  Did you take the keys?' her father called and Vreya replied back a yes.  With that she reached Ash's car and waved one final farewell before getting in.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

Yup, I had to end it here because if I added the dancing scenes in it'd be way too long!  And I do mean way long…but I have posted the chapters together because they are part of the same day, if you know what I mean.  Sorry if this one was boring ( I thought so lol) but the next one will be long and ummm...eventful!  Also I wanted to add a note that the time differences between the FF8 world and the 'real' world…the FF8 world is ahead by a few hours, sorry if that confused anyone in the last chapter.  Again I apologise for no FF8 scenes in this chapter and the next, but there'll be loads after it…it's just that this is a Earth event and I wanted to get it done in it's own two chapters instead of switching between worlds; that'd take twice as long!  Anyway, please read and review, and when you finish this, you can go onto the next chapter, which is a direct continuation, as a treat from me!  Happy reading!  ^__^


	15. Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Well, here's the direct continuation people, I hope you like this!  There's a lot of meeting between important characters on the Earth side (as many of you predicted no names Aryssa lol) and this will be pretty long, but hey, I can't help it!  ^__^ I like to write in detail as you all know by now!  I can't thank anyone for reviews this time because I am posting two for the price of one ^__- so I'll thank you all in the next chapter okay!  Now stop reading this nonsense, get on with the story, go!  Lol this one should be eventful…^__^  

Chapter XV: Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These 

'This is just huge…' Harris exclaimed, as he, Jez, Tai and Locky entered into the venue of the charity ball.  Even though it had just started already there were so many people present; the large glittering hall was full of people; teenagers littered the dance floor and the band was playing.  Staff from the school stood here and there and with parents; the place was bustling with life.

'You got to give them credit.' Locky said, looking around, impressed by what he saw 'They've done a good job decorating this place.'

'Yeah…looks like one of those movie scenes…' Tai agreed.  Only Jez wasn't visibly impressed, as she said curtly

'Well we are not here to have a great time.  We're here on business.  When you locate any Chosen text me got it?'

'We can dance can't we?' Harris asked hopefully.  Jez rolled her eyes.  She wore a simple, long black dress, and the men were all dressed similarly in black suits.  Jez had insisted they did not stand out from the crowd.

Locky grinned 'I guess that's a yes.  Come on Jez, you look great, let yourself go for once…it wasn't that long ago since you left the teenage years behind…'

'Yes, for you and Harris maybe.' Jez replied curtly, and then 'Can you see any of the ones from before?'

'Well if we get away from the door and into the main hall sure we can look…' Tai said, and the group of four moved to look for their targets.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Lila stepped into the huge hall and gasped.  It all looked so magical; so fairy tale like.  The entire room was aglow with a soft golden light.  

'Wow…' she breathed, as her friends entered behind her.  The hired staff at the door asked for their jackets and they handed them over.  

Roxy gaped.  She wore a pretty and feminine knee length dusky orange dress, which fit her petite form snugly.  'Oh my God!' she exclaimed  'It looks even better now it's the real thing!  Look there's so many people, and it's just seven-thirty!'

Costa smiled, the sense of anticipation growing.  'Got to hand it to you organisers…you've done a great job' he smiled.  He wore a deep red shirt, which really flattered his tan skin and Latino good looks, and black trousers.  Ash behind him wore a blue shirt on and dark grey trousers, looking very handsome.  

Vreya smiled; her smile was wider than any of theirs.  Finally, after all the weeks of planning and waiting, it had paid off.  She was here, amongst friends, ready to have a good time, and at the same time raising money for a good cause.  The atmosphere was so alive and wonderful.  It was almost overwhelming how wonderful and perfect it all looked now.

'Isn't it beautiful!' she exclaimed happily, turning back proudly to smile momentarily at Ash and Costa.

'It sure is…' Ash said quietly, but his eyes were on her as he said it.

'You got it Bonita, it is perfect…now why are we standing here for, let's go party!'

'PAH-TAY!' Roxy cried, and laughing the group moved away from the door deeper into the hall.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Fleck whistled as they entered the ballroom.  It was enormous in size, and it looked grand and stunning.  Pillars stood mightily surrounding the large room, and golden draperies and other decorations were hanging on the walls.  The floor glittered; it was so sparkling and polished reflections could be seen in it.  It looked breath taking and for a moment the group consisting of two grown men, a woman and a younger man just stood there, taking in the view and absorbing the atmosphere.  Even Zane was surprised by what he saw; he'd expected nothing like this, or on this scale.  Was it some kind of private school that was hosting this charity ball?

'Impressive I'd say.' Rica said.  The group stood for a second, almost forgetting why they were here.  Then Bo spoke up.

'So come on, we're not going to find anything here…let's get going…'

They moved down the grand stairs to join the rest of the crowd.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

As Vreya's group reached the refreshments table a voice called out to them.  Sara came rushing to them, a bright smile lighting up her stunning features.  She looked absolutely gorgeous, and was apparently oblivious to the admiring looks from boys and girls alike as she breezed past.

Sara wore a stunning deep red dress, and her blonde hair, usually so straight was curled and clasped back, with strands loose deliberately here and there.  The dress was knee length and strapless, and she looked like a princess, glamorous and perfectly groomed.

Costa's jaw literally dropped.  He'd always known Sara was beautiful, but now she just looked gorgeous.  She smirked at him haughtily before turning to her girlfriends.

'Finally you're here!  Lila, fabulous dress…it's classical.  Roxy you look adorable…and Vreya…' Sara's eyes looked Vreya over and she shook her head.

'You look like a star that fell out of heaven.' 

'Sara you can talk…just look at you!  Where did you acquire such a outrageously gorgeous dress?  And your hair!' Lila exclaimed, reaching out and lightly touching one of the perfect curls.

'I decided for a new look…' Sara smiled.

'What was having the boys drooling not enough…you have to hypnotise them too?' Vreya smiled.  

'YAH!  You look like a golden goddess…Costa is hooked!' Roxy grinned.

'Thanks you all look stunning too.  Gen's down there with friends…come on, what are we waiting for!  So many people from other schools I know want to meet you!' Sara said, then glanced to Ash and smiled 'Hello Ash, you look very handsome.'

'Excuse me!' Costa spluttered and the girls giggled together.  Sara sighed.

'I suppose you look presentable.' She said to him, and Ash laughed heartedly at this, shaking his head.

'Don't worry bud…it's just the woman wrapping you round her finger trick.'

'Hmpf' Costa muttered, glaring at Sara who winked at him.  She then turned back to Vreya ad the others.

'Come on girls!'

'No, I have to wait for Kat here…' Vreya replied apologetically.

'Oh, is she coming?' Sara smiled 'Great!'

'Yes, she said wait near the serving tables, so I should wait for her…she should be coming any moment now…' Vreya said.

'Oh…shall we wait with you, because…' Sara began but Vreya waved them away.

'No, I'll be fine, you guys go, and I'll catch up with you later okay?'

'Okay then, we'll be over there…' Lila nodded and she, Sara, Roxy and Costa moved off.  Ash nodded to Vreya indicating he'd see her later, and followed.  The people who stood next to Vreya with their dates talked a little more, then dispersed to join the next dance.  Vreya watched, smiling a little.  It was all so magical and romantic…she wished she could join, and soon, but she had to wait for her cousin first, and besides, she'd just got here.  She could already feel eyes on her, and someone tapped her on her shoulder lightly. Vreya turned, hoping it was her cousin.  But her eyes met with an unfamiliar face; a boy her age she didn't know.

'Excuse me?' he smiled.  He was relatively average in terms of his looks but he had a nice friendly air about him.

Vreya smiled back.

'Would you dance with me?'

Vreya smiled; she'd just got here!  Unfortunately she had to refuse…she couldn't yet anyway.

'I'm sorry, I'm waiting for someone…but maybe I'll find you later.' She said politely, and the guy smiled.

'Sure.  I'm Ken.'

'Vreya.' Vreya smiled and the guy nodded.

'You sure are pretty' he said, smiling appreciatively at her, causing her to blush.  He laughed and added casually  'Hey maybe I'll catch you later okay?'

Vreya thanked him and nodded, and he moved away to find someone else to dance with.  She watched as the couples waltzed, smiling all the way.  Everyone was just so happy here; everyone was joining in the wonderful mood, even those who weren't from the school.  Vreya sighed, satisfied.  The hard work had definitely paid off.  What more could she want?  

As she watched she suddenly caught sight of someone…it was a young man, on the other side of the dance floor, opposite to where she stood.  He was leaning back against one of the many pillars, which surrounded the room.  Unlike everyone else, he had a light scowl on his face.  Vreya looked at him curiously.  Dancing couples that waltzed in that direction kept obscuring her view of him, so she couldn't get a proper look.  But he certainly didn't look familiar to her, nor did he look too thrilled to be here.

_Weirdo…how can anyone not enjoy themselves in an atmosphere like this?  Maybe a girl just snubbed him?  _She thought, then decided to think nothing more of it, and went back to watching the couples dancing to the sweet melody being played by the band.  As long as mostly everyone else was having fun…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane couldn't believe how bored he was.  This was…this was even more boring than his boring lessons at school!  He leant back against the pillar, fighting to stay awake.  He needed sleep now, not this.  He hadn't been here that long at all, yet already he hated it.  Fleck and the others had just drifted off a while earlier, and left him here, bored.  How predictable.    

Fleck had better know what he's doing…so far I haven't 'sensed' any other prospective 'Chosen Ones'…damn this is the stupidest thing I have ever had to do in my life…he thought to himself.

Yet another girl winked at him, smiling flirtatiously as she passed.  Zane gave her the same blank and uninviting stare he had given to all the countless other girls who had looked his way with interest and approached him and asked him to dance or try to get to know him since he'd arrived.  He guessed it was fairly obvious he wasn't from here, wasn't a student that belonged to this school.  That was probably why so many people had looked in his direction during the course of the evening.  

_God this school is crass…the students here are so stupid…_he thought darkly to himself.  

He let his eyes trail over the main dance floor.  Everyone was dressed up so fancily.  Though it was in a good cause in the name of charity, he hardly believed that the people here, students and teachers and other guest's alike, were thinking of anything else but of being given an excuse to don fancy wear and parade around showing it off.   It was mainly the girls…all so over made up…it made him sick, and he couldn't wait to be given the all clear by Fleck to leave.  The smell of overly powerful perfume threatened to suffocate him, and he had to bite his tongue to refrain from saying something rude to the very unattractive artificial blonde who kept batting her extremely fake long lashes at him.

How much longer do I have to stand this…?  I hate these social gatherings!  They're so petty and shallow…

He stared gloomily ahead at the couples dancing together, watching as they all had a good time.  He had nothing else to do except people-watch.

_Great, my idea of a good time would be to read something…muck about on the lap top… catch up on some damned sleep…anything but this…_

His eyes lazily followed the serving people busily going about and offering drinks, and he sighed tiredly.  It had been a long day for him.  Ever since he'd met with Fleck and the others days back, a lot of things had been happening…it was constantly on the green light, no red stops for him in a while.

As he continued to look around blankly, he suddenly did a double take, something finally attracting his interest.  His eyes rested on the slender petite figure of a young girl who looked about his age, standing on the other side of the dance floor.  She had dark silky chocolate hair and wore, in stark contrast to the fancy outfits of most of the other girls here, a simple yet flattering dark blue dress, full length and spaghetti strapped.  She had a creamy complexion and stood alone, also people-watching.

He stared at her a moment, his eyes looking her over.  He blinked; the longer he stared the stronger the feeling he got of having seen her somewhere before.  Then suddenly it came to him why she looked so familiar; he **_had_** seen her before!

_Hey…she looks familiar…isn't that_…_wait a minute_, w_hat the hell is she doing here?_

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Hey where's Vreya?' Gen asked, as he greeted his friends.

'Waiting for Kat by the refreshments stand…' Lila replied, then 'Met anyone yet?'

'Please.  Unlike the rest of you I am here to have an innocent good time, not capture my future spouse.' Gen replied.

Sara laughed at this, eyes trailing to the dance floor.  A lone figure caught her eye suddenly, and then she realised the figure was staring at someone she knew.  

'Lila?'

Lila looked to Sara.

'Who is that guy?'

'What guy?' Lila asked, eyes moving over the dance floor.

'The guy in grey…because he's looking right at Vreya.'

Lila peered over the heads of dancing people, and saw that indeed a young and unfamiliar man was looking in Vreya's direction.  Vreya seemed oblivious however, to his attention.

'I can't see him properly…is he cute?' Lila asked.

'I can't see him properly either…I think we should tell her though…' Sara smiled, and the two girls nodded to each other, and excused themselves from their company, going back over to their friend who waited by the refreshments table.

'Vreya!' Lila said.

Vreya looked to them 'You guys bored already?'

'No, actually we came to warn you…' Sara smiled.

'Huh?  Of what?' Vreya asked. Lovely features perplexed.

'Someone has his eyes on you and you didn't notice, so we being the great friends we are came to tell you…' Lila grinned.

Vreya frowned lightly.  'What?  Who?'

'We don't know…' Sara said, smiling at her friend.  She'd just glanced discreetly and the guy was still looking Vreya's way.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane regarded the girl curiously.  So she was from this school?  How had she ended up in that alleyway then?  It was most definitely the girl he had helped out…he recognised the face, if a little vaguely…she looked different now, she was very well groomed and wore more formal clothing.  It seemed strange to him though; he thought he wouldn't see her again…people didn't usually meet after things like that.

For a second he was so absorbed in just looking at her, he didn't realise the mistake he had made.  While he had been looking so obviously for once, which was very rare for him, but he was so surprised, one of the girl's friend's, a stunning blonde, had caught him, and now leaned in and whispered into the dark haired girl's ear.  The girl's head lowered slightly as she said something back.  Zane blinked.  Damn, he'd been stupid to stare…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Vreya he is so checking you out…' Sara whispered 'I don't even know who it is…he's not from school I think…'

Vreya didn't dare to look at who was 'checking her out'.  She felt much too shy to do so.  Already a few guys had come up to her and asked her to dance, and she'd politely refused all, flattered that so many guys approached her, but not really being interested.  She was having a good enough time without having to dance.

'Who _is _that?' Lila tittered 'Vreya he is really cute…and he is looking right at you…'

'Vreya has another secret admirer and he's not someone we know…how mysterious!' Sara teased her friend.

'Will you knock it off?  You're making me feel self-conscious!' Vreya pleaded.  Costa came up to them then, grinning, a girl at his arm.

'Ladies…have any of you got any intentions to dance?' he asked.

'Oh yeah!  Where's Ash?' Lila asked, looking about.

'There…with Bradley…come on, let's go back up to them…' Sara said, and then looked to Vreya.  

'As soon as Kat comes we'll be down there okay?' she said, pointing to the section to Vreya's right.  Vreya nodded and Sara smiled, and added:

'Have fun…by the way; he's right opposite where you're standing.  Go ask him to dance…he is cute'

Vreya pulled a face and Sara laughed, walking away with the elegance of a movie star.

Vreya shook her head after her.  As much as she wanted to dance, she hadn't seen the right person to dance with yet…sure many of the guys who'd come up to her had been nice enough, but she didn't come to formal parties like this so often as she would like because they were hardly ever held, so she wanted it to be a nice, memorable experience.

Just a chance to really get my mind off all this…all that's been going on…essays, failing exams, those crazy dreams…she thought.

She then thought then for a moment about what had happened to her two days back, just to keep herself occupied while she waited.  She bit her lower lip anxiously…she still hadn't told her friends…she wanted to ask Katrina if she thought she should now…was there a point?  She didn't know how…she thought about the person who'd saved her, the guy wearing the biker's helmet…

_If only I could've seen his face…all I saw was…his eyes…green eyes too…oh for God's sake, a million people have green eyes on this planet, it's no big deal, I mean, so what?!  I'm just making myself stressed by assuming just because he had green eyes like the person from my dream, that there's a link…I am so stupid…how silly!  So much for de-stressing…_she thought to herself.

Vreya finally shifted her eyes from the dance floor and turned her head slightly to the left, to look in the direction opposite to where she was standing.  It was the same guy in grey she'd looked at earlier…the unhappy looking one…now that the couples had left the dance floor before another dance began she could see him more clearly.  A young man with light brown hair falling adorably and carelessly into his eyes, having most possibly the most gorgeous style she'd ever seen simply because it was so natural in it's beauty and not gelled like most guys hair, stood alone, leaning against a pillar, arms folded across his chest.  He wasn't looking at her just then, his gaze directed elsewhere.  Her friends had probably scared him off…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane had watched the girl's friends move away from her, rather curiously.  He'd seen them look his way and smile, then say something to her, which he just thought was stupid.

So shallow…just because a guy looks at a girl, doesn't mean anything, so what, I mean we look at people a million times each day, what's the big deal?  Girls, so stupid, always assuming things straight off…typical…

He then looked back to the girl and realised she was now looking at him.  He cursed himself…now he had just caught her attention!

_Damn it_…he thought to himself_.  _She was looking right at him._  Damn it!  She caught me!  _Zane thought, feeling his heart skip a beat for no reason whatsoever, than the fact that it felt like acting so stupid.  He couldn't look away, to his utter embarrassment, and he yelled at himself to get a hold on some dignity.  

_She doesn't know I saved her…she never saw my face…I have nothing to be worried about…she is not going to come over here and gawk over me…_he reassured himself.  Somehow he didn't feel so convinced…even if she hadn't seen his face she had seen his eyes and he had spoken.  He found himself now praying to God that the helmet had muffled his voice enough for her not to recognise it.

For God's sake, look away right now, what the hell am I staring at her for?!  She's going to get the wrong idea…she's not even pretty!  Zane yelled at himself furiously.

--------------- ◊ --------------

Vreya stared back at the guy from opposite the room a moment, then smiled a small shy smile at the very cute stranger who was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face.  Her heart jumped a little, knowing now that a mysterious and painfully handsome guy had his eyes on her.  He was very cute…now that she could see him a little better she could confirm that.  

God…what do I do…look away…?  Walk away?  But gosh, he is so cute; I wonder who he is, and why he's standing alone like that?  God he is cute…and I'm sure Kat will be okay and find someone else to join…she thought hurriedly to herself.

She decided on a whim to approach him.  He was looking at her after all…and she wanted to sincerely know why of all the people in the room he was the only one seemingly unwilling to have a good time.  She began to walk to him, feeling very shy and strangely hopeful of something she didn't understand.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The girl had moved and was coming in his direction.  The last thing he had planned and hoped for when he'd first set his eyes on her.

_She's coming this way?  Oh man…I don't need this…_Zane thought to himself, watching her move gracefully towards him, her movements confident and elegant.  _This is all my fault…looking at her like she's so amazing…she's nothing special, I was just so bored and she happened to be standing there in front of me, she's not pretty, she's not even…she…she's…_

As the girl neared it suddenly hit him full force how stupid he was for trying to lie about something so obvious and in his face.

_She's…stunning…_

Vreya stopped directly opposite the guy and drew in a breath.  He was by far the best looking young man she had ever seen.  Even cuter than Ash, and that was a feat in itself.  He was tall and slim and had a nice build, dressed in formal wear: a dark grey shirt and black trousers and shoes.  His features were elegant: he had an elegant straight nose, an adorable jaw line, and lips that were sultry and pouting and looked a little proud.  It was his eyes that really took over the show though, a deep, intense green…in fact, they seemed almost as though they had grey tints…

_Don't you dare…_Vreya instructed herself a_ million guys have green eyes on this planet, it's just a coincidence, don't blow your chance!  So what if the guy in your dream had green eyes and the guy who saved you did…they don't have to be all the same…you didn't see the last guy's face, so he could be someone else entirely!  Just get a grip!_

Zane stared down at the delicate and petite looking girl, thinking her to truly be quite attractive.  She had warm brown eyes and a very charming smile that seemed to grace her sweet little mouth so effortlessly. Her hair was just below shoulder length, and nicely cut in layers framing her oval face, with a fringe pushed to the left, falling over one dark eye.  

Go away…I'll just say to you what I've said to every other girl this night…nothing Zane thought, finally getting a grip and cursing himself for being so immature and stupid.  He stared at her uninvitingly, hoping to intimidate her.  But she wasn't intimidated by his glare.  In fact, she was so unfazed she began to talk to him.

'Hi…' Vreya said a little shyly, smiling at him.  He stared back at her silently, his face expressionless.

Her voice was sweet and innocent, like a child's, like music, like wind chimes, very fluted and pleasant to hear.

God, I got to get a grip NOW…Zane instructed himself.

Frostily, he finally turned his face away dismissively, hoping she would take the hint.  

Vreya stared a moment, and then she couldn't help but blurt out:

'Have we met before?'

The guy turned his head back to look at her, an unreadable expression on his face.

No…no way can she know who I am…she's just guessing because I have green eyes…it's okay…she's not going to know…I'm not going to tell her…I don't need the bother…he thought.

He raised a brow slightly, giving her a strange look, and turned his face away again.

'Oh.' She sounded disappointed to him.  'Sorry…just thought for a second that you might be…anyway, forget it…'

God, please go away, I don't want to talk to you…Zane thought out to her, hoping with his entire being she'd just disappear and leave him alone.

The girl was speaking again, evidently not taking the hint.

'I haven't seen you around before…'

You think?!  Zane thought sarcastically, then glanced back at her a moment, almost reflexively.  

Yes, it was definitely her.  The voice, the face…

He looked away again as she continued, to talk on.

Maybe he's shy…?  Vreya thought, then said,

'You're not from our school right…?'

Damned right I am not from your crass school…Zane thought to himself.  Where was Fleck?  Now would be the ideal time to give the 'all clear', despite the fact he was getting a strong and strange feeling around this girl, to his irritation.  He just wanted her to leave and stop hassling him…

'Hmmm…' Vreya said thoughtfully, peering up at him, feeling insanely confident for some reason, even more than usual considering that she was speaking to a gorgeous boy she didn't know…

'Are you the quiet type…?  Because you sure don't say much!' she announced.

Zane bit his tongue to stop a sarcastic remark from slipping.  If he ignored her she would leave…just like all the others…as long as he didn't look at her or encourage her in any other way….

Vreya regarded him strangely…did the guy know how to talk?  Maybe he was just really shy…shrugging, she went on, totally oblivious to the fact that he might just want her to leave…

'This is a social gathering…everyone here's been invited to have a good time while raising money for a good cause too…but here you are, not smiling, and not having fun…just standing alone here in this corner like you don't want to be noticed…'

Oh, so you're smart enough to figure that out but not that I want you to go?  Zane thought irritated, wishing more than ever that his 'mentor' would just turn up.

'I was just wondering…I mean, last time I checked this was not a very interesting part of the room…there's no one here but you…' Vreya went on, putting her hands on her hips, and leaning forward to peer up into his face directly.

'Looking the way you do, you sure should be out on the dance floor!  So, want to dance with me?' Vreya asked, not believing she'd just had the guts to say that.

Zane, feeling her eyes peering up at him, finally realised it was useless to just avert his face.  She wasn't just going to go…he needed to drill the fact that he didn't want to dance into her head.

'I don't dance' he said icily, glaring down at the pretty girl.

Vreya tilted her head curiously at this.  The guy had a nice, smooth, cool voice, not too deep, yet not too high either; a perfect balance.  She found she didn't recognise it; it couldn't be the biker boy who'd helped her out.  'Oh really?  Why not?  Come on, it's fun!'

I can't think of a sillier waste of time…Zane thought, but replied flatly 'I don't want to dance'

'Aw, please?' the girl insisted, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

'Go away.' He said rudely.  He hadn't the slightest intention to dance with anyone.  He was here on business and she was annoying him.  He couldn't believe she hadn't taken the hint already.  All the other girls who'd approached him had left after a glare.  This girl was taking much more and still looked unfazed.

'That's not very nice.' Vreya replied, looking up at him.  'You're not too comfortable here and I was only checking up on you…'

'Well don't.' the young man snapped at her, turning his face away again.

Vreya sighed.  Why was he being so moody?

'Don't you want to have fun?' she found herself asking, not believing she was saying all this, considering he was a stranger, and obviously an irritated one that wanted her to leave.  

'Don't you ever go away?' he retaliated icily, turning his head again to glare at her.

Vreya smiled, suddenly finding his anger to be very amusing.  In fact, he was pretty funny…not to mention interesting.  She had no idea that was the precise opposite the young man wanted her to think of him.  

'Come on…you're not doing anything else…' she pressed.  The guy rolled his eyes and looked away again.

'Go bug someone else.'

'No, I want to dance with you.  I'm waiting for someone…it'll pass time for us both.' Vreya replied, hoping that if she sounded a little rude he'd listen.

He didn't seem to notice.  He told her to leave him alone.

Vreya huffed.  She was bound and determined to get this stubborn stranger to dance with her.  No way was she just going to be intimidated by his silly bad mood.

'Please?' she said, polite again.

Please go, please go, pleasegopleasegopleasego...dammit girl, just leave…Zane fumed to himself.

He tilted his head back rather haughtily to signal a 'no' to her.  She frowned, pouting a little, looking like a disappointed little girl.  And terrifyingly having the effect of a disappointed little girl on him.  He felt something in him stir at the look of general disappointment on her face.  Even frowning she was pretty…

'Please?  Just one dance?' God I am embarrassing myself, Vreya thought, surprised she wasn't blushing wildly, he doesn't want to, don't I get it?

'No' Zane said matter-of-factly and then just as he thought she was finally going to go because she looked defeated, she did something totally unexpected, surprising him.

Vreya looked at him, feeling irritated, and said, angry that he was being such a stubborn ass for no reason,

'That is SO it!  I hate it when people stop themselves from having a good time when they so want it!  I organised this party, and I say I want you to dance.  You are going to dance with me, whether you like it or not!' with that she reached out and grabbed hold of his arm, tugging with surprising strength, dragging him behind her in the direction of the dance floor.

Zane couldn't believe it…this girl was insane!  He was so shocked he actually let her pull him along a moment.  Finally getting over the surprise, he tried to draw his arm away without doing it too violently as to attract unwanted attention, but she had a firm grip on him.

Crap…oh crap, dammit…what the hell is she doing, I can't dance!  This is so degrading!  Alarm bells were going off loudly in Zane's head.

'Hey…wait!' he said, but his voice came out weaker and lower than he had expected.  He had no idea what was wrong with him, and hated it.

Vreya ignored his protests.  No one was going to just stand around and be a spoilsport…not even his highness behind her.  

'I…I don't know how to dance!' Zane said desperately, a last desperate attempt to make her let him go.  The girl looked back at him, smirking smugly.

'Hah!  Is that the best you can do?!  So I'll teach you…it's easy!'

He blinked, bewildered at how carefree this girl was.  Then rage filled him and he was about to yell at her, when they reached the dance floor and she pulled him round to stand in front of her. 

'What the hell are you doing?!' he hissed at her, but she just looked at him dismissively.

'Oh quit your complaining would you?' she said, shaking her head. 

God damn it, I could just walk away right now, why don't I do it?!  What the hell is wrong with me?!  Zane thought in fury.  The girl was looking up at him though, smiling again, and he could feel eyes on them.

Damn it…shit, this is all Fleck's fault…I knew I had to eat up the consequences…he thought angrily.

Vreya smiled up at the guy, and lifted a hand and rested it on his left shoulder.  The guy was visibly embarrassed as she took hold of his right hand and positioned it at her left side.  He tried to draw away but she just made sure he couldn't, and when he finally complied, she looked up into his face and gave him a reassuring smile.

'It's not that hard…hey, will you stop looking so scared!  It's a teeny bit tricky at first but you'll catch on so quickly…just follow my lead first okay?'

Zane had never felt so awkward in his life.  He was holding a girl he didn't know closer than he had ever held anyone else in his life.  It was insane…he couldn't believe he was actually letting her take control like this…she was just so insanely confident and so insanely cheerful and optimistic!  He could smell the sweet scent of her light fragrance, not heavy and suffocating like the other girls, light, as her touch was, breezy and free.  The music began to play, and she began to lead the first few steps of the dance.  He tried to follow, but it wasn't as easy as she had claimed, and he stumbled around pathetically, bumping into her, and even stepping on her foot.  

Vreya winced.  Ouch…but it's okay…hey, he's cute…

'Sorry…' he muttered grumpily, flushed slightly, and then as they carried on, he stumbled forward right into her.  She giggled a little, thinking how silly they must look…

Zane regained his balance, and then yanked his hands from the girl's.  He glared at her and said angrily 'I told you I can't dance!' and with that he turned away.  He really had had enough for a night, and order or no order he was leaving…**now**.   

He'd embarrassed himself for the sake of this stupid girl long enough…

Vreya looked after him, feeling a little bad…it had to be embarrassing, but hey, she wasn't going to let him go so easily!

'Hey…that's too bad, you were doing so well!' she called after him.

Zane froze.  Who the hell was this girl trying to fool?  He turned on her, about to really give her what she had been asking for ever since she'd come up to him, but as he did she was just looking at him with those eyes of hers, blinking innocently.

'You…' he began, but whatever he had been about to say disappeared forever.  Something told him there was no use in shouting at her, as she tilted her head and said hopefully,

'Can we try again…?'

Zane blinked.  Now was his chance…he could make his escape.  He looked past her, around the room, trying to spot his mentor or Bo or Rica.  

He began to shake his head at the girl; reminding himself why he was here…to look for potential fellow Chosen…he hadn't 'sensed' anything yet…he wasn't even sure how he could tell.  In his view this entire idea was stupid and pointless…how would he know if one was close by?  He didn't even know what-or who he was looking out for.  

'No…I can't…' he began, but the girl had already reached out while his eyes had been scanning the room again, and taken his hand in hers again.  He looked down at her fingers that were so firmly closed around his hand, then back at her incredulously.

I can't believe this…what is wrong with me, why aren't I yelling at her?!  Zane thought, really alarmed with himself.  It was crazy and confusing…he usually never let anyone, especially not a strange girl, touch him; he never let anyone come so close.  He couldn't even believe that he had allowed himself to be pulled to the dance floor by her, he couldn't understand how he had actually relented enough to try to learn how to dance.  What was wrong with him…?  He was seriously out of it…and it was way not cool.

'Please?' the sweet voice pleaded once again, and he tried to harden his resolve, to look intimidating and frighten her away, which he was so usually good at doing to girls who gave him trouble.

'Look girl…' he said, wondering as he said it what her name was, but angrily pushing the thought out of his head.

'Just one more try?  Please?' Vreya begged, looking up with widened and pleading eyes at the handsome young stranger.  His eyes met hers briefly and he sighed, as if he didn't believe what was happening.

Just say no…pull away; for God's sake it's so easy!  You don't want to dance with her, you don't want any of this personal and emotional stuff…you don't need it, haven't you learnt by now?  How can you let some insane girl you don't even know take advantage like this?!   Pull away…NOW!  A voice in his head yelled; his sane voice.

But, as insane as it was and as furious as he felt with himself, he found himself pulling her close again, and letting her reposition his hands.  He was feeling confused with the entire situation, he was feeling something very strange and it was all because of this girl…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Fleck chuckled as Rica batted away a man's imploring hands.

'Ah please, just a dance!' the red haired guy said.  Rica didn't look impressed.  She snapped a no, and the man finally gave up, having spent the entire evening trying to get the lady to dance.  He slunk away, and Fleck spoke instantly.

'Poor man!  You could've at least given him one dance…'

Rica said, in exasperation, 'We are not here to have a good time.  High school prom is over remember?'

Fleck shrugged, looking around, trying to locate Bo.  His eyes scanned the dance floor, and rested on the figure of the last person he would have expected to see standing up and dancing.

'My God!' he exclaimed, catching Rica's attention instantly.

'What?'

'Would you look at that!  Who would've thought it!' Fleck said, shaking his head in wonder.

'Fleck, what are you talking about…?' Rica began, when he cut her off.

'He's actually dancing!' Fleck said, then laughed 'That kid is such a puzzle to figure out!'

'…' Rica looked to the dance floor, seeing Zane dancing with a dark haired girl.  

'Well!' she exclaimed, equally as surprised.  'He looks great dancing after all!'

She smiled at the sight, remembering her high school days.

A loud voice informed them of Bo's presence.

'Hey, you seen any Chosen yet?'

'No, but I seen something else…look!' Fleck said, motioning to the dance floor with his head.  Bo looked, blinked in shock, and then burst into laughter.

'No way!  How'd the poor girl manage to get him to dance?'

Fleck thought a moment.

'Maybe…maybe she's a Chosen One?'

'You don't know that…' Bo argued.

'Zane could know if he checked his ring…why isn't he?' Fleck frowned.

Rica laughed a rare laugh.

'I'd say he has his hands are quite busy enough at the moment…'

'He's a good dancer' Bo complimented, chuckling.

Fleck nodded, smiling.  'It seems he's good at a lot of things…except manners.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Jez stifled a yawn.  She'd had to turn down enough requests to dance.  Unlike Harris who was happily dancing with every girl who asked him, and going around asking himself, she had no desire to dance.  Tai stood beside her, sipping on some drink.

'So you seen any yet?' Tai asked.

'No.  I can't find that brat.' Jez replied.

'You know I don't thinks she's a brat so much…we did freak her out though.' Tai said, shrugging.

'Oh yes whatever you say.' Jez rolled her eyes, as Locky joined them.

'Any luck?'

'She's out there dancing with a guy.  The one in blue.' Locky motioned with his head towards the dance floor.  Jez and Tai looked and sure enough after a moment they spotted a brunette in blue dancing with a young man.

'What about the other one?'

'Roxy?  Nah, haven't seen her yet…maybe I will later though.  I'm going to get a drink…want a refill any of you?' Locky asked, and both shook their heads.  He looked to the refreshments table and as he did so someone caught his eyes.  A blonde girl, probably about eighteen years old, walking towards the refreshments stand also.  His eyes swept over her with interest…she was very attractive, looking nothing short of stunning in her red dress.  He decided there and then to go and talk to her.  With luck maybe she was a Chosen One.  Without another word he moved away from his companions and towards the refreshments stand.  

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Sara had finally managed to get away from Bradley, and was moving to the refreshments table when she bumped into Katrina, who looked pretty in a soft pink dress.

'Hello!' Sara blinked, smiling at Vreya's lively cousin.

'Hey Sara!  Wow I love the dress…red looks great on you!' Kat grinned.

'Thanks…looking pretty yourself!' Sara returned the compliment.

'Hey, where are you guys?  I've been looking for Vreya everywhere…'

'I thought she was waiting for you?' Sara said, puzzled.

'No I haven't seen her and I got here almost fifteen minutes back…' Katrina shrugged.

'That's strange…she said she was going to wait here for you when we left her…unless…' Sara's blue eyes turned away from Katrina and scanned the dance floor.  Her eyes widened and she let out a small cry of surprise.

'Oh my goodness…it can't be!' she exclaimed in astonishment.

'Huh?' Katrina said looking quite baffled, and then following her gaze to the dance floor, she looked a moment, seeing nothing of particular fascination. 

'There she is!' Sara said, and then laughed, shaking her head, golden curls moving softly and lightly with her movements.

'Who?' Katrina asked, wondering what Sara was talking about all of a sudden.  'Do you mean…?'

'There's Vreya!  I can't believe she's actually dancing with him!  So that's why!' Sara said, smiling.

'Him?  Who's him?  Hey…I don't get it!' Katrina frowned, then she finally saw her cousin, looking very pretty indeed, in an elegant blue dress, dancing with a seriously cute guy.  Katrina blinked, and breathed,

'Whoa!  Who's he?  A new guy?'

'He's not from our school…when we were standing with her that guy was looking at her…she must have asked him to dance!' Sara said, forgetting about her drink, and saying instead 'I have to tell Lila and the others…oh, but they're dancing…'

'He is so cute…cuter than…' Katrina broke off, and said 'Come on, let's tell the others!'

The two girls hurried off together, in search of the rest of their friends.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane couldn't believe it…this time round his feet weren't stepping in all the wrong places, and he was even actually leading.  They were dancing together as one, pretty well.  At least it felt pretty smooth in its flow…the music playing was a soft and dreamy melody, not too slow, just about right. 

This is so stupid…well, I got myself into it, can't wait for the dance to be over…this is my punishment for staring.  Won't do it next time, that's for sure…he vowed to himself.  He was relieved for one thing…at least she didn't recognise him as being the guy who helped her out, though he wondered why she'd been so determined to make him dance with her.

He was trying not to look at the girl too much, but it was difficult, because she was so attractive, and directly in front of him.  He held her as lightly as possible, counting away the seconds until it would finally be over.  He kept telling himself ardently that he didn't like this…that he wasn't enjoying it one bit…but it was becoming increasingly hard to ignore the feeling of something like lightness that was building up inside him.  A lightness he hadn't felt in such a long time…it felt strange, and yet better than he could have expected. 

Vreya felt like she was flying.  The entire moment was just so amazing…she had never danced openly before, and it was her first time, and she loved it.  It was almost too good to be true…she didn't want this dance to end…the music was so perfect, and the guy she was dancing with was so handsome…

What a little sneak…telling me he can't dance…he's an expert!  Either that or he's an extremely quick learner…

The young man had the most amazing eyes she had ever seen.  She glanced up at them now; he was not looking at her luckily, seemingly trying to avert his gaze to anything else in the room but her.  The green was a shade she had never seen before in her life.  She had another cousin with green eyes, though they tended to be more on the hazel side…but this boy's eyes were a deep dark and intense shade, with greyish flecks around the pupils.  He looked down at her, sensing her gaze on him, and she failed to look away in time as he caught her out, as she had done when he'd been watching her before she'd approached him.  The power of his gaze was frightening.  She couldn't look away a moment, losing herself in the beauty and intensity of that piercing gaze, that was so quiet, so full of mystery, so distant…

So… cold…

He's got such a hard look in his eyes…it's a shame...I bet if he lightened up those eyes and that face could look even better…wow, no guy I've ever seen come close…he is really, really attractive…she found herself thinking.

Finally she got a grip, and recovered, feeling the blush touch her cheeks.  Trying to cover it up, she smiled encouragingly up at him.

'Hey you're doing great!  And you said you can't dance!'

Zane didn't reply.  He didn't have the slightest desire to.  So he'd stupidly allowed himself to be dragged out here to dance, something he would never have imagined he'd be persuaded into doing in his life, but that was as far as it went.  He was going to dance with this girl once, and once only, and never make a fool of himself again in this way, ever.  He was not going to get her to make him talk too.  He was not going to let her attempt to form any kind of acquaintance with him.   

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Ash was happily talking with some members of the football team, when Lila tapped him on his shoulder.  She'd just finished dancing with another guy, and was eager to get the object of her affections to agree to a dance also, since he hadn't asked her yet.

'Hi Ash…'

Ash glanced at her, blue eyes cool.

'Oh.  Hi Lila…'

'So, are you gonna dance anytime soon?'

Ash's friends smirked at her.

'I'll dance with you hon.…all night if you like…' one laughed.

Ash shot them a look, and Lila said, putting her hands on her hips,

'I said Ash not you, idiot'

They chuckled at her, and just as Ash was about to respond, Sara joined them, with Katrina behind her.

'Hey, where did you go?!' Lila asked Sara then noticed Kat 'Hi Kat…did you find Vreya okay?  She was waiting for you…'

'Was…she left before I arrived' Kat said, then looked past her at Ash.  She waved at him, at the guy she was sure her cousin had feelings for…well, she had been sure, until she'd seen the sexy stranger Vreya was currently waltzing with.

'Hi!  Ash!'

Ash gave her a look, and then nodded politely, turning his face away to his friends again, to let the girls talk on.  

'What?  What do you mean?  Where's she gone?' Lila blinked.  

'To the dance floor!' Sara exclaimed 'Dancing with that guy!'

'That guy?' Lila repeated blankly, then Sara pointed to the dance floor and Lila, looking, exclaimed

'What?! She actually asked him to dance?!  Oh I have to get out there and see her!  Ash, please dance with me-look Vreya's dancing!'

Lila couldn't believe that Vreya had actually agreed to dance at last, and with a total stranger.  Then she reminded herself, while watching the pair part and come together again, that the guy was extremely cute…

Ash looked at Lila, then looked to the dance floor.  Sure enough Vreya was dancing in the arms of a guy he wasn't familiar with.  All this time he had thought Vreya with her cousin…but there she was, dancing…with a stranger.

He watched a moment, feeling slightly envious.  He had planned to go up to Vreya and get her to dance with him first…she looked so radiant tonight, and she danced so well.  In fact, her and whoever the lucky boy was were putting on quite a show, being of the most attractive pairs on the dance floor…

Stop being so stupid…it's nothing…so the guy went up to her and asked…and she agreed.  He's a stranger; he doesn't even come to our school.  It's nothing to get jealous over…what an idiot I am…she's not even mine!

He shrugged off his envy, but a strange feeling was coming across him.  Lila seemed to feel it too, because she shuddered suddenly.  Sara frowned.

'What's wrong?'

Lila looked at the blonde.

'Oh…nothing just felt…chilly.'

Sara was silent…precisely what she had just felt…how strange…

Lila said again 'Ash?  Please?' she looked at him, batting her lashes.  Ash sighed inwardly.  It was no secret to him that Lila had something going for him…he guessed there was no harm in granting her a wish by dancing with her once.  Hopefully by the time they'd finish, he could ask Vreya…though the thought made him nervous…a lot of girls had asked him to dance, but he'd only danced with about two so far.  He shrugged, and consented then to dancing with Lila.  At least she was someone he actually knew.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya didn't recognise the tune that was playing, but she somehow knew it was going to end soon anyway.  She didn't want it to…she could stay like this forever…it was so magical, so lovely.  Everything was and felt so right…so perfect.

Zane spun her slowly out, letting her twirl gracefully, placing a hand lightly on the middle of her slender back to stop her pirouetting motion.  He felt rather embarrassed after he'd done it, and told himself off again.

Oh sure, relax right into the role why don't I?  What an idiot…I didn't need to do that, I didn't need to touch her anymore!  C'mon, when's this stupid dance going to end?  Are they deliberately making this drag on?!  He thought impatiently.

They drew back together, dancing a little more, when suddenly someone's voice addressed the girl.  He glanced to the left to see a brunette girl with blonde streaks in her hair, dancing with a tall blonde haired guy.

If Zane had felt strange before, just being around this girl, he definitely couldn't ignore the strange vibes he was getting now.  Like…a feeling of being charged like an ion…it wasn't exactly a nice feeling, and he didn't like it at all.  It troubled him to say the least, because he didn't understand it.

'Hi…' the brunette said, smiling at the girl he was dancing with.  She smiled back; the two obviously knew each other.  Zane spared a glance at the blonde guy…he was looking at him strangely, and Zane gave him a somewhat disdainful glare, before turning his face away, irritated with what he was feeling at that moment.

'Kat's here…' the brunette informed the girl, who nodded.  They had to draw away, but not before the other brunette had grinned at Zane flirtatiously.

Oh God…he thought, exasperated.  He didn't understand why girls had to be that way…it seemed all girls were either too stupid or just liked to act that way.  The girl he danced with now however; well, she was just crazy full stop.

Finally, after a seeming eternity the music took on it's final turn, and Zane looked up, catching sight of Fleck, at last.  He was mouthing something, but Zane couldn't lip read.  He shook his head slightly, indicating he didn't understand, and turned with the girl again.  He couldn't signal too openly…he didn't want the girl to wonder what he was doing. 

And you started caring what she thought since when?  A nasty voice in his head sneered.

Since never.  I don't care about her or anything.  Nothing matters.  Oh God, finally!

The music stopped, and there was applause all round.  Zane glanced to his right; they were announcing the total amount of money they had raised so far.  He listened a moment, hearing it to be a surprisingly large sum.

Looks like the schools not as crass as I thought…hiring a place like this and raising a decent amount of money…he thought to himself.

Vreya smiled, hearing the total.  Everyone was cheering and clapping their hands appraisingly.  It wasn't brilliant, but it would help make a difference.  She looked back up at the guy, her hand still resting on his shoulder.  He was looking away, in the direction of the announcer.  She gazed up at him, once again admiring his features.  She actually got a good look at him then, as his eyes were fixed away from her, his attention averted elsewhere.

He's so handsome…God, how many more times am I going to think that, I should get a grip…it's just that…I probably won't see him again…he's obviously not from around here…I've never seen him before…she thought.

A tinge of something like wistfulness filled her, at the thought of not seeing this guy again.  He'd probably heard of the charity party from somewhere and decided to have a look, only to arrive seeing he knew no one, and end up utterly bored, as she had seen him to be.  He hadn't talked much to her, but she really would have liked to get to know him.

Zane finally turned his face back to look down at the girl.  He realised that he still had a hand rested at her side, and immediately lifted it away.  The girl's hand slipped off his shoulder, her fingers brushing ever so lightly on the side of his neck as they released their hold on him finally.  Zane felt tingles in their wake, and then told himself off for the millionth time.  But no matter how much he yelled at himself, he couldn't shake off the feeling he had being so close to her.  

The girl smiled up at him.  Her smile was attractive…Zane couldn't help but think that, the way her eyes laughed as she did…shining with such a bright, innocent light, untainted by any pain, any real worries, so carefree compared to his burdened self…he found himself wishing for a moment that he could relax and enjoy himself the way this girl did so easily, letting herself feel so good, and trying to draw him into the feel-good factor too.  It unnerved him that he was feeling a lot less grouchy than he had been when she'd first come up to him…in fact, he felt better now than he had all evening…it was insane, but this girl's good humour was almost contagious…so much so, even he had been touched, albeit so lightly, by it…

'Hey, you're a natural…see, was it so hard?'  Vreya said, a teasing tone to her voice.

Zane looked at her, eyes on hers, and was silently surprised to learn that he had actually enjoyed dancing.  He'd learnt something new…it hadn't taken him long at all, and it felt satisfying to have acquired a new skill, if that's what dancing could be called.  He shook his head slowly.  Now that the dance had finally ended he could go.  He didn't need to stand around pointlessly anymore.  But he was furthermore surprised to find that he was actually feeling rather reluctant to leave her…part of his mind was screaming at him to tell her who he was, but the larger part was just telling him to get a grip.

I have officially lost all my senses.  What the **hell** is wrong with me?!  Time's up, game's over, so now all I have to do is move…I can't believe I'm feeling like this over some silly childish stubborn girl I don't even know…

Vreya caught a movement over the young man's shoulder, and peered over, to see Katrina standing with Roxy and Sara, huddled together and looking her way.  Her cousin was beckoning to her wildly, urging and pleading with her to leave the company of the boy and go over to them.  

What's wrong with them…can't they see I'm busy?  I can speak to them later…

She was about to look back at the guy when Lila joined the group, and lifted a hand and waved at her to come over.  All girls had urgent looks on their faces.

Oh God, it must be something important…I guess it won't take that long…I can go, then find this guy again later…Vreya said to herself.

She looked apologetically at the guy, who had been watching her the entire while.

'Hey…' she said softly, 'Thanks so much for the dance…you were great…umm…excuse me a moment…I have to go…I'll…ummm…' Vreya frowned lightly, as the waving grew more desperate.  What could be so important?

'Ummm…excuse me…' she finished, smiling up at him, then touching his arm as she passed, she added, rather mysteriously, and looking up at him with a sincere look of meaning in her eyes,

'Thanks again…for everything…'

With that she stepped around the guy, and walked off towards her friends.  Zane blinked, her words echoing in his mind.  He felt rather surprised…she'd just walked off so suddenly…

Thanks again…for everything…what…?  Perplexed, he turned his face and looked over his shoulder, watching her walk gracefully away from him, disappearing from view as another crowd began to stream out onto the dance floor, which he still stood on.

Crap…okay, now would be a great time to leave…but…what did she mean…?  She can't mean what I think she does…she couldn't know it was me…  The girl was very strange…he couldn't figure her out.  She was certainly the first of her kind he had ever met…much more confident than any girl he knew…at least she had been, handling him.  Confident, yet gentle too, and graceful, and everything.

He blinked again, and shook his head, finally moving away from the dance floor, catching site of Bo and motioning with his head that he was heading outside.  He'd been here long enough.  He didn't want to stick around anymore…especially not when there was a danger the girl would find him again later on.

He remembered the ring suddenly; he'd been so caught up in dancing and his own thoughts that he had forgotten completely.

Damn!  He cursed, looking down at the ring, as he stepped outside.  It was glowing very faintly.  Confusedly he contemplated what it could mean…did that mean the girl was one or had he just passed someone who was one?  How could he forget what his reason for being here was?  He really was losing it.  All that and he hadn't gotten any of the answers.

As he walked out into the cool dark night, he looked up at the sky, full of such twinkling stars, burning so brightly, millions of miles away.  He leant back against the wall next to the hired brightly lit hall, breathing in deeply, slowly getting a grip on himself again, felling more like his old comfortable self, rather than a nervous wreck as he had felt the entire while he had been around the girl.

So what…won't see her again…it's always like that…people leave, things change…good riddance.  It was entirely coincidental we met up again…and anyway, if I'm gonna feel like such a stupid ass when I come a metre in distance of her, it's just as well I won't ever see her again…he assured himself.

But the thought that entered his mind after that didn't agree with his attitude of shrugging the entire experience off.  He found himself wondering something, and it really bothered him that he hadn't learned the answer to it when he'd had the chance, knowing full well that the reason was because he would never risk getting close to anyone, getting personal.  

I didn't even catch her name…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Roxy grabbed hold of Vreya's hand as soon as her friend reached them.

'MY GOD!' she practically squealed, 'Tell me who that fit guy was NOW!'

Vreya stared at Roxy, speechless for a moment in her surprise, then blinked, and said, laughing in disbelief  

'You mean you urged me over just to ask me that?'

Lila said 'Aha!  So you didn't want to leave his side?  He's gone now…'

'What?' Vreya looked behind her, searching the room.  Lila was right…the stranger had left already.  Disappointment filled her, and she sighed.

Sara and Lila smiled at each other knowingly.

'Hey Very…' Katrina smirked, as Vreya turned back to them.

'Hmmm?  Hi Kat…sorry I didn't wait…' Vreya said, finally feeling rather embarrassed at the entire situation.

The girls giggled together.  Katrina linked her arms through Vreya's and grinning, she said

'That's okay…you only left me for a drop dead gorgeous guy, but hey, I'm used to being on the shelf!  Sooooo... what was his name?'

Vreya frowned  'I didn't catch it.  I was going to ask, when you people called me over like it was really important…'

'It is though…Vreya's in lurve!' Roxy announced, and the girls tittered together.  Vreya blushed, and said in irritation,

'Cut it out!  I am not…how can I be when I just met him?  Besides, he doesn't come to our school, and is probably at university somewhere…I won't see him again, so I'm sorry to disappoint you people who seem to love making documentaries about my so called 'love-life'…'

Lila smiled at her friend 'Hey no need o get all defensive…it could have been love at first sight…'

'Oh you know I don't believe that…' Vreya sighed, as Ash arrived.

'Hey…' he greeted, and Lila smiled brightly at him.

'Thanks so much for the dance Ash…you are great at it!' she complimented, and he shrugged, looking to Vreya.  His hopes of getting her alone were more or less over, thanks to the stranger who'd whisked her away to dance first.  He hadn't been quick enough.  Still, he hoped he could at least get a dance with her…so he wound up his courage and asked her.

'Want to dance?'

Vreya opened her mouth to reply, grateful Ash asked her, because she wanted to get away from her friends' accusations, but Sara got there first.

'Ha ha!  Vreya won't dance with anyone but the mysterious guy!' Sara smirked 'It's just like Cinderella…except the prince leaves before midnight, and Cindy refuses to dance with anyone else'

Katrina laughed 'Aw Very, he was real cute…'

Vreya rolled her eyes, and Lila poked Katrina.

'You never saw him properly.'

'I did too.  I saw his green eyes…such deep eyes huh Very, so dark and such an intense gaze…you never seen such eyes…' Katrina said, and the other girls burst into laughter again.  Vreya blushed even more, and spluttered

'Oh…j..just shut up!  You're so silly, I mean it was a dance, not a marriage parade…'

'I can hear the wedding bells…' Roxy giggled, and Vreya had enough.  It was annoying…she wasn't going to see the guy again, why were they making such a big deal and embarrassing her?  She was trying to hide her disappointment.  It was just another passing fantasy…it wasn't like she'd have had him as her boyfriend or anything…

But the dance with him had been so magical…so dreamy…everything that made up a fairytale scene…she could still feel his hand resting so lightly at her side, his other holding onto hers so delicately like he was afraid to press his fingers too hard…the panicked look on his face as she had dragged him out to dance, the shy look in his eyes…

I am so silly…acting like a lovesick child…I need to grow up!  I just met him!  I mean, how stupid…she thought.

All of a sudden an unfamiliar voice greeted the group.

'Excuse me?'

The group turned their heads to see a white-blonde haired man had come up to them.

'Hey!  Locky!' Roxy cried out joyfully.  He grinned at her.

Sara stared at the young man.  He was a stranger to her, and the rest of them, except apparently Roxy…and Vreya, as he said their names.

'Hi Roxy, right?  Hey Vreya.'

'What are you doing here?' Vreya asked, before she could remember her manners.

He laughed a smooth laugh.  'Well, it's a free invitation, and I guessed it wouldn't hurt to have a good time…thanks again for yesterday.  I would have never found my way!'

Vreya regarded him a moment, then shrugged.  Maybe he was just a genuine university student…he certainly didn't look suspicious.

'Well you're welcome.' She said, deciding to drop her suspicions.  He smiled at her, and then looked to Sara.

'I don't think we've been introduced?'

Katrina clamped a hand over her mouth to stop the giggle escaping her lips.  It was so obvious to her that this 'Locky' guy wanted to dance with Sara.

'This is our friend Sara.  Sara, this is Locky, the guy we helped to find the career room yesterday in school.' Roxy piped up.

Sara smiled politely.  He was certainly cute…

'I was wondering, would you like to dance?' Locky asked, his confidence smooth and easy.

Sara smiled a little, and then shrugged.

'Well…alright!' she replied, a little surprised at his sudden appearance, but how could she turn him down?

Vreya smirked.  Now who was in love?  She'd get her friend back later.  As Sara and Locky moved off together, Sara glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at Vreya, who gave her a 'you were saying?' look.  Sara mouthed 'later' and then she disappeared into the crowd with her handsome partner.

'Well!' Katrina giggled 'Looks like we're all hitting on someone today.'

'Kat, please dance with someone too.' Vreya said, and then turned to Ash, wanting to escape; he stood there silently, waiting for her.

'Is your offer still up to dance?'

Ash smiled, and held out his hand, which she took.  

'Sure…' he said softly, and the pair moved to the dance floor together.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Hey!' Fleck tapped Zane on his shoulder.  The boy glared at him.

'About time you decided to come out.  I was going to leave you.'

'Sorry' Fleck smiled, apologetically, 'But Rica had an admirer…'

'Oh pack it in' Rica snapped 'That was an utter waste of time and energy…'

'Couldn't agree more…' Zane thought, feeling like his usual moody self.

Bo slapped Zane on his back, nearly sending the boy flying.

'Heh heh…so the tyke found a pretty girl to dance with!  You're a real smoothie…real smooth…'

'Shut up' Zane hissed, and Fleck chuckled, as they walked to his car.

'Told you he was good at everything except manners…'

'What was her name?' Rica asked, pressing Zane on the subject.

'I don't know or care.' Zane said flatly.

Bo clucked his tongue 'Well, you seemed to have a good time out there…'

'I didn't' came the stony reply.

'So why'd you dance?' Fleck asked

'…' Zane scowled.

'Well…?' Fleck said, looking at Zane's face, though he couldn't see much in the pitch darkness of the night.

'She wouldn't leave me alone' Zane said through his teeth 'Now drop it'

His company shrugged at his command, smiling to themselves.  There had to be a reason why the young one felt so uncomfortable and got so edgy discussing the dark haired girl he'd danced with…

'So, was she a Chosen One?  We never picked up on any.'  Fleck said.

Zane replied, but not out of truth.  He said what he said because he didn't want the girl to be a Chosen One.  

'No'

'Did you even check?' Bo asked. 

'Yes' Zane lied blandly.  He hadn't checked the ring at all.  

'I never saw…' Fleck said suspiciously.

'Because I checked after when she was walking away' Zane lied again.

They seemed satisfied with this answer.  Reaching the car, they piled in, and Fleck started the engine, driving off into the darkness and the silence of the night.  It had been a long day for all of them.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

Phew, that was so long, my apologies!  I tried to make it as short as I could but then I realised it didn't work lol.  Tell me what you think about it…is it good, bad, ugly ^__- if you hated the length (apologies again I won't do it again if I can help it) you hated the content or did it make you sing with joy I want to know, feedback!  Hope you're all still awake here!  ^__^ Well that was your two in one bonus for today; hope you liked it!  I will update soon hopefully, until then read and review and take care okay!  Until next time happy reading!  ^__^


	16. Family Ties

Hi there!  Yep, it's update time; I'm trying to get as much done as I can before I call it a day or should I say month…I am SO sorry, I will dearly miss updating and typing the rest of the story but unfortunately exams await me and this has to be put on hold…but I'm scared I may lose all my readers because I won't update in weeks!  When I say weeks I mean week after week after week etc!  -__-, *Sniffle* It's so unfair!  This chapter may very well be the last, I don't know, or maybe I can squeeze one more in for you people before I have to stop having a life and confine myself to studying 24/7!  With regards to the last chapter, thank you all so much for the reviews.  Quick answers: Cute-Kitty yes, it's supposed to remind you of Squall and Rinoa dancing ^__^ Aryssa thank you for your long and wonderful review (I love long reviews people just as you like long chapters!) Yes you were very smart and got the guess right, now stop talking or I really will gag you lol, Pierson thank you for saying it's 'nice' ^__- Leah thank you too, I won't get carried away with the group but I need to let you all know what they're up to because they play an important role in the plot, and last but not least Noacat, there is absolutely nothing wrong with loving Zane…Zane and Vreya getting together?  O__o Oooh now where would you get an idea like that *smirks behind safety of hand* Well people, since you're all so interested in my characters love lives tell me who YOU would like to see Vreya/Sara/Ash/Zane/Lila/ etc with, I'd be interested to know who you'd like to see them with…*smiles an evil smile* Mwa ha ha…may I warn you that doesn't mean I will necessarily put who you want together because I have my own pairings in my head already lol!  Sorry!  Noacat have mercy please!  ^__^ You'll all see soon enough okay?  Now proceed and read! 

Chapter XVI: Family Ties 

Squall walked down the corridors of Balamb Garden keeping his eyes ahead of him.  He ignored the glances of the other students who passed him, and blocked out their whispering.  There was only one thing on his mind, one matter he had to set straight.  He reached his desired destination and knocked lightly on the door.  Stepping back he waited, looking down the hall, the early morning's sunlight spilling all over his face.

The classroom door opened, and light blue eyes peered out at him from around the door.

'Squall!  What a surprise!'

Squall nodded and said, to the point as ever, 'Are you busy?'

Quistis smiled a little, opening the door wider for her childhood friend.  

'Oh I'm fine Squall, thanks for asking, and a good morning to you too!' she exclaimed, resting a hand on a slender hip.

'Oh.  Morning.' Squall mumbled, and Quistis shook her head.

'What can I do for you?  No my classes start in a good fifteen minutes yet…' the blonde haired Instructor and SeeD informed her former student and fellow SeeD.

Squall took a breath.  He still wasn't exactly sure how he was supposed to go about asking her this.  He couldn't take too long because he had an appointment to see Cid and Edea.  Squall and Rinoa had meant to go the previous day but after Rinoa's 'girls night in' he hadn't been able to rouse her from bed in time, and she had pleaded for him to ask Cid and Matron if they could see them the following day instead.  Luckily for them the married couple had understood and agreed to a meeting today.

'I need to…talk to you.' Squall said, and Quistis raised a fine brow.  Squall was still getting around the normal concept of needing to speak and converse with people.

'Well this is a first.  A few months back you wouldn't even have a civilised conversation with me.'

Squall looked at her in exasperation.  She knew very well he didn't like to be reminded of how he **_had_** been…it was how he was now that mattered.

'Right…sorry…that was then, this is now…' Quistis nodded, then stepped back to let him into the classroom.  Squall glanced at her then entered, closing the door behind him.  Quistis sat on her desk, a habit she had taken to ever since she and Rinoa had sat together talking after her final class two days back.

Squall paced a little uncomfortably, in silence a moment.  Quistis crossed her legs, hands clasped together, waiting patiently.  She knew better than to rush Squall…he needed time.

Finally he turned to her, deep blue-grey eyes resting on hers.  He said curtly:

'It's about…Seifer.'

The pleasant expression on his former Instructor's face disappeared as soon as he said the ex-knight's name.  Her face blanched over and she lowered her eyes.  Squall frowned lightly.  What was the matter?  He hadn't even started…

'Quistis?'

_Damn, it's like they know I'm beginning to have second thoughts about Seifer…it's very ironic that they should start to want to speak to me abut him ever since he did me that favour…do they enjoy putting me on the spot?  _She thought to herself.

'Quistis?' Squall called for the third time, and her head snapped up again and she blinked.

'What?  Oh right.  Yes.  As you were saying…' Quistis said, trying to proceed as if nothing had just happened and everything was completely normal.  Squall knew better and she knew he knew it.

'Are you feeling okay?' he questioned her, eyes fixed on her.

'Fine.  Sorry…late night last night…' Quistis said, smiling brightly, and Squall shrugged and continued after a moment,

'I went to see Matron and Cid two days ago…'

_Oh Hyne, they couldn't have told him I was acting suspicious…I wasn't…Hyne, did they send him to get answers from me?  I haven't done anything wrong!  _Quistis panicked to herself, feeling very paranoid.  

'Really?' she said equally blandly, wishing he'd just blurt it out and stop taking his sweet time, pausing and looking at her between short sentences.  It was irritating; it made her feel like he was waiting for a reaction from her.  

Squall regarded her for a second, thinking that something was definitely wrong.  Did it have something to do with Seifer?

'They told me that I should…' he stopped, pacing a little more, then turned to her again 'That I should…' he stopped again.  Hyne, he couldn't even say it!

Quistis blurted out 'Give him a chance.'

Squall nodded, looking at her.  'Yeah.  That.'

Quistis looked away.  She was silent, waiting for Squall to speak.  He in turn waited for her to speak.  The silence stretched on and finally she looked to him rather irritated.

'What do you want me to say?' she asked, not meaning her voice to come out so sharp or defensive.

Squall blinked, taken aback by her curtness on the subject and then he took a seat on the desk opposite her.  Looking right at her he said, in a hard voice,

'They told me you were willing to give him another chance.'

Quistis laughed but it was not an amused sound.  It was more spiteful.  She hadn't wanted the Headmaster and his wife to broadcast it to Squall like that.

'Oh really?'

'Damn it Quistis stop stalling!  What's the matter with you?' Squall demanded, strands of dark brown hair falling into his intense eyes.

Quistis eyed him a moment and then said 'Squall I'm not the one with the problem.'

Squall stared at her, and then said flatly 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means I'm not the one with the problem.' Quistis replied.  She stood up, and Squall watched as she began switching on the computers in preparation for the first classes of the day.

'Quistis…'

She turned to him and sighed 'Listen Squall.  When I reminded you that a few months back you wouldn't even start a civilised conversation with me it irritated you.'

Squall stared.  What was she getting at?

The young Instructor flicked on another computer.

'You didn't like to be reminded of how you were did you?  Your past?'

Understanding slowly began to creep into Squall's head.  She would say all that…then draw comparisons with Seifer…just as Cid and Matron had done.

'I think Seifer feels the same way.' Quistis said curtly, as she approached her desk again, and took up a bundle of papers in her hands.  She began to circle the room again, distributing the sheets.  

Squall stared at her incredulously.  So it was true…Quistis really was ready to give him another chance.  Squall felt…a little surprised to say the least.  He would have thought Quistis would have stood by his side firmly with regards to Seifer…what had made her change her mind?

'Since when?' he asked quietly, arms folded across his chest.  She glanced at him as she set another sheet next to a computer on a desk.

'Since when what?' she asked, golden hair glinting as she stepped in the sunlight.

'Since when did you believe Seifer could change?' Squall asked.

Quistis finished distributing the papers and went back to her desk.  She sat down again.  They had seven minutes before the students would begin to arrive.  

_I may as well tell him now…he won't like it…but it's best I tell Squall first before someone like Zell…he's more reasonable and mature about these things _she reasoned with herself.

Taking a breath Quistis replied 'Since he did me a favour Squall.'

_Seifer…?  Favour…those two words in the same sentence…why can't I believe that?  _Squall thought, staring at Quistis blankly, waiting for her to explain to him.  

Quistis looked at Squall's face and laughed a small laugh.

'You're shocked Squall?  So was I…I could have gotten in really big trouble with Sir and Matron…but Seifer got me out of it.'

Squall continued to stare in disbelief.

Quistis sighed.  'Did Selphie and the others tell you they ran into Seifer?'

Squall nodded, remembering.  He spoke up at last, slowly.  'They said he had walked out of a meeting again.'

'Did they tell you I followed him out?'

Squall nodded.

Quistis sighed again.  'Well, I was angry…I…he was being troublesome as always…disobedient…rude…I…I'm afraid I lost my temper…' she looked away, feeling rather embarrassed.  For once Squall was listening to her intently, as she confided in him.  Because Seifer concerned them all, not just her.  

Quistis Trepe, lose her temper?  Squall could hardly believe it…she was an ice-queen, always so composed and calm.

_Seems like I got her wrong too…amazing that no matter how long you've know someone you still only see a fraction of what they really are…_he reflected, and then found himself applying this sudden reflection to Seifer, who he'd known his entire life to be a jerk and an arrogant bully.  Was that all there was to Seifer, or were there aspects to him that he didn't see, just as he hadn't known Quistis capable of losing her temper so openly?

'I…well, I was instructed very sternly by Cid and Matron that I do not mention Seifer's past in front of him…and…' her voice trailed off.

'You mentioned his past.' Squall said.  It wasn't a guess.  It was fairly obvious to him now.

'Yes, I did.  Later I went to see Cid and Edea with Xu and Xu requested he be transferred.  They spoke about us not understanding Seifer and Xu wasn't very happy about it…then Seifer was called in.  Xu left the room but Cid and Edea asked me to stay.'

Squall waited, leaning forward slightly, his Griever pendant swinging back and forth slightly on the silver chain he wore around his neck.

'They asked Seifer how his day had gone…Seifer told them about walking out of the meeting and that I followed after him, shouting.' Quistis stopped, and looked at Squall.  He was staring at her intently.  She laughed involuntarily, and pulled a face at him a little.

'Isn't it time you told me to go talk to a wall?'

The blue eyes widened and a look of something like horror passed over Squall's chiselled features as he remembered what she was referring to.  Though she couldn't see it he felt an overwhelming sense of remorse at himself and guilt.  How could he have said such a heartless thing to a childhood friend who had only wanted to confide in him?  He really had changed…the reaction he felt inside when she'd just said those words were proof of that, even though she would never know.  The look she'd seen pass across his face for a split second had told her all she needed to know however.  He **_had_** changed.

Quistis regretted saying it and sighed again.  'I'm sorry Squall…I just…' she shook her head and decided to continue with the subject at hand.  

'Matron asked what I shouted at him, and I thought I was in for it…I would have gotten into trouble; I'd heard how angry Cid was when Xu had mentioned Seifer's past in front of him, and he'd warned us several times…but Seifer said that I just told him to get inside and that I'd make sure he wouldn't get into trouble.  Which was…not what I said at all!'  

'So…he covered for you.' Squall said finally.

'Yes.  He did.  I asked him after why…and he…it was strange…' Quistis frowned lightly.

'Tell me.' Squall said.  He needed to know everything. 

'He said…that's all I'm here for, getting you into trouble…he said it sarcastically and I…Squall, I know it's wrong and he's hurt us so much…but I felt bad…I'm beginning to think…maybe Seifer isn't as bad as we all thought…maybe…he is just mislead and confused…we forgave Matron…and she was the one who was whispering all those things in his head…he was following his mother figure…' Quistis let her voice trail off, and her eyes lower.  She stared miserably at the floor.

There was a knock on the door and they heard students outside.  Their conversation would have to be put on hold for the time being.

As Quistis stood up she looked to Squall, who wasn't looking very happy at all.

'Squall, I know what you must be thinking…I told you this because I thought you would understand…changing…it's possible…you were never a bad student like Seifer, but…in many ways…' she stopped, pursing her lips.  She'd said enough.  Squall glanced at her and then nodded.

'Thanks' He said quietly, and then moved to the door, opening it.  He almost walked directly into a blue-eyed, red-haired girl who gasped in surprise.  The last person she had expected to come out of the room was Squall Leonhart.  She stared up at him wide-eyed, her heart leaping violently.  She'd had a huge crush on him for years and this was the closest she had ever been.  His eyes met hers briefly in equal surprise; he hadn't expected a student to be standing as if they were stuck to the door; students didn't generally stand so close.

The girl blushed.  She was probably a year younger than him.

'S…sorry…S…Squall!' she stuttered, and he frowned in irritation as the rest of the students gaped at the young man who had played the biggest part in saving the world, and was ultimately the main hero.  

Squall stepped around her, not looking her way again, and weaved past the rest of the crowd, turning away from Quistis's classroom and heading back in the direction of Rinoa's dorm.  It was time to see Cid and Matron again. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dark…so dark…it surrounded him, threatening to overwhelm him and consume him…he needed light…no, he didn't want to be dragged into the darkness…he'd been in the dark for his entire life…

A silver glow formed before him and he shielded his eyes…a dazzling ray of silver light illuminated the spot before him…he could see…grass…he could hear the rustling of leaves, the wind…cool raindrops fell lightly against his face, and he looked up to see a dark and ominous sky.

Weeping…the voice was crying again…God damn it, why was it always the same?  It never got any clearer for him…he could never find the voice…it was so sad, so distressed, so pitiful that even one with a heart as hardened as his couldn't help but be disturbed by it.  It was almost like the voice was pleading for him to do something…to give something, something he didn't understand…

Damn it, he didn't understand!

Then the figure emerged from the darkness before him…it stood directly opposite him, on the other side of the ray of silver light, the only light source in the pitch black darkness.  

He felt his eyes widen…it was…so real…like he was really here…he could feel the rain, the wind stirring his hair, his clothing…he could hear the weeping…he could taste his own fear and uncertainty.

'I'm scared…' the sweet voice spoke to him, the same words it said time and time again…a childish voice, like wind chimes, soothing and soft.

He was speaking words of comfort before he realised; it was insane…he didn't even know her…why would he feel this need to offer her comfort and support?  All sense of meaning eluded him.

'Don't be…' he replied, voice taking on a gentle tone he had never even thought he could possess with his voice…reassuring, full of compassion and understanding.

_Why…why am I saying this…?  Who is she…?_  He wanted her to step to the light so he could see her…but she was always just beyond his reach…it was tantalising…he **_needed_** to see her…

'I'm really scared…' the soft voice said again, full of sadness and fear.

The weeping continued all around him.  It was enough to drive him insane, but he had to be strong…he had to be strong for her…

The thought shocked him…but he didn't even know her, did he?  Surely not…why should he care so much for her…?  Why should he want to comfort her like this, and reassure her?  Words were insignificant…saying it would be all right didn't mean that it would all turn out okay.  Words were shallow, a mindless attempt to make people feel better…yet still he felt the need to reassure the stranger…he was opening his mouth again…he had no control of himself whatsoever…he felt like a puppet…helpless.

'You have to be strong…for her…for us…' he heard himself saying, and then he felt his hand reach out and he was holding his fingers lightly to her cheek.  His hand was in the light yet her cheek was in the dark.  His eyes strained to see her but he could not.

_What…am I doing?  Why am I touching her…?  Who is she…?  _The same questions repeated themselves in his mind, yet once again no answers came to him.  His fingers trailed away from her silken skin and his hand lowered and reached out to her.  He was offering his hand…and he didn't even understand why.

She spoke again but he was reassuring her instantly.  He himself had never felt so uncertain in his life, yet here he was talking soothing words to someone just as frightened as he was…how idiotic.  But he was speaking anyway whether he agreed with it or not.

'Take my hand…you don't have to be afraid…because…' his lips mouthed a word but he didn't hear it.  Confusion filled him once again and he felt frustrated.

'I'm here with you…'

A pale hand, delicate and small, joined his in the silver light…it reached out to take his, and he looked up again, to try to see her.

'I'm here…' he repeated, and then, just as her fingers touched his so very lightly a sudden violent gust of wind attacked them both and he watched helplessly as beautiful, pure white velvety feathers appeared and encircled her…petals and feathers streamed everywhere, hurtling right towards him, obscuring his view of her completely.

The wind died down and he was alone…she…had gone…just like that…gone, and all that was left in her place were the soft feathers swirling in the silver light, brushing against his cold cheeks, flying through his hair, dancing around him, almost mockingly.

'No…' he whispered, and then the voice came…the voice that was as cold as ice, chilly enough to freeze even his soul.  A voice that was smooth and rich and dark, full of elemental music…terrifyingly pleasant to hear…yet in its seductive depths lay sinister and dark secrets, a wisdom unknown to him, a power and danger beyond his understanding.

'Fool…' it spoke to him, a male's voice: full of mockery, scorn, arrogance, and authority.  It taunted him, arousing within him a deep rage and hatred he was so suddenly overwhelmed with he could do nothing but stand there in the same spot, motionless.

This had never happened before; it should have ended by now yet it went on, like a movie sequence before his very eyes.  _What is going on…?  Who is this person…?  Why do I feel like…like I want to rip his guts out?!  _He thought, alarmed with the intensity of his fury.

'Foolish human scum…you cannot save her…a failure in a knight…she will have the knight she deserves…one worthy of safekeeping powers such as hers…'

'No…' he whispered, a horror filling him, his heart racing.  'No, you can't do this!'

'So…the ice-boy is finally melting…' the voice taunted.  'Who would have thought it possible…you are too late wretched fool…it is far too late to care…you have failed her…'

'No…'

'She will be mine…' the voice whispered, and the weeping grew louder, almost becoming a yell of fury, a fury that was one with the deep and lethal rage he felt deep inside him.

'NO!' he yelled, and whirled, and a blade came flying down from the heavens, landing at his feet.  Smooth laughter filled the air around him, mocking him, mocking him and the voice that wept on in the darkness.  He reached out and snatched the silver blade that was illuminated with a blue light, and the laughter only grew louder.

A flash of red light caught his attention from behind him and a hand suddenly gripped on to his shoulder, nails digging into his clothing ruthlessly.  He was whirled around as if he weighed nothing and raven black hair streaked across a pale yet angelically beautiful face.  His eyes met with blazing golden ones and he gasped in horror.

'No…what has he done to you…?' he found himself uttering, and an evil smile curved the lips of the strange young woman, who was dressed in blue.   

'Too late…' the voice sang sweetly; a voice that was different to the one he had heard moments before, and then he was whirled around again, a stronger grip clamping on his already aching shoulder.  

Frosted purple eyes met with his and the mocking voice came to him, now only inches away.

'This is where your story ends…' it whispered, and there was a flash of silver and the next thing he knew a sharp pain radiated from his stomach…he clutched at it, and the blood spilled freely, warmth seeping through his clothing.  His eyes widened, and the sword was wrenched in him, twisted cruelly before being wrenched back out violently.   It hurt so much…it hurt so much that he forgot to scream in his pain.

The laughter filled his ears, cold and silvery and ruthless, joined with the sweet laughing behind him.  A voice screamed out to him…a girl's voice…the…the girl's…

'ZANE!'

I…failed you… 

The truth hit him like a cold tidal wave, making him stumble back as pain overwhelmed his senses.

'NO!'

All he could see was darkness…all he could feel was pain…that was his entire life…and it would be his death…he closed his eyes as dizziness overwhelmed him, and he fell back onto the grass, the sword slipping from his grasp, useless.

'ZANE!' the voice shrieked desperately, calling his name over and over…but he would not come… he would not be there like he promised her…he…he could not come…

The last thing he heard was the heartbreaking weeping…it became more mournful…almost as if it wept for his fallen self.  The weeping…it joined with the crying of a softer voice, sounding so close and yet too far for him to help…much too far…

Then a sudden shout filled the air, enraged, full of pain and anguish; a male voice, younger than the mocking one, and it yelled out in fury:

'RINOA!  STOP!'

'Too late…Lion…' the singsong voice said, sounding almost as if it were in a trance.

'YOU'RE NOT YOURSELF!  FIGHT IT!  RINOA, HEAL HIM!' it yelled 'DON'T LET HIM DIE!'

But the singsong voice was right.  It was far too late…he was dying…he had died the moment the girl had been taken away from him.

'Too…late…' he whispered, and then life itself was slipping out of his grasp.  One final thought registered through his mind, as he closed his eyes and lost himself in the darkness which surged up to meet him so eagerly.

I…have failed you… 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'No!'

Zane's eyes flew open, and he gasped for air, his chest heaving with the effort to breathe.  Shock overwhelmed him…he…he was…alive…?

_It was a nightmare…_a voice reassured him in his head, his sensible and practical voice, but Zane couldn't get over the shock he'd just had so easily.

He…he had just died…in his dream…he stared at the dark ceiling, heart pounding hard, mind still full of cobwebs.  He always had that dream…but it ended…it always ended after the girl left…this time…it had been even worse…he'd died…he could still feel the pain…God, he had actually died…

He raised a hand stiffly to his face, and touched his cheek lightly.  It was wet…he'd…he'd cried…?  His hand lowered to his stomach, and he lifted his T-shirt, to find that his skin was smooth and blemish free.  

He let out a breath, and let his head fall back against the pillow.  He frowned, troubled; a headache had settled very snugly in his mind and he felt terrible…he felt sick.

'Shit' he muttered, slowly sitting up, and running his fingers through his hair.  It had been horrible…the entire nightmare had felt so real…even though it hadn't actually happened Zane couldn't shake off the terrible guilt he felt from the dream, of having failed the girl…

_I am losing it…damn it, I seriously need to see a shrink…I can't take anymore of this shit…dying in a dream?  Stabbed by a sword?  And who was that girl?  Shit, I can't even remember her name…the dark haired one…she was with…that man…_the thoughts raced in his head aimlessly, finding no logical answers.  It was insane…he wanted to know what it meant, but that would mean telling Fleck and the others…and he didn't want that…it was his business, he didn't want to get them involved, no matter how much he felt the need to tell someone to explain it all to him…their job was to train him, that was all.  That was all he would let it be.  

He glanced at the time…five fifteen in the morning.  It was Saturday…he didn't need to get up for school, but Fleck had asked him to be at the base at eleven…

_Maybe it's just a trigger response to all this insanity that's been happening…finding out about my so-called 'destiny' and everything…besides, the past twelve hours have been pretty crazy too…the party…and that girl…_Zane thought to himself, finally controlling his breathing and maintaining an even rate.

It bothered him though…he'd been too…emotional in the past few hours…it was crazy…he didn't like it…he'd always managed to keep his emotions in check his entire life…as far back as he could remember…he was an orphan…he had to adopt a tough outlook to life…life had never been kind to him in the past, why should he expect it to be any kinder to him in the future?  It was better to prepare himself emotionally for any major letdowns that were bound to be heading his way than to stroll forward into life unprepared and totally careless, taking things as they came.

Taking things as they came…he thought then of the girl he'd danced with…she had seemed the exact opposite to him…to his own protective self, she had seemed open and carefree and willing to take things as they came, to make the best of whatever life threw at her.  Maybe that was what had seemingly fascinated him about her…fascinated him in a way that he had felt totally confused by her attitude and manner around someone like him…how…how could she be that way?  Didn't she know how harsh and cruel life could really be?  Maybe she was lucky…maybe life never did treat her badly…

'I am seriously messed up.' Zane said to himself moodily.  He was way out of order feeling all this, and was irritated far beyond his limits with himself.  It was high time he stopped being such an emotional sap and pulled himself together.  He could start now by forgetting the nightmare he had just had…it was not real, just his subconscious taking on a twisted form and going completely out of control.

He would also forget about the girl he had danced with yesterday night.  It was stupid how he'd found himself thinking of her the second he'd gotten back home…what was wrong with him?  He needed to get a grip…now.

His throat felt dry and he realised then how very thirsty he felt.  Besides, he needed to cool off.  Feeling more composed he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Squall knocked lightly on the door of Rinoa's room, calling her name softly.  He still felt troubled; the talk with Quistis had left him even more muddled than usual.  

_Maybe I should talk to Rinoa about it now…_he contemplated, while waiting for her to answer.  After a few seconds he knocked again.

'Rinoa?' he called louder 'Wake up, it's time to see Cid and Edea…'

There was no reply.  Squall rolled his eyes.  Not again surely…this time he would drag her out of bed if he had to.

He knocked on the door more loudly with a gloved hand.

'Rinoa if you don't get up right now I'll drag you out!' Squall warned.  When there was no response he pressed an ear to the door, listening.  At first he didn't think he heard anything…but as he listened more carefully he heard…crying?

He hesitated no further, reaching out and twisting the doorknob.  He entered Rinoa's sweet smelling room, and his eyes rested on the bed instantly.  

A pile of dishevelled sheets met his eyes but no Rinoa was wrapped in them.

'Rinoa?' Squall exclaimed, frowning confusedly, and stepping into the room, closing the door behind him.  Rinoa was awake and her door was unlocked?  What was going on?

He walked around the bed, and the soft crying grew louder.  His eyes widened as he saw Rinoa sitting on the floor, knees drawn up tightly against her chest, arms wrapped around herself.  Her head was lowered, the raven hair hiding her face from view like a silken curtain.  She was rocking herself back and forth, and weeping quietly, her body heaving every time a sob escaped her.

Alarm filled Squall, and he hurried to her side, dropping to the floor beside her.  She was dressed in her nightwear still, in shorts and a vest top, both in a matching lilac colour.  Squall paid no heed; he was much too concerned to feel embarrassed.  

He reached out and placed a hand gently on her small shoulder.  She appeared to not have heard him call her or come in.

'Rinoa?'

She continued to cry to herself, and Squall was in anguish…she wasn't letting him in…she wasn't acknowledging his presence, and telling him what was wrong.

'Rin…' he said, voice more insistent, and he took hold of her slender arms, moving so that he sat right in front of her.  His grip on her arms seemingly alerted her of his presence at last, for she looked up, rather surprised, her lovely face tear stricken.

'S…Squall…?' she said, breathy voice trembling.  She hadn't heard him come in…or knock…Hyne, her head hurt…she tried to compose herself, but she couldn't…she knew she must look such a wreck, but Squall simply said nothing, looking at her with those eyes that silently spoke more than any words he might say.  He drew her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest, sobbing more freely. 

Squall waited, giving his Angel as much time as she needed.  A great feeling of uneasiness was coming across him, even more persistent than it had been over the past couple of days.  Why was Rinoa crying like this?  What had happened?  Whatever it could be Squall knew for certain he wasn't going to like it…something felt wrong, even to him…they had saved the world from a power hungry sorceress…why did he get the feeling that was something minor compared to whatever was about to happen now?  For that was how he felt; something was going to happen, and it was only a matter of time before they found out…there was no other possible explanation for the feeling of discomfort that troubled him lately.   

Finally Rinoa sniffled and drew back a little, to look up at Squall's face, her eyes red rimmed from crying so much.

'Squall…' she said, her voice still trembling, as she was, and Squall pushed a strand of dark hair away from her eyes.

'What's wrong?' he asked quietly, the expression on his face grave and serious, the blue eyes softening.

'I…Squall, I had…a…a…n…nightmare…' Rinoa stammered, and lowered her face again, shuddering.

Squall looked at her intently, waiting.  A nightmare?  Could it have been so bad as to get her to cry so much?

'Tell me.' He instructed, and Rinoa pulled away from him, leaning back against the bedside, her legs still drawn up to her.  She sighed a shaky sigh, and then began quietly:

'I…I dreamt that…I…was in this dark place…it…was like a field and…' her voice trailed and a sob escaped her lips, as she looked back to Squall, a look of horror passing over her face.

'Squall…I…I killed someone!' she blurted out, and Squall stared at her blankly.  She shook her head and fresh tears began to spill.  Squall shifted in his position rather uncomfortably; he was still not very good at the entire comfort thing…

'It was a dream Rinoa…' he began, but the girl's eyes looked up at him wildly and she shook her head frantically.

'No…Squall, you don't understand…it felt so real…I…I was possessed…the poor guy…' she began to rock herself back and forth again.  Squall frowned lightly: what poor guy?

'Guy?' he repeated, perplexed, and Rinoa nodded, sniffling.

'Yeah…I…it was this guy…I…I never saw him before…he had his back to me and I reached out and turned him round, and…I said 'too late…' I…it didn't make sense Squall…then he said to me…'what's he done to you?' and then…then…' Rinoa covered her mouth with a shaking, delicate hand, and Squall reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

'Rin…it's okay…calm down…'

'No…Squall you don't understand!  Then another man turned the boy around…and he…he stabbed him…right in front of me…in his stomach…and then…and there was blood everywhere…it spilled all over my hands…and…I laughed!  I laughed with the man who killed him!  Hyne, Squall it was terrible!'  Rinoa gasped, covering her face with her hands.  

Squall was speechless.  The nightmare had obviously shaken Rinoa, and she was very upset about it.

'It felt so real…I can't believe it…I helped kill an innocent person…Squall, what if I did become evil like that!' she cried in horror.

Squall shook his head and said angrily 'Listen Rinoa.  You are not evil…you're a good sorceress…it was just a nightmare…'

But Rinoa was going on:  'Then I heard you Squall…you were yelling at me and you sounded so angry…you told me that I wasn't myself…and that I couldn't let him die…but he died anyway…and there was a girl…she was crying for him, and calling his name…'

'What was his name?' Squall asked, wanting to know if it was anyone they knew.

Rinoa drew a breath and frowned lightly.  'I…I can't remember it…'

_Well that helps_, Squall thought to himself, and then sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

'I didn't listen to you…I just kept laughing…Hyne, I let someone die right in front of me…' Rinoa whispered.

Squall spoke again.  'Rinoa you say you were possessed; that means you weren't in control of yourself right?'

'But…I shouldn't be able to be possessed Squall…I have a Knight…you…' she said confusedly 'That's what scared me so much…and the crying…a voice kept weeping…oh Squall it was horrible!'

Squall was silent.  He wasn't sure what he was meant to say; it had been a nightmare; that was all.  It must have been pretty horrible though, to affect Rinoa like this.

'Let's go see Cid and Matron.' He said at last. 'You can tell them about this dream and the last one you had.  Are you okay with that?'

Rinoa took a breath, and exhaled softly.  She nodded slowly.  'Yeah…I…I think so…'

Squall stood up, and held out his hands to help her up.  She wiped at her face and took them, allowing her Knight to pull her up.  

'I'm sorry…' she said, giving him a shaky smile 'I must look such a wreck…'

'It's okay.' Squall assured her, and said 'Clean yourself up and get dressed and I'll be outside, waiting.'

Rinoa nodded, looking at him, and then smiled a genuine smile.

_I am so lucky I found him…he's the best thing that's ever happened to me…_Rinoa thought to herself, then threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.  

Squall blinked, somewhat taken aback, but wrapped his own arms around her small, slender figure a moment later.

'Thanks Squall…' Rinoa whispered 'You're the greatest…'

Squall blushed slightly, embarrassed finally with the attention, and as she stepped back he awkwardly muttered

'I'll err…I'll be outside…' with that he stepped around her and left the room, closing the door behind him.  Rinoa smiled after him a moment, then sniffled again, and sighed tiredly.  She hoped Edea would be able to explain this to her, or offer her at least some form of reassurance.  Wiping at her face again she moved to rearrange her dishevelled sheets and get herself dressed. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zell grinned at the library girl with the pigtailed hair, as he set his book on the counter.  She looked at him, startled, and flushed instantly.

_She's pretty cute…_Zell thought, as the girl picked up the book and checked it in.

'Ummm…you want to return this…?' she asked timidly, and he nodded.

'Yeah.' He smiled back, and she glanced away from him nervously, and he repressed the urge to chuckle at her.  As she moved busily, he decided to ask her what her name was.  He'd noticed that she'd been watching him on several occasions, and he had also been watching her, whether she was aware of it or not.

'So…what's your name?' he asked casually.  His easy manner around people made him a very popular person to be around.

She looked alarmed at his question, as if she couldn't believe he wanted to know her name.

'Ummm…I…I'm Dana…' she began, and then blushing a deeper shade of red she said 'This…ummm…this book is overdue…'

Zell frowned  'Yeah I know.  Sorry 'bout that…how much?'

Dana looked at him, and then blinked.  'Oh it's okay…don't worry…'

'Seriously!' Zell exclaimed, and the girl shook her head.

'It…it's okay…really…its just a few days overdue…'

'Whoa more like three weeks!  C'mon fine me!' Zell said, thinking how cute she was to want to let him off.

'N…no…you better just drop it before Mia comes and does fine you…' Dana warned, and Zell shrugged.

'Thanks I guess…that's nice of you…'

Dana mumbled something and turned away.  Zell watched as she replaced the book on the return pile, peeking at him every so often.

'So…' Zell began '…you ever been to a Garden Festival Committee meeting?  It's more lively than most people think…come around sometime, maybe you'll get to see us jam a little on the guitar…' 

The girl looked like she was about to scream in happiness.  Her face lit up and she was quite pretty Zell thought.

'That's so nice of…I mean…ummm…sure, I'll see…' she said shyly, and Zell chuckled, winking at her as he stepped back.

'So maybe I'll see you around…Dana.' He said, and giving her one last brilliant smile he turned and exited the library.  As he did so he bumped into someone.

'Sorry man…' he began, and then his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he realised who it was.

Seifer stared at him blankly.  Zell couldn't believe it…Seifer was going to the library?  Something was definitely wrong with that.  Zell stood in the doorway and Seifer sighed in exasperation when he wouldn't move.

'You gonna stare at me all day?  Will you move?'

Zell glared 'What the hell are you doing here?'

'What's it to you Chicken-wuss?' Seifer snarled, and Zell said, angrily,

'Shut your fucking mouth!  Who you calling Chicken-wuss!'

'Let me think…who else could it be…now move your ass.'  Seifer snapped.

'You never come to the library…what the hell are you here for?  You come to…' Zell began, when a voice interrupted,

'He's with me Zell.'

Zell looked behind Seifer in disbelief to see Quistis standing calmly with folders in her arms.

Seifer also looked back at Quistis, feeling rather surprised.  What was she doing here…he wasn't here with her…why was she helping him get out of trouble with Zell?  He could take out the idiot himself with both hands tied behind his back.  He decided to question her later, turning back to look at Zell, satisfied by the dumbstruck look on the younger boy's face.

'Quistis?' Zell spluttered, shocked.  What was she doing here with Seifer?

'That's enough now Zell.  Please step aside.'  Quistis said firmly, and Seifer smirked at Zell arrogantly.  Zell glared, but he couldn't disobey Quistis…she was an Instructor and his friend.  He stepped aside reluctantly.

'You better not try anything…' Zell warned Seifer, shaking his fist at him as he passed.

'Don't worry Chicken-wuss, I'm not trying to hit on your girl…' Seifer sneered, having seen Zell talking to the library girl.

Zell blushed a furious red.  'Say what!' he yelled loudly.

Seifer laughed and stepped into the library, and Quistis said to Zell, before following after Seifer,

'Don't let him get to you.'

Zell gaped after them, in disbelief.  What the hell was going on between Quistis and Seifer?  Whatever it was he didn't like it…Zell finally moved a moment later to go and track down Squall.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Rinoa stepped out of her room finally, taking a deep breath.  Squall was leaning on the wall outside, arms folded across his chest.  He looked at her as soon as she came out.

'You okay?' Squall asked, and Rinoa nodded, closing the door to her dorm.  Together they began walking towards the Headmaster's office.

'Are we late?' Rinoa asked him, as they walked down the hallways, arriving at the lift.

'No.  We have five minutes.' Squall replied.  Rinoa nodded in relief, as the lift arrived and they stepped in it.  After a few short seconds they reached the next floor and stepped out, walking to the Headmaster's office.  Squall informed the secretary of their arrival.  

'Do you think Edea will know why I'm having these dreams?' Rinoa asked Squall, looking at him hopefully.  Squall shrugged in response.

'Well…she has been a sorceress for longer…so yeah…hopefully.'

Rinoa nodded, and they waited for the secretary to come back.  She did so and informed them they could go in.  The two entered, and Cid and Edea sat at Cid's desk, in light conversation.  They looked up as they saw the two young people enter.

'Squall, Rinoa!' Edea smiled 'Right on time today!'

Cid chuckled 'I'm sure Rinoa was up bright and early this morning!'

Squall nodded and Rinoa smiled.  'Hello Cid, hello Edea…'

'Good morning Rinoa…morning Squall…' Cid nodded to Squall 'Please take a seat…'

Rinoa and Squall took a seat beside each other opposite the Headmaster of Balamb Garden and his wife.  Cid and Edea regarded the young couple with smiles on both their faces for a moment, thinking of how good looking they both were and how they went together so well.  After a moment of silence Cid spoke up at last, resting his elbows on his desk.

'So, what can Edea and I do for you?'

Squall looked to Rinoa, raising a brow, signalling for her to speak.  Rinoa took a breath, and then began,

'I…there's something that's been bothering me…'

Edea listened intently.  Rinoa was a sorceress and had to be taken very seriously, especially if she was experiencing problems of any kind.

'I…Squall did you tell them?' Rinoa glanced at her Knight who shook his head.  Rinoa sighed, and said

'I fainted two days back…'

Here Edea interrupted 'Why didn't you come to me earlier?'

'I'm sorry…we were supposed to come yesterday…' Rinoa apologised, and then went on 'But Edea…I had a strange dream…I…I think it means something…'

Cid exchanged a glance with his wife, who looked back to the young raven-haired girl, and said gently 'Please tell me what you saw.'

Rinoa nodded, glancing at Squall for reassurance.  He nodded his head, prompting her to go ahead.  Taking a breath Rinoa began to explain what she had seen in her dream.  The entire while Cid and Edea listened, giving Rinoa their undivided attention, eyes fixed on the girl.

Squall sat back in his seat, quietly listening to the events of her dream again, while contemplating it to himself.

When Rinoa had finally finished, there was a silence.  Edea had a very disturbed look on her face.

'Edea?' Rinoa asked timidly, a feeling of dread beginning to crawl into her.  She glanced at Squall whose blue eyes were also fixed on the dark haired older woman, waiting for her to say something.  His eyes shifted to Rinoa a moment, looking back at her, then went back to looking at Edea.

'Oh dear.' Edea said at last.  'Oh dear.'

Cid rested his chin on his hands, which were clasped together, and looked at Rinoa thoughtfully.

'You say that the voice told you it would be a matter of days now?  And this was…two days back you say?'

Rinoa nodded.  Edea glanced at her husband, and said to him,

'It's time then.  So soon…'

Rinoa looked from Cid to his wife in confusion.  They were scaring her…what was happening?

'Edea?  Cid…please…tell me…time for what?' she pleaded.  Edea sighed, and got up, drawing a chair and setting it directly in front of Rinoa and Squall.  She looked Rinoa directly in the eye, and began to speak.

'A few years ago, I had a dream like yours…very similar.  A voice, very likely to be the same one you heard spoke to me.  She told me…for 'She' is our realm…that the time would soon come when the world would truly be endangered…now I was not sure that after the events of Ultimecia and the compression of time that the threat I had been told about had come to pass…but now you tell me this…and I know I was wrong.  Cid and I both were…'

Rinoa's mouth opened, but no words escaped her lips for a moment.  Finally she recovered, and said timidly,

'So…it's real…?  It's really real…?'

Edea nodded.  'Yes dear…that was our planet you heard.'

Squall frowned.  'How is that possible?' he questioned.

Edea sighed.  'Sorceresses are very sensitive to changes in the environment, and the earth in general.  They sense things before regular people do…because their level of natural ability is higher than most people's and because their magic ties them to the planet more strongly…'

'It seems Rinoa has picked up on a change in the planet's general well being, if you like…' Cid added.

'But what does it mean?' Rinoa asked anxiously, 'Then is it true…do we really have to leave?  What can we do…she said a threat, but I'm scared…I…'

'Calm down Rinoa…' Squall said soothingly, his voice quiet and logical.  Rinoa released a breath, sighing.

Edea spoke up.  'From what you've told me, the planet is asking you directly to intervene…'

'The Fated Children…' Cid said, thoughtfully.

'Yes…that's what it…I mean she said…' Rinoa nodded.

Edea nodded.  'It is sad to see this come up again…the responsibility put on such young shoulders, and so soon after the events of time compression…' 

'Indeed my dear, they've hardly been given a break!' Cid exclaimed.

Squall was scowling very unhappily.  So were they really being serious…?  Was Rinoa's dream really significant?

_Great…just great…you save your own world, now you get called upon to save the entire universe…like we didn't do enough for our planet…_he thought moodily.

'But I never knew there were other worlds…' Rinoa said, very overwhelmed all of a sudden.

'Oh there are many my dear…' Edea nodded, assuring the young sorceress.  'It may just be a case of legends here, but other realms do exist…they are quite distant from ours however…but also rather parallel apparently…'

'Yes…' Cid agreed with his wife.  'And you say the voice told you about this force reeling all the realms in…?'

Rinoa nodded.  'She said…we have to leave…'

'The Children of Fate…I wonder who the Children of Earth are…?' Cid queried.

'Children just like these, except they belong to another realm called 'Earth'…' Edea said, then looked at Squall.

Squall felt eyes on him, and raised his blue ones.

'Matron…I don't really…I can't really believe it…' he began finally.

'It does seem overwhelming at first, but sorceress dreams should not be taken lightly…we haven't felt any side affects of this…merging so to speak, as of yet…should we wait around and do nothing until it is directly upon us…?  If the planet has notified us now, She must want us to act now…' Edea said softly.

Squall blinked, looking to Rinoa.

'Just how does it all work out?' he asked her.

'The planet said…she'd handle it…that we just get all our stuff ready, and she'll transport us…' Rinoa replied.

Squall shook his head.  'I don't know…' 

 The idea of being cast out of his own world was too unnerving for him to really get to grips with.  It was…scary…Squall was fearless in many senses, but something like this was full of such uncertainty…what if the entire dream wasn't really real?  What would they do when they got there…it would be so different…where would they go, how would they find these other 'Children'?  So many questions, and no one could give answers…he needed reassurance that they'd be sent there and have a definite way back…if they needed to do this Squall had to know that there would be a way back.

Rinoa knew what he was thinking…only squall thought of every little detail before a mission.  She reached out and laid a hand gently on his folded arm.

'Hey…I'm scared too…I don't know how this'll turn out…'

Squall shook his head at her, and Cid said,

'If the planet has told you She will take care of the…mode of transport…' he chuckled slightly, receiving a blank stare from Squall, before continuing 'Then you have little to worry about…'

'I believe the main worry is what they do once they get there?' Edea said questioningly, looking to Squall who nodded.

'Tell me Rinoa, did the planet say we could accompany you?' Cid asked.

'No…She said the Children of Fate…' Rinoa replied.

'Well, it seems you will all be transported there somehow…together.' Edea nodded, and Cid sighed, scratching his head.

'Have you informed the others?'

'No…I just told Squall, and we thought we'd see you first…to see what you think…' Rinoa said, twiddling her fingers anxiously.

Edea nodded.  'It was well that you let us know…we can help you prepare…'

'Hold on a second…' Squall spoke up, sitting forward.  'Is this…are we…what, now?'

Cid and Edea looked at the young man, who was clearly not happy with this.  They could understand…it was so sudden after all, and no one could have expected or foreseen this to happen…

'Yes…you must prepare as soon as possible…it's unfortunate that you found out on such a short notice, but it seems the planet can no longer withstand whatever force it is on her own…' Edea replied.  

Cid said 'I suggest we call the rest of you in here, and notify them.  That will be easier for you, then you don't have to say it separately.' 

Rinoa smiled, in gratitude.  'Thanks…that'd save me a lot of chasing up!'

Edea smiled.  'How about in a few hours?  Say, at fourteen hundred?  That gives you about two and a half hours to notify your friends…'

Rinoa nodded, looking to Squall, who shrugged.  To him it didn't seem like he had mush of a choice in this…

_As usual, like I ever do have a lot of choices going my way, _he thought sarcastically to himself.  Like he needed any extra stress…

'All right…thank you again for telling us Rinoa, though you should have come sooner.' Cid said.

'Is there anything else?' Edea asked Rinoa, who nodded.

'I…I had another weird dream last night…'

Cid frowned.  'Was it the same?'

'N…no…I don't know…I was scared…it was really strange…I…I dreamt that I…' Rinoa took a shaky breath.  'That I helped kill someone…'

Edea's eyes widened slightly in alarm, and she exclaimed  'Oh my!' and then ordered 'Tell me!'

Rinoa spoke the events of her most recent dream, and Cid and his wife listened intently.  Squall stayed silent also, as usual, keeping his thoughts very much to himself.

When she'd finished, Cid said 'Did you get a look at this boy's face?'

'Just a little…he…he didn't look familiar…' Rinoa replied.  'But I don't understand…it was like I was possessed, but how!  I have Squall…'

Edea sighed.  'Perhaps this boy you saw is linked to your previous dream…maybe he could be one of those you are to meet with on this 'Earth'…'

'But Edea…how could I help kill an innocent person?!  What if it's…a premonition or something…what if it really happens!'

Squall tried to calm Rinoa down again.  The entire situation unnerved him also, but losing one's cool was not going to help; he didn't like to panic.

'Rinoa…' he began, but thankfully Cid said kindly,

'At the moment it is just a dream.  Perhaps it could have a meaning, and serve as a warning to you in some way.  As to the meaning, you may have to work that out on your own we're afraid to say…sorceress dreams tend to work out that way, isn't that right my dear?' he said, looking to his wife, who nodded, and then placed a hand lightly on Rinoa's arm, in a motherly fashion.

'Don't let it worry you too much for now.  As Cid said, it may serve as a warning, and that would be a good thing.  Right now round up your friends and meet back here as we agreed.  Do not fret over it now Rinoa…it will work out fine.'

Edea's words were soothing and the young sorceress felt better instantly.  Cid smiled warmly at her.

'Listen to Edea, she has known these things before you.' He advised.

Rinoa nodded, and then got up slowly, as did Squall.  As the pair turned to leave, Rinoa turned back suddenly, remembering something she should have said earlier.

'Oh!  Edea…Cid…I almost forgot…the planet said there are seven of us…but I counted and there's only six…could you tell me…'

Her voice trailed off, as Cid and his wife exchanged a grave look.  Edea stood up slowly, and sighing, said,

'I suppose we may as well tell them now…there are seven of you…'

Squall shook his head in irritation…they didn't need to be mathematicians to work out there were six of them who had saved the world…

'Matron…' he began, but Rinoa was counting off her fingers already.

'Me, Squall, Irvine, Zell, Selphie and Quistis!  That's six!' she exclaimed.

Cid rubbed his chin, looking rather stressed, and gave a little nervous laugh.

'Ah…yes…well…you're forgetting one…you're forgetting Seifer….'

Rinoa's eyes went wide in surprise and Squall's jaw literally dropped in disbelief.  

_No…how…he was on the enemy's side…no…Hyne, it can't be…!  He is NOT coming with us…_

The exclamation of complete and utter shock escaped his lips before he could even think to stop himself, as a look of pure horror confusion crossed his usually placid face.

'…SEIFER?!'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Sheet after sheet of paper, set in a neat and orderly pile, towered on the smooth mahogany effect desk, standing mightily, able to intimidate the hardest of men.

Laguna Loire stared at the piles of paper on his desk, the look on his face rather panicked.

'How did I get myself into this job…I'm no president…' he worried, rubbing at his face with his hands, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk.  

'Meetings and seminars and tours…sure, travelling is great, but not when there's so much paper work to sign and stuff!' he complained out loud, covering his face with his hands.  

He just wished he could take a break…he'd declared a holiday for the people of Estar after the second sorceress war, and he needed one again, only a few months later.  People didn't realise how hard a president needed to work…why oh why was he in this position…he'd always wanted to be a journalist…this was quite a large step away from his lifetime ambition of writing!

_Heh, how about I pull on those leg cramps when I'm supposed to be going around the city…_he joked to himself.  The idea was awfully tempting, but then his face fell as he remembered he'd already used that excuse countless times.

A light knock on the door startled him out of his thought.  Quickly grabbing a sheet of paper from the top of the pile he assumed a hard at work pose and called out:

'It's open!'

The door opened and a young lady poked her head through.  She had short cut brown hair and a pleasant face, was dressed in blue, and with a green shawl wrapped around her arms.

She grinned on seeing him 'hard at work' and he gave her a mock frown.

'I'm busy Ellone, can't it wait?'

Ellone laughed cheerfully, and entered, closing the door behind her.

'Hello uncle Laguna!' she said, walking up to his desk.  'What are you doing?'

'Working…'

'Who are you trying to fool…?' Ellone said, and Laguna looked to the door in a panic.

'Keep it down!' he pleaded, and then, realising he couldn't fool her, he sighed 'I can't take this anymore!  If I have to fill one more paper!'

Ellone chuckled.  He hadn't even started yet…

'Thanks for coming, I needed a break…'

'A break from daydreaming?'

Laguna gave her a strict look.  'Now listen here Ellone…'

Ellone just laughed behind her hand.  He was terrible at being scary and intimidating.  She loved him very much, even if he wasn't really related to her.

'Uncle, I came to ask you when you're going to bring him over here…' she said, deciding to change the subject.

'Huh, what, who?' Laguna asked, blinking, and averting his face.

Ellone sighed, sitting on the chair opposite the president of Estar's desk.

'Squall…your son…?'

'My son?' Laguna squeaked, and Ellone sighed again.  She knew that Laguna had been so shocked to finally realise that his child was alive, and that shock had turned into pure pride as his son, Squall, who went by his mother's maiden name, Leonhart, more or less saved the world.  He was an accomplished SeeD now, and an outstanding star student.  Squall had achieved much, and Ellone knew it, and she knew Laguna knew it.  She also knew how guilty Laguna felt that he had missed out on so much of Squall's life…he hadn't even been aware of the boy's whereabouts until a few months back…

'Uncle…you have to tell him…he deserves to know…' Ellone said.  She had seen Squall; he'd grown up from being the small, frightened little boy, to a handsome and in many ways fearless young man.  He'd still been reserved and quiet, but she knew now that could change.

Laguna said, looking very anxious.  'Tomorrow Ellone…'

'You've been saying that for the past week!  Come on, it's all died down now, you can request an official, private meeting with him, and they'll send him over…and then you can tell him!  And when you do, I'll come in, and we can all be a happy family again!' Ellone said, clasping her hands together, with hope shining in her eyes.

'Whoa…just hold on there!  It's not that easy!  I don't know how he'll react…maybe he may even just storm out of here, maybe he'll be so mad he'll try to kill me!  I mean, he saved the world, I'd be nothing but a fly to swat aside…' Laguna began, but Ellone cut him off.

'Uncle!  He's not like that!  Remember when you saw him…he doesn't overreact!  You have to tell him…he needs to know!'

Laguna mumbled nervously.  'I don't know…what if he doesn't believe me…I feel bad…I mean…I haven't been here for him or anything…what right have I got to just tell him something like this now, when his life is finally okay?'

'You don't know he won't believe you…remember when he met you, he gave you a really strabge look…he kept staring at you weirdly…' Ellone pointed out.

'He probably thought I was a moron president.' Laguna chuckled.

Ellone said 'No uncle, you won't know unless you get him here and tell him!  He deserves to know who his father is…and who his mother was…Raine would want you to tell him…will you leave him alone again?'

Laguna's eyes lowered.  He felt like such a failure…he had been searching for Ellone when Raine had died…he hadn't been there for his wife either…damn it, he was a moron…so many things he regretted, but it was in the past, and he knew he couldn't change that.  He could however, make amends for a better future.

'…You're right…' he said softly, and Ellone nodded, glad he'd finally listened.

'As soon as possible uncle…'

'I can't tomorrow, because of a stupid meeting, and I can't the day after that…so it'll have to be in about three days I'm afraid…I would cancel, but I've done that enough…'   

Ellone sighed, knowing Laguna was sincerely sorry this time, and not just looking for a way out.

'Okay uncle, but you should notify Cid so he can tell Squall a day at least in advance…'

Laguna nodded.  'Yeah…I just hope...I just hope he realises I missed out on him too…'  It made him a little nervous…Squall had appeared so cold and anti-social when he'd met him for the first time a few months back…then again it was probably his failure in a father that had resulted in such repression in Squall's feelings.  But he'd known for sure, the first moment he had set eyes on his Squall Leonhart Commander of Squad A from Balamb garden, that he was most definitely his son.  He had Raine's soft brown hair, the same beautiful blue eyes.  He looked very much like his mother…and Laguna had longed to just blurt it all out then.  But it hadn't been the time or place.  Now however, he had no excuses.

'Uncle, are you okay?'

Laguna blinked, pushing a strand of dark hair out of his soft blue-grey eyes.  He looked at Ellone, at his son's so called 'sis'.  He made up his mind then, determined…it had been long enough that they'd been separated…it was time to be one family again.  He'd messed up enough over all these years; it was up to him now to clear it all up.

'I'm fine Elle…thanks…what do you say we go get some lunch together?' he replied, standing up finally.  The work could wait…he'd worry about it later.

'But you said you were working…' Ellone smiled.

Laguna waved his hand dismissively.  'Work smirk, who cares!  I'm hungry!  What do you say?'

Ellone smiled happily.  'Sure!  But I get to choose yours!'

Laughing the two left the room together, the responsibilities left behind for the present.  At that moment, they were in each other's good company and that was enough for both of them.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

Well, there you go, another chapter!  Tell me what you think of this!  I have to tell you now, that I will try to get one more chapter done, before I'm off for a while!  *sobs* I am SO sorry, once again, but I'll try!  Just don't forget me okay!  I'll be here, with my story, so if you come here; you'll find me, in about a month and a bit (darned exams start in 2 weeks and finish at the end of June!) …I promise lol!!  Just bear with me!!  Yell at me if you wish, if it makes you feel better, but this is unavoidable!!  ^__^ Take care and R+R for me, thanks, I love all my reviewers very much lol!!  Have a nice day, and hopefully I'll sneak one last final chapter for you alright!  Bye for now!


	17. A Common Ambition

Thanks so very much for the reviews, this is it; my last chapter before I can't update anymore for a while!  *Sobs all round* Anyway, because I can't I will attempt to write a nice long and very interesting chapter for you to read now (at least I hope it's interesting) that will hopefully set things up nicely for when I return!  I promise you all that the big meeting is just a few more chapters away!  Pierson, thanks for your review, but how should I know why big white spaces are at the end of my chapters!  You being the expert please enlighten little me and tell me how to get rid of them.  Noacat, aw, Tama must be the cutest little kitty ever!  Sure, stick him onto me, teeheehee, you may not get him back though, as I will adopt him as my own little kitty and he will be eating my cereal instead of yours mwa ha ha!  ^__^.   So I'd think about that very carefully…Tama says, 'How much do you really value me!'  Leah, lol, thanks, for the review and suggestions!  Sorry about that cliché, ^~^ I couldn't help it, I try to shy away from the typical, but the dream was just symbolic!  Will it happen, will it not, you got to wait and see!  No, I hope to finish this story, as I have it all planned out, and the ending will be quite dramatic I hope, and you all deserve to read it after putting up with the slow start!  Cute Kitty, lol, don't you worry about Selphie and Irvine, they're still around, as you will see…*smirks and gestures with head for you all to read on*

**Chapter XVII: A Common Ambition.**

****

Roxy shuffled into her first class of the day, yawning and rubbing her eyes tiredly.  She'd had a near rubbish weekend, getting no sleep, thanks to the strange dreams, which were seemingly becoming even more persistent and wilder to her.

She reached her desk, sitting down, and resting her head on her arms, grumbling.  Good thing the teacher hadn't arrived yet…how she despised Mondays…

'Hey sleepy, what's up?' a pleasant voice addressed her, and without looking up, Roxy muttered

'I got no sleep Vreya, oooh those dreams…'

Vreya took her usual seat beside Roxanne, setting her bag on the desk.  She chewed on her lower lip anxiously; she'd faced much the same in the past few nights; the dreams were occurring more than once every week, as they usually had been before, it was like they were going completely out of control, threatening to take her with them.

'I'm sorry…we could have seen those dream readers on Thursday, but it was my fault we didn't…'  

Roxy peeked up at her friend, over one arm, and said in a muffled voice:

'It's not your fault…it's a walk in thing…we shoulda gone in the weekend…'

Vreya sighed.  She'd attempted to do some studying over the weekend, but hadn't ended up doing as much as she had hoped.  So many things were on her mind, and the exams were only a mere two months away…

The teacher entered the class then, and nodded for the students to settle down.  Eventually a hush fell over the classroom, and the teacher began to speak.

'Right, good morning to all of you, before we begin today I would like us all to congratulate ourselves for the success of Friday's Charity Ball…it was a huge hit and we raised a lot of money.  So well done to you for attending…'

Vreya rested her head in her hands, thinking of Friday for the millionth time since she'd come back home from the party…it had been fun…she'd danced with Ash, and Costa, and a lot of other boys…Sara had been away from them the entire evening after Locky had whisked her away to dance…then when they'd eventually gotten to her, she refused to say anything about what Locky had said, or whether he'd asked her out.  Vreya knew he hadn't…after all, it was just chance that he'd turned up, wasn't it?

_Speaking of chance, what about the guy I danced with…?  I wonder who he was…he was really quiet, why…?  Why did I get the feeling that I had to lead him out to the dance floor and make him have a good time…?  I can't believe I left him just like that…how could I not ask his name?  God, I am so stupid…he's gone now…I know I'll never see him again…_she sighed heavily, not noticing Roxy's eyes on her; the red-haired girl had a small smile on her face…she knew what her friend was thinking about…or rather, to be more specific, who.

_That really is too bad…I never saw him before…so how and why was he at the party; and why was he so unwilling to have fun…?  There must have been a reason…_she thought of the young man she'd danced with; his silence and reserved attitude had fascinated her to say the least; she'd never met anyone like him; sure, she knew quiet guys, like Ash, but that guy had been different somehow…like he was so wrapped up in his own self, but not really in an arrogant way; like he didn't like to be noticed by people and didn't want them trying to get him into conversing with them.  He had been a complete and utter mystery to her, and it really bugged her that she wasn't going to see him again.  She wanted to know why he'd danced with her when he'd been so eager to get rid of her at first; it made no sense.

An elbow in the rib startled her out of her thoughts.  Roxy was hissing for name; Vreya realised in embarrassment that the teacher was addressing her, and she blinked, a blush searing across her cheeks.  She'd been so lost in her thoughts.

'U…ummm…yes miss?' she stuttered, and the teacher said, with a frown,

'Get that head out of the clouds for heaven's sake!'

Vreya blushed a deeper shade of red, as a few students looked her way in amusement.

_How embarrassing…idiot, got to get a grip, _a voice in her head snapped at her.

'A new student support room has been set up for your year and the one below you.  It starts today, and you are welcome to make an appointment and have fifteen minutes to meet the mentors personally, and discuss any problems you may have.  It is running as a trial for this week only, and I have scheduled for a few of you to see them, at the end of this lesson…' the teacher looked at Vreya.  

'Vreya, you've been short listed to go first, at ten o'clock, Andrew, you at quarter past ten, Annette, you at ten thirty, Clayton, Jessica and Raj, you all follow fifteen minutes after the person before you.  Is that clear?'

Vreya's jaw dropped.  _Student support…?  Me, short listed first?!  What are they trying to say!  I don't need any extra help, _she thought indignantly, and raised her hand to voice this fact.

'Yes Vreya?' the teacher asked, obviously wanting to proceed with the lesson.

'Have we been selected deliberately, because I don't…' she began, but the teacher interrupted curtly.

'No Vreya, it was made entirely by random, and you happened to be the first name from this class on the list.  Any more queries?'

Vreya frowned unhappily, still taking it as an insult.  So they thought she needed extra support and counselling?!  She couldn't believe it…just her luck to be chosen for this kind of thing.  Pouting unhappily, she hardly listened as the teacher began the lesson.

'You okay?' Roxy whispered to her, as soon as she got the opportunity.

'No!' Vreya said heatedly back, in a low voice, 'they put me on that list deliberately!  Just because my grades have been slipping lately!  Doesn't mean I need counselling!'

'They could be really nice, and it's only for a week!' Roxy replied.  

'Hmpf' Vreya sulked, folding her arms and glaring at the teacher's back.  It was probably Ms. Jennings who had short-listed her name…that woman was obsessed with her educational well-being.  Besides, Roxy didn't know how it felt…Vreya was intelligent; she just was having a little rough time lately.  Why did everyone have to notice when she did?  It was no need to panic…how unfair!

Her eyes darted to the clock…another forty-five minutes to go before she had to meet these 'student support' people.  Sighing inwardly she took out her class equipment and attempted to focus at the subject at hand, and worry about everything else later.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Locky looked through the piles of papers he'd been given, with student details on them; the names and details of all the students who'd been short-listed to see them on the first day of the 'student-support' program at the school.

Jez sat at the other side of the table to their little room, which they'd been given as their little office for the week.  She tapped her nails on the wooden surface, irritating Locky.

'Jez will you stop that?'

'You do realise we have to do this all week now?' she retorted.

'Yeah, but we have the ID and everything, so it's cool.  You're just my mentor right?  You sit in the corner and evaluate…ah, here she is!'  Locky pulled out a sheet of paper from the pile and read it over.

'…Vreya LillyMoore…heh, nice name…age, seventeen, date of birth…ah, here, address…take it down…and the cell phone number…'

Jez scribbled down the details and slipped the paper securely into the pocket of her blazer.  

'She's scheduled first, at ten…' Locky said, then looked to Jez, questioningly.

'Do you know what you're going to say?'

Jezebel actually looked nervous for once.  She was always so cool in situations like this, as Locky was, but now she just fidgeted.

'Listen idiot, what if she does scream?' she asked, chewing on the lid of a pen anxiously.

Locky smiled.  'Don't worry, she'll see me and she'll be surprised, and I'll just tell her this is why I came last Thursday, to complete the final preparations for this student support trial…then we'll talk a little about stuff…'

'…Stuff?' Jez repeated, and then 'Just how do I start with it?!  Hello, remember me, I nearly got you raped, but you have to trust me anyway, because you have been chosen to save the world and I must help you harness you powers and learn to fight?' 

Locky flashed her a gorgeous smile, 'Heh Jez, that sounds funny…'

'I'm serious you fool!  How do I make sure she doesn't overreact!'

'Hmmm…' Locky considered, then his face brightened, as a plan came to him.  'I know!  We'll record the meeting at first, and say because she's the first we're sending it to the head to see how he thinks this'll go…some crap like that…she won't scream!'

'Record me telling her about being a Chosen One?' Jez replied, shaking her head 'I applaud you Locky, that plan is even stupider than anything Harris could think of!'

'No…we press play, at the start…here's a tape recorder…and then, we pres stop when she's not looking…I'll handle it, I'll stand by the door and you talk…okay?' Locky replied.

Jez frowned.  'I don't know…we only have fifteen stupid minutes…'

'Yes, and she's only scheduled to see us today…we have to be quick and quiet…'

'And the others…?' Jez questioned, as Locky shrugged.  

'The other lists come in on the day, so we'll see.  This is the important one though…the others probably don't know, and this is the girl you really need to win over again…'

Jez was silent, realising he was right.  Never had she imagined getting hold of Chosen would be so difficult…not that she had a choice on whether or not to quit, because it was her role to train just as it was that girl's role to fight.  

'Now, want some coffee?' Locky asked, and Jez shrugged.  They had another forty-minutes to spare, why not?  It wasn't like they had anything better do then anyway, and they needed to be fully awake before the encounter with this Miss LillyMoore…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Irvine shot the can off the wooden shelf, hitting it smack dead in the middle, and turned and smirked at the ladies who watched him.

'And there you have it ladies…a canned bullet…' he said arrogantly.

Selphie pulled a face, plucking grass from the ground idly.  'Yah, whatever…'

'Yo, we already have a Squall you know…' Zell said moodily, and Rinoa sighed, sitting beside Selphie.

The entire mood between them had been sullen ever since Edea and Cid had called them for the meeting in their office two days back.  They'd all learned about the situation, and after a lot of freaking out they had finally come to accept the fact that they were going to be thrown out of their realm and there was little they could do about it.  

'C'mon y'all!' Irvine exclaimed, 'It's not like it's the end of the world…'

He received glares for his very inappropriate comment.  He laughed at himself, and shook his head, sitting down on the other side of Selphie.

'I can't believe Seifer is coming with us!' Zell fumed.  He'd been incredulous when he'd seen Seifer enter the office, and Cid announce that all six of them together with Seifer were the complete Children of Fate.  What had Seifer ever done except be such an ass, and make things difficult for them?  How the hell he was a Fated Child escaped all threads of logic in Zell's mind.  He wasn't the only infuriated one…Squall had barely been able to hold back his contempt as Seifer had entered the room.  In fact, the only people who hadn't really been all that surprised were Quistis and Irvine.  Even Selphie had looked a little confused.

_'You must put the past behind you, and cooperate on this mission…it is of the utmost importance to you, and all other forms of life…you life is in the hands of the next person beside you, and theirs in yours…' _Cid had said.

Seifer had been silent the entire way through, after the initial shock had been overcome.  It was very unlike him…Zell had told Squall that he'd seen Quistis and Seifer in the library together, but Squall had already been irritated enough.  Having Seifer be grouped with them, as one of them was difficult for them all, but it was hardest for Squall and Zell.  Quistis was taking it surprisingly well; Zell would have expected a reaction more violent than the raising of a fine brow, and the pursing of lips. 

'Hey, come on, maybe it's time we…' Selphie began, but Zell yelled

'NO WAY!  I am never going to forgive that bastard…'

Rinoa sighed unhappily.  She hated to see Seifer being treated this way, even after all he'd done to hurt her and Squall and the others; when she'd met him back at sixteen, he'd been a jerk, yes, but he'd also been fun to be around…she had liked him, and now she really did pity him his current position.  These people, including her, were supposed to be his friends…but he had gotten himself in this position, and forgiveness seemed near impossible…

'You need to calm down…' Irvine drawled, handing his gun to Selphie.

'Wanna try Seph?'

Selphie smiled, and jumped up, taking aim, and firing.  She hit a can, and Rinoa smiled also, momentarily forgetting their troubles.

'Hey you're a natural!' she exclaimed.

'Yah!  Irvine knows not to mess with me…' Selphie giggled.

'You musta liked the view from my shoulder!' Irvine said, smiling at Selphie, reminding her of the last time she had dared to question his greatness.  

Selphie stuck out her tongue playfully.  'Kinneas the ass, nah nah!'

Rinoa and Zell sniggered together, and Irvine rolled his eyes, reaching out and pinching Selphie on her leg.  She squealed and jumped away.

'Sure thang baby-doll…' Irvine said casually.

Zell said 'So, we got all our stuff ready, and you said it'd happen at any moment?'

Rinoa nodded, turning her face away from Selphie and Irvine's game of tag, which would undoubtedly turn into kiss chase with Irvine on the job.

'Yeah…it's scary isn't it?'

'It still weirds me out entirely you know?  I mean, more planets, like ours?  Seriously deep…more humans out there, like us?  I don't know about you, but I sure feel small now…'

Rinoa nodded 'Yeah…it is amazing if you think about it…I mean, we've spent all our lives thinking that…'

'And it's seriously weird too!' Zell added 'I mean, being transported from here to somewhere else completely new…ack, I don't like it Rin, I don't like it at all…'

'It'll be okay Zell…as long as we're together right?' Rinoa placed a reassuring hand on his arm.  Zell shrugged, mumbling to himself.

'It is really weird…I mean, I had a hard time coming to grips with it myself…' Rinoa admitted.  

'I'd say things couldn't get weirder!' Zell agreed 'But that Seifer had better not be an asshole, that's impossible for him, I know, but what if we're making a mistake?  He betrayed us once, he may do it again…I mean, who's ta say he won't side with this threat whoever?'

Rinoa said 'We have to trust each other and put the past aside for this…that's what Cid and Edea said…'

'Easier said than done…Squall wanted to kill him the second he walked into the room, and I would have helped him!' Zell snorted.

Rinoa sighed.  'Zell…maybe we're not giving the benefit of the doubt here…Squall changed…why can't Seifer?'

''Cause he's an ass and Squall was always a good guy…does he have to come?' Zell whined, and Rinoa shrugged.

'Children of Fate, all of us, so I guess…'

'Great, just great,' Zell muttered, and then got up.  'What say we go check up on Squall?'

Rinoa glanced at Selphie and Irvine, who were still engaged in their little game of chase.  She looked back at Zell, as he stood up and gave her a hand.

'I guess we should see how he's doing…' Rinoa agreed, smiling, and together they left Irvine and Selphie and went to look for Squall.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Vreya sighed; finally the lesson was over and she could get a move on!  Oh, but she had forgotten; her break would be taken up by going to see the support staff.

Still very unhappy about it, she turned to Roxy as she reached the door.

'Hey, tell the others where I am okay?  I'll see you all later…'

'Kay…you sure you don't need me to come with you?' Roxy asked, tilting her head to the side.

'No, I think I can restrain the urge to yell at them…' Vreya smiled, and said goodbye to her friend, and began to walk towards the student support office.

_God, I so don't need this bother right now…_she thought to herself tiredly, taking a left, and heading over to the door of the office.  It had a notice on it, to knock before one entered, and 'Student Support Trial Week'.  What an honour, Vreya thought wryly, to be the first to use the 'service'…

She did as the notice instructed, and knocked, then stepped back, and waited patiently.  When no one opened the door and responded, she was about to thank her lucky stars that perhaps she'd been mercifully spared the encounter, when as she stepped to move away, the door opened and a pleasant voice greeted her.

'Hey!  Leaving so soon!'

Vreya's mouth opened in shock, and she stared into the handsome face of the young man she had helped with directions the week before, and also seen at the dance.  She stepped back, a little startled; what on earth was he doing here?!  She'd been right; something was up with him…it was like…like he was following her!

_Oh my God!  What is he doing here, why is he here again?!  He's…he's with those weird 'Inspectors' I knew he was acting weird…I knew it, I…_her panicked thoughts were cut off, as Locky smiled a friendly smile at her.

'You look like you've seen a ghost!  This is why I was here on Thursday…to give a speech about university life, and finish off the final plans for this new trial scheme…and here I am!  I see it's you again…funny isn't it?' he grinned at her, and Vreya let out a breath.

_Okay…calm down…maybe he's telling the truth…it's okay, don't freak out…he seems genuinely nice…it's okay…just go in there, blab on for a while and leave…simple!  _Vreya attempted to calm herself down.

'So…we gonna have this little chat outside?' Locky asked, and Vreya recovered, and smiled as best as she could.

_God, he must think I am so rude…_she thought to herself.  He was a very good looking guy, and not much older than her…she betted that Sara had loved it at the dance when he'd whisked her away to waltz with him…

'No…I…sorry, just expected…you know, someone older…' she said, and he laughed at her.

'Oh yeah, the mentor types tend to be a little older…but we're a youth to youth trial group…please, come in…' Locky stepped back to let her in.  Vreya took a breath and entered the small office.  Locky closed the door behind her, and she heard some music coming from the radio.  It was a tune she liked, and she almost said it out loud, and then stopped herself.  She noticed a woman in the corner, dressed in black, writing in a notebook.  She was dressed in black and had coppery hair that was loose and shoulder length…

'That's my mentor Jezebel…' Locky said from behind her, noticing her stare at the woman.  'She's just here to evaluate me…'

The woman simply nodded, glancing up at Vreya.  She seemed to be in her twenties, and Vreya smiled politely, before Locky invited her to sit on a chair across the desk in the room.  She did so, placing her bag on the floor, and watched as Locky pulled out a paper from the file on the desk.  He looked it over and began,

'Okay…Vreya LillyMoore right?  As you can guess, you were lucky enough to be short-listed first…' he glanced at her, and she smiled a totally fake smile.  He chuckled.

'Heh, I can see you're thrilled…it wasn't that long ago I was in your year you know, you can admit you're not happy to be here…I'm supposed to be a friend, not a teacher…everything here is just between the two of us…'

Vreya said 'Did Ms. Jennings say I've been having problems?  I haven't, I don't need extra help…'

His eyes met with hers, and he smiled a moment later, again.  'No, no teacher short-listed you…it was random…'

'Just my luck then…' Vreya smiled weakly, and Locky smiled also.  

'So, your grades have been dropping?'

Vreya fiddled with the strap of her bag, and shrugged.

'Do you mind if I ask how long for…?'

Vreya fidgeted, and said rather uncomfortably, because he was still a stranger, 'Oh…just a little while…'

Locky rested his elbows on the desk, looking at her intently.  'A little while?' 

'Yeah…ummm, like three months…' Vreya said, feeling very unhappy.  How was he supposed to help her; she couldn't even help herself…until those maddening dreams ended, she was stuck.

'I see…' Locky said, and when the girl wasn't looking, he glanced back at Jez, who was staring intently at them, silent.  Yes, this girl was definitely a Chosen One…

'So…what exactly do you do?' Vreya asked, trying to get off the subject.

'Well, I listen mostly, and advise you, and guide you…that's my role…our role…' he looked at her with a strange look in his eyes, and she got the feeling he was referring to something else…it was strange…she shook off the feeling, telling herself she was being ridiculous.

She stared back, and then shrugged, looking away.  'Well, I don't have all that much to say…'

Locky leaned forward a little.  'Are you sure?  Nothing's bothering you?  Is there any reason why your grades could be slipping?'

Vreya averted her eyes to a very interesting spot on the wall, and said 'No, just lack of motivation I guess…'

Locky tried to hide the knowing smirk.  She couldn't fool him, though she was very cute to try…

'You know Vreya…' he said, using her name, making her look at him, 'You strike me as a very troubled person…'

Her eyebrows rose, and she gave him a surprised look.  What could he mean?

'What?  I'm trouble free…I…why?' she asked.

'Why don't you tell me?' he asked gently, and she stared a moment, dumbstruck.

_No…I can't…he can't know…it's too crazy, he'll think me a loon…but he looks like he's waiting for me to say something…_she thought to herself.  The desire to tell someone, anyone her problems was overwhelming, but she resisted it.  He wouldn't understand…he would find her insane, and tell her teachers, confidential or not.

Locky gazed at the pretty girl, seeing her struggle with indecision in her mind.  Did she know how expressive her eyes were?  He could read almost everything…she wanted to say what was troubling her, but she was scared…he had to make her trust him.

'I won't tell the teachers…I'm serious…this is confidential…' he offered.  Vreya shook her head.

'It's not that…'

Locky waited.  

'It's…nothing…really…look, could I go?  Please, I have a headache…'

Locky cursed to himself.  Damn it, now what was he supposed to do…?  Just as he was about to open his mouth to reply, Jez spoke up from her corner.

'Headaches, and bad dreams.  Every night it's the same thing over and over again….'

Vreya's heart leapt on hearing this…was the woman referring to her?  No, impossible…but…the voice…sounded vaguely familiar.  She turned her head, and saw the woman get up, off her seat in the corner of the room.  Locky also got up, and he went to the door, standing before it.  Vreya was confused; what was going on?  The woman sat opposite her on the desk now. 

Vreya frowned at her.  'I'm sorry…'

'No, I am.  You weren't supposed to get hurt…we never knew those gang members were in that alleyway…' the woman replied.

Vreya stared at her in confusion.  What in the world was she talking about…?

'What…?' she began softly, and then realisation struck her and her eyes widened.  The voice…the coppery hair…

_OH MY GOD!  It's her!  This is…some kind of a set-up…they tricked our school!  _

She blinked, and grabbed her bag, and shook her head.  'Y…you…I…oh my God…' she could hardly talk straight; her heart raced, and she got up off the chair, looking to Locky.  

'You're…with her!'

Locky shrugged.  'Yeah, so I am…sit back down babe, the sooner you listen the better for all of us…'

'No…I'm leaving…'

'Vreya…' the woman, Jez, said her name, sighing.

'You leave me alone!' Vreya said to her, and the woman lost patience and stood up, glaring at the girl.

'Listen, we are the only ones who can help you!  Don't you want to know why you've been dreaming what you have?  We can tell you why!'

Horror filled Vreya…how could they know?!  God, they were lying…who had sent them?  And why after her…? 

'You…you're insane!' she cried, and Locky said to Jez,

'Look, we have just over five minutes scheduled time…'

Jez shook her head, hopelessly.  The girl was evidently very disturbed by her reappearance, and it was going to take more than words to make her listen.  Locky moved, and pushed Vreya back down in the chair.  The girl cried out.

'Don't touch me!  Who are you people, what do you want from me?!' she asked, eyes wild and full of fear.

'Well, if you would just listen a moment, we could tell you some of the answers!' Jez snapped at her, in a tone so irritated and no-nonsense in air, Vreya caught her breath short, and stared at her, eyes wide.

'Now listen.' Jez instructed 'I never meant for that gang to hurt you.  We never knew they were there…you have to believe me when I say that…' she removed her shades, ice-blue eyes resting on Vreya.

'Yeah babe…we been looking for the likes of you for a long time…' Locky agreed.

Vreya's mind was a sea full of confusion.  So many unanswered questions swam freely, and she had never felt so muddled.  What were they talking about?

'But we did want you to follow us…' the copper-haired woman said.  Vreya's heart skipped a beat.  She was buying time, getting ready to bolt out of the chair and out the door as soon as she got an opening.  

'…Why…?' she managed, and the woman said, sitting down again,

'Because you're part of a very important group, and this is going to sound crazy, but the future depends on you….'

Locky added 'You're grades have been falling because you've been having dreams, that keep reoccurring and troubling you.  Am I right?'   

Vreya held her breath.  How could they know?  She had never felt so freaked out in her life…

'And it's not just you…it's your friends also.  It's not just a coincidence…it's deliberate…you've all been chosen…to fight, for the planet.' 

Vreya stared at Locky.  Fight for the planet?  Had she heard right? 

_What…what the hell are these people talking about…they're…insane!  _She thought.  Fighting for the planet?

'We know it's hard to take in, but you need to believe us…damn, how many more minutes Locky?' Jez asked, looking to the younger man.

'Three…then the next one's here…' he replied.

'Damn…listen Vreya, what I'm going to tell you is going to sound insane, but every part of it is true.  The reason why you and your friends are dreaming all these dreams is because you're Chosen Ones…the world is in danger, and you've been selected to fight against the evil…'

Vreya stared, and then began to laugh, almost hysterically.  For some reason she couldn't stop laughing…it was just so hilarious…how it sounded…finally she got a grip, and managed,

'You…you watch too many sci-fi movies…'

Locky and Jez exchanged looks of dismay.  

'We're out of time…one minute.'  Locky informed her.

Jez shook her head, looking to Vreya who stopped laughing, and got up again.

'You're crazy.  I don't believe a word you say, and you better get out of my school, or I'm going to report you!' she threatened.

Locky grinned nastily 'Oh I don't think so…you see, we can report you…you were screaming…we'll just say you're troublesome, and then your parents will know…'

Vreya's jaw dropped.  'You can't do that!  It's a lie!'

'You and I know that, but the teachers don't…' Jez said.

'You don't have any proof!' Vreya said back.  Locky smiled at her, and held up a hand held cassette played.  Vreya stared at it in horror.

'We recorded it all…we can just edit the bits where we spoke and keep the parts where you yelled…you'll sound like a nutcase, and be in deep trouble.  Now I'd hate to do that to you babe, but you need to listen to us…' Locky said.

Vreya glared at him, and a knock on the door alerted them of the next student's arrival.

'So let's just keep this between the three of us, what do you say?' Jez said, and Vreya couldn't believe she was being blackmailed like this.  

'I hate you' she said in a low voice, and with that, she turned away and moved to the door.  No one stopped her this time, as she pulled it open, and pushed past the student waiting outside, hurrying down the hall, just wanting to get away from the room and the crazy people in it. 

'One second…' Locky smiled politely at the surprised guy, and closed the door again, looking to Jez.

'Well, that was an utter disaster!' Jez hissed, looking even more furious.  

'Not entirely…at least we know she won't say anything.' Locky assured her.  

'But how do we get her to listen now?' 

'We're gonna have to take her back to your place…there's nothing else to it…that girl is not going to listen unless we force her…' Locky said grimly. 

'Damn her!  That means we have to get them all there…' Jez cursed.

'That's the hard part…there's only four of us and a lot of them…' Locky agreed.

Jez sighed, and said 'Great.  Now we have to continue as if we really acre about every other student's problems…what a brilliant plan…'

Locky shrugged, and opened the door, calling the student in.  It was going to be a long day.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Harris sighed in exasperation.  Locky and Jez were supposed to be finished at lunchtime; it was half an hour later and they were still not out.  He and Tai had been parked just before a corner, outside the school, for nearly an hour.  

'Man, they sure like to take there time…' he complained, and Tai yawned, equally bored.

'Yeah, we should drive on without them…'

'I'm getting out of this car.  I can't stand it in here anymore.' Harris said, opening the door and setting foot on the street outside.

'What are you going to do, go in the school?' Tai rolled his eyes.

'No, I'm just going to stand here' Harris replied, leaning back against the car side.  Tai checked the gate again.  No sign of Jez or Locky.

'Heh heh, hey Harris, what do you say that they got busted by the girl?' Tai asked, leaning an elbow out the window, which was lowered completely.

'You mean like detention?' Harris asked, and then chuckled.  'Ha, Jez would get so mad…'

Tai laughed at the thought also, and then said seriously 'You think they'll get any of them to listen?'

'Probably not.' Harris replied, and a pensive silence fell between them, as they waited for their two comrades.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Fleck shook his head in irritation.  He and Bo walked down the streets, having come back from the most local library in their area.  

'We're seriously running out of time…' Fleck worried, and Bo nodded.

'Seriously.'

'I mean it's great we got hold of Zane, but he can't save the world himself.' Fleck sighed.

'Like a one-man army huh?' Bo chuckled, and Fleck shrugged.  It was all looking very hopeless, and the longer they were delayed, and the more time passed on, the more anxious they became.  They had to get a hold of all the Chosen before the merging began, and as if finding all the Chosen on the Earth's side wasn't enough of a feat in itself, they would then have to search for the Fated Children, also from the prophecy.  It was looking very bad…the invasion was looming on the world, it would be any day now, the longer it took, the more likely it would be the next day, and come upon them so suddenly.  

They reached a corner, and were about to round it, when they heard voices talking.  

'The thing is, we've found a lot of Chosen One's but we can't get a hold of them!' a voice complained.

'Yeah, I'd rather have one that listened to us, than endure this…' another male's voice said.

Bo and Fleck exchanged glances of surprise.  There were…other people searching for Chosen as well?  People like them?  Was it possible?  But they had thought they were the only ones…

'I thought…are they sayin' what I think they're sayin'?' Bo whispered, and Fleck replied in an equally low voice,

'What else?  Why else do you use the words 'Chosen Ones?''

Bo replied 'We should go round and see who's talking…'

'If they're like us, by the sounds of what they were saying, they've found some more, but can't get a hold of them…'

Bo sniggered.  'Obviously haven't adopted our 'grab and drag' method…'

Fleck smiled faintly, and said 'Come on…let's see who these people are…because if they're really like us, then we share a common goal…'

'Well isn't this a stroke of luck!  Finding these people, if there really are ones like us, then it'll be a lot more help…' Bo said.

'Yeah.  We should work together…the more, the better…' Fleck agreed, as they rounded the corner.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Great isn't it?  We've spent months looking for Chosen Ones, we've wasted all that time…' Harris complained, and Tai said,

'It's really bad, because it's going to happen at any moment…I hope Jez and Locky have made progress in there…maybe that's why they're late…because they're holding a secret meeting with the kids…'

Harris snorted, running his hand through his thick brown hair.  'You're optimistic…'

'Yeah…' Tai said, smiling at his stupid suggestion, and Harris began again,

'You know if we don't find them, what happens when the invasion…'

He was cut off as an unfamiliar voice answered 'Simple.  The ones not found die, because they don't get told of their ability to protect themselves, and then the story's over.  Because any of the ones not found could be The One, and if The One dies, we an kiss sweet life goodbye…'

'Huh?' Tai said, turning his head, and seeing tow young men round the corner.  They were about the same age as Tai, a blonde haired man with a small ponytail, and a dark haired, tanned one.

'Greeting friends…at least, I am assuming you're in the same boat as us…' the blonde man said.

'Uh…' Harris said, peering at them curiously, 'Who are you?'

'I'm Fleck, and this is Bo' the blonde man said, introducing himself and his friend.  'We couldn't help but overhear your conversation…'

'I told you, you're too loud!' Tai snapped at Harris, who pulled a face at him.

'Oh please man….'

Fleck laughed.  'No, it's good he was, because I think we're looking for the same thing…'

'Chosen Ones…are we right in thinking that you got a job to do, to round up a certain flock of sheep?' Bo asked.

Tai looked at the two warily.  He wasn't sure he could trust them…they'd just appeared out of nowhere…and so suddenly.  Besides, were there more appointed mentors, out looking for their charges also?

'Err, I don't think…' he began, but Fleck cut in,

'Look, we don't have a lot of time left, you can trust us…'

'Yeah, we have a Chosen One in our care already…but only one of them…we heard you found some more…' Bo said.

Tai looked to Harris, who shrugged.  'Sounds like they know what they're saying to me…' he commented.  Tai sighed.  Oh what the hell, the only people they needed to worry about were the monsters and other life forms that would end up on the streets of the planet soon.

'Yeah…we're trying to bring the flock in…' he conceded at last.

'Problem is we're rubbish shepherds…' Harris muttered, and Bo chuckled.

'Well, you want to know how we got ours?  Abducted him.'

Tai raised a brow.  'Wow.  How'd you manage it?'

'Oh, it wasn't easy…the tyke put up a good fight...he's naturally very able…knows how to kick-box and throws one hell of a punch…heh, Fleck had a wild time trying to reel him in to base…'

'Not to mention the fact he can use a sword already…' Fleck added.

Tai and Harris looked at the strangers, impressed.

'Wow.  Sounds like you got a real gem…you said tyke…how old is the kid?' 

'Heh, seventeen, but we like to annoy him…' Bo grinned.

'Not like he needs help frowning, he does it all the time…' Fleck added.

'Do you reckon we'll ever see him smile?' Bp pondered, and Fleck laughed in response.

Harris said 'Well, I'm Harris and that's Tai.  We're waiting for the other two of our group…they're in that school…'

Fleck and Bo looked to the school building, and Bo exclaimed, in surprise 'Say, that's the school that organised the dance isn't it?' 

'Yeah…you went?' Tai asked, and both men nodded.

'Yeah, so did the Chosen One we found, and another of us…' Fleck said.

'Well, we did too…how many of you are there?' Harris asked.

'Four.  And four of you…how many Chosen do you think you found?  You know you can pick them up with the Earth stone…' Fleck said, and the tow nodded.

'We know for sure that there's at least four in there…' Tai said, and Bo's eyes widened.

'Four?!  In the same place?!' he said in disbelief.

'Yeah, it's weird, we were a bit freaked at first too…but we think it's their entire group…' Harris nodded.

'So there could be more to add to the four in there.' Tai explained.

Fleck blinked.  'Well…what are the other two of your group doing in there…?'

'Using an undercover strategy to try and talk to one of them…we tried to get one of them, a girl, last week, but it went wrong…' Tai said, frowning.

'I see…' Fleck said.

'Yeah, we were supposed to kidnap her, but…well, she followed Jez…that's a woman with us…but there was this gang in the alleyway…we didn't know, and let's just say, she got very mad at us…' Harris said. 

'Yeah, if it hadn't been for that biker…' Tai's voice trailed off, and Bo said

'You know, the only way to get them all to really listen is to grab them and drag them to where you want to go…'

'Yeah' Fleck agreed 'Now that we've been lucky enough to run into each other, I suggest we work together on this…'

Harris shrugged.  'I'm all cool with it, but you'll have to check with the others when they get back…they're late…'

Tai nodded his support for the idea 'It sounds like the most obvious thing to do…you guys just appeared…seems like a miracle…'

Fleck and Bo laughed at this, relieved that they had a lead on the location of more Chosen Ones.

'We're running out of time…good job we found you…' Fleck said, and added 'If you just tell us who they are, we can come up with a plan to get them all to our base…we have a base…it's not too far from here, as long as the roads are clear…'

'If we got the tyke in there, we can sure as hell get these other school kids too' Bo grinned, and Harris and Tai thanked them.  Suddenly they felt like they had a bit more hope.

They had been so involved in conversation, that they hadn't noticed the two figures exit the school by the main front gate.  They didn't notice until the two people reached the car.

'Hey…who are you?' a white-blonde haired young man demanded, on catching sight of two unfamiliar individuals.  The two strangers didn't have to answer…Harris did it for them.  

'Hey Locky…welcome our new squad members…' 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya nervously chewed on the end of her pencil.  Her eyes darted to the clock; only ten minutes until she could go home and freak out.  She'd been acting strange all day, simply because she was feeling so messed up.  Her friends had all asked her what was troubling her, but she didn't dare tell them.  She was too scared…too confused.  She needed to talk to Kat, and fast.  She needed to tell the others about the entire situation, about the previous week's attack by the gang, and everything else that had occurred today, but she was also scared to do that…they'd be mad she kept it from them for so long…still, better late than never…she'd see Kat tonight, and tell them tomorrow, as soon as possible.  

Locky and the other woman's words echoed in her mind.  Fighting for the planet.  That was ridiculous!  But she couldn't seem to shake of the terrible sense of unease that was building up inside of her…a feeling like something was going to happen…something big and very, very bad, involving not only her, but her closest friends.  And those 'Inspectors' and Locky all had a part to play in it too.  

_I am seriously messed up…we should have seen the dream readers last Thursday…oh God, why do I feel like this…so scared…I mean, it's not just the blackmailing…I…I just feel really shaky…am I…losing it…?  Are the others feeling like this too?  _She worried to herself.

The bell rung, signalling the end of the school day and Vreya jumped, snapped out of her reverie by the shrill sound.  A soft, concerned voice addressed her, and a hand rested lightly on her arm.

'Vreya?  Are you alright?'

Vreya's eyes met Ash's blue ones, and they had a look that pleaded with her to open up to him.  She knew that it was hurting him, and the others that she seemed to be hiding something…they could all read her like a book, they all knew her so well…but she couldn't say anything yet until she talked to someone else about it first…and that person was her cousin.    

'I'm fine…' she said, trying to appear normal by smiling brightly.

'…' Ash was evidently not fooled.  A light frown touched his features.  'I…you know…you can talk to me…' 

Guilt overwhelmed her as she stood up; slinging her bag strap onto her shoulder and Ash also stood, ready to go.  She felt so bad…he was such a sweet guy, a lot of girls didn't see past his wealth and his apparent cool exterior.  Beneath it all Ash had a heart of gold. 

'You know that…right?' 

Vreya bit her lower anxiously, and then impulsively threw her arms around Ash, hugging him tightly.  Ash blinked, surprised; he hadn't expected her to do that…where had it come from?  Nevertheless he wasn't one to complain, especially when it was Vreya who got so close…his heart skipped a beat, and he could feel himself growing embarrassed at the sudden public show of emotion from Vreya.  A few students were looking their way, curiously.

'Thanks Ash…' Vreya whispered, thanking her friend with all her heart.  She knew she could always depend on him to take her seriously, no matter what.  She pulled away finally, much to Ash's equal relief and disappointment. 

'But you don't need to worry about me…I'm fine…just a little tired and everything…' she stepped back and said apologetically 'Ummm, I need to rush off…tell the others I'm sorry okay?  See you tomorrow…'

Ash opened his mouth to ask her why she needed to rush off, and why she wouldn't walk with him to the gate as she usually did on the last lesson on Monday, but she turned and was gone a moment later.  Confused, Ash hardly heard his friend's teasing as he exited the class a few minutes later.  Something was most definitely wrong with Vreya, and he was damned if he wasn't going to find out. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane rammed punches into the punching bag, one after the other, taking out all his aggression.  Morgan watched the boy as he trained, to increase his stamina.  Tests to increase his endurance would also be set upon him very soon, though he was oblivious to this matter right now.  Morgan was pretty certain however, that on learning what else his mentor had in store for him, Zane's reaction would be to frown.  Naturally.

'Good!' he complimented the young man, as he jumped in the air, agile and fast, and whirled, sending a hard kick at the punching bad, making it fly back from the impact.  Rica caught it, to slow its momentum, and smiled at Zane.

'Ouch, that has to hurt I felt it from here!  Your enemy would be knocked senseless.  I must remind you though, this is a punching bag, and a very expensive one, and the only one we have' 

Zane rolled his eyes, and Rica pushed the bag back at him.  He dodged quickly and she grinned.

'Good, you're really quick.  Here, cool off.' She handed him a glass of ice-cold water.

Zane frowned 'Don't you have anything else?'

Morgan spoke up 'Water is the best thing to drink, because it is what your body needs the most.  Especially after vigorous training exercises, I would not recommend any fizzy acidic drink.'

Zane shook his head, and took the glass, drinking down the water in one go.  Rica looked to Morgan.

'Fleck and Bo are late…we've been here almost half an hour…'

'Yes, it's strange…I suppose they've been caught up.' Morgan said.  Zane sat down on the floor, a towel draped around his shoulders.  He began to unwind the protective strapping on his hands, having nothing else to do for the moment.  

As if on cue, the door to the entrance on the floor above opened, and they heard feet enter.  Rica frowned as she realised it sounded like much more than only two feet.  Voices came closer and the door was shut a few moments later, and then the one opened at the top of the stairs leading to the basement.  Bo's head appeared first.

'Hello Rica.  Miss me?' he asked, and Rica rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.

'Oh I was counting the seconds we were apart…' she replied, and Bo chuckled.

'It seemed like an eternity…but you know, absence makes the heart grow fonder…'

Zane rolled his eyes.  God, how excessively stupid they were.  He watched with his face turned up slightly, as Fleck also followed after Bo.  Then four other people appeared, all unfamiliar, at least that's what Zane thought at first…it took him only a few seconds after that to realise he'd seen three of the four people before…they had been the ones he'd encountered with the girl he'd helped, the previous week.  He was careful to keep his face emotionless and mask his surprise.  As ever, he did an excellent job of hiding hi emotions to onlookers.

'Hey, sorry we're late…but we walked into, and I mean literally, a pleasant surprise…' Fleck said, nodding as he walked past Zane on the floor.

The newcomers regarded the other two adults, and then their eyes fell on the young man who sat on the floor, resting back on his hands casually.  Zane stared back at them, blankly, stony faced.

'So, this is the guy you were telling us about?' one of the strangers asked, smiled at Zane, who didn't smile back.  

'Yeah, this is Zane…' Fleck replied, and Zane sent a scowl his mentor's way.  Did he have to tell everyone his name straight away?  What if he didn't want them to know his name?  Anyway, who were these people, and why were they here?  Bo answered a couple of seconds later.

'These are people just like us…Morgan, Rica, meet Harris, Locky, Tai and Jezebel…' Bo introduced, pointing to each person in turn.  'They're looking for Chosen One's too…'

'Really?' Rica asked, looking at the four in surprise.  They nodded.

'And here's the better news...they've already found some…four more, but they think there could be more…' Bo added.

'Four indeed?' Morgan questioned, and the dark haired one, Harris nodded, and spoke up.

'All from the same school…'

'But…is that possible?  And I never knew there were more mentors…' Rica said sceptically.

Morgan's eyes narrowed.  'It is extremely low chance that they would all be in the same area…are you certain?'

'Well the Earth stone gives off a glow, so yeah…they're all friends too.' Locky said 'We saw them all together at the dance…'

The dance…Zane had been listening quietly, when something suddenly occurred to him…if these people were really mentors looking for Chosen…then that meant…the girl he'd helped out last week, that they'd been after…the girl he'd danced with…the strange feeling he'd gotten around her…

_Oh give me a break…it was just a coincidence…she's not…she…Oh shit, don't tell me…_he thought, a strange feeling of dread filling him.

The woman, Jezebel, was explaining what he didn't want to hear.

'Last week we were going to kidnap one of them, but our plan went wrong…the girl…we know her name now…she was helped out by another Chosen One…a guy on a motorbike…'

_Oh shit…stupid woman, now I'm in for it…_Zane thought, as Fleck's eyes turned to him, as did everyone else's.

'A Chosen One who rides a motorbike…sound familiar Zane…?'

Harris stared at the boy who still sat on the floor.  He was glaring at Fleck, and then glanced their way, moodily.  Harris realised something…the boy had green eyes…just like the one who'd helped the girl get away.

'You?  You helped her get away?' Jezebel spoke up, staring at the boy in disbelief.

He said nothing in reply.  Morgan said, voice full of disapproval 'Is there a particular reason you did not notify us of this Zane?'

Zane sighed, irritated.  'Yes.  How the hell was I supposed to know?  She seemed like a girl in trouble…'

'But you should have said so anyway…' Fleck said, frowning at him 'Listen kid, you can't keep things like this from us, even if it does seem unimportant…is there anything else you're not telling us?' 

Zane cursed under his breath.  Now he had to tell them…because if they were going to get a hold of her, then they'd know anyway.

_Shit, why the hell does she have to be a Chosen One too, I don't need all this trouble, it's all because of her…_he brooded to himself.

'Yeah, I know…I've seen you before…' Tai said, looking at the boy 'You were dancing with her at that party…'

If Zane had been hoping to hide it a little longer, his cover had just been totally blown.  He gritted his teeth, glaring at the loud mouth, wanting to beat the crap out of him for talking too much, as Fleck, Bo and Rica simultaneously exclaimed in voices full of anger and total disbelief at having been lied to:

'WHAT?!' 

_Oh shit…I'm screwed…_Zane thought.  Here it came…cue the fussing.

**Angelheart's End Of Chapter Ramble:**

_There you have it folks, my final chapter for a while!  Sorry it took a while to get this up, but I had to find time to finish it off!  I hope you liked it, R+R and tell me what you think, okay?  Thanks so much to all you reviewers who have reviewed this far; I'd just like to say I love each and every one of you!  ^ __ ^ BIG HUG!  (Or not lol) In all seriousness I appreciate everything, so please take care all of you, and I will be back soon hopefully, as exam month speeds by, with the next chapter! I am gonna miss updating and I'm gonna miss all you guys and girls too!  ^ _ ^ (You're right, this is not a bonding session lol, sorry) I'll be here, I promise!  ^___^.  Until next time…happy reading (and writing for those of you that do!)_


	18. A Bump In The Night

Wow, I know I haven't updated in ages, but here it is, my next chapter!  I have the next two written up already so hopefully I can get back to posting regular updates!  Thanks again for all the reviews, Leah, calm down with the sugar lol thanks Noacat for the great review, thank you to Rin, I know how exams are believe me, and also to Cute Kitty, your guess is pretty close, lol!  The slow start is almost over and from then all it'll hopefully be all faced paced action!  So thanks again for sticking with this and enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter XVIII: A Bump In The Night 

****

It was time, very nearly time; soon, very soon, it would begin.  The warriors: _His _warriors…they were almost ready, their training almost complete.  Day and night they practiced, sharpening their abilities to attack, hide, stalk and use magic.  Dark magic of course…He had shown them how and now they wielded it as if they had done so all their lives.  He had to give the pathetic creatures some credit; they certainly were fast learners, eager for revenge on humans…a common ambition.  They would fight with more passion because of there common goals, and spare none.  None would be spared…humankind was close to doom and they didn't even realise, how typically ignorant.

Death was coming on swift wings, dark wings, to steal the souls of all and enslave all to His will.  Yes, the time was close.  So close He could almost hear the screams.  Screams that would be heard with relish…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 'That is so weird…' Katrina said, sitting on Vreya's bed, legs crossed, arms folded.  Vreya sat on the floor, staring dully at her hands folded in her lap.  She had just told her cousin all about the day's events.  

'Kat, do you think there's something wrong with me?' Vreya asked, turning her eyes to her cousin.  The two were alone at Vreya's house; their parents had gone out together for the evening, and Katrina was staying over.

Katrina cupped her chin in her hands.  'Nope' She replied, after a moment's pause.

Vreya blinked, and looked back at her hands.  Though it was reassuring to know her cousin didn't think her mad, that didn't remove the worries she had.  Strange things were happening to her…but why?  Why her, of all people?  It was the same question, day after day.

'But I do think there is something wrong with these weird stalker people.  So they're the same people who led you to that gang you said?'

Vreya nodded.

'Whoa.  What do you think they could want from you really?  I mean, all that talk about saving the world is totally loony you know…they're messed up, not you…'

'But Kat, why are they following me?' Vreya exclaimed feeling very distressed.  'And you know what really freaked me out-they knew that I was having those dreams…' 

Katrina twirled a short strand of brown hair around her finger, and shrugged.  'They could have guessed.'

'No.  They were really serious about it…'

'Very, you should call the cops.  I'm telling you, it's the best thing to do!  These people are at your school for a week right?  You could just call in the cops and it'd be the end of it.'

Calling the police would just cause more hassle, not only to Vreya, but her parents also.  She didn't need to give them any extra trouble…they didn't deserve it.  It was not an option as far as Vreya was concerned.  If they didn't leave her alone however, she knew sooner or later her parents would have to know.  She didn't like to hide things from them, but she really didn't want to worry them.

'I don't want mum and dad to get all worried…' Vreya echoed her thoughts.

'Well, what are you going to do then?  How about talking to a staff member?'

'Oh right, that is so perfect, like I have proof.  Locky will just deny it.  Who will they believe…the failing student or the advisor?' she scorned.

'…' Katrina huffed.  'Okay, so what are your options then?  I would tell my parents Vreya…it'd hurt them more knowing you were hiding something from them…'

'It's not that serious yet…' Vreya attempted to reason.

'Uh huh, sure, keep saying that, and before you know it, it's as serious as serious can be!' her cousin replied, throwing her hands up into the air extravagantly.

Vreya sighed heavily.  Rubbing at her eyes, and looking at the clock, which read half-past seven, she said 'I think I better talk to the others about this.'

'You haven't told them about that entire incident have you?' Katrina asked, referring to the gang encounter.

'No…but I'm going to tell them.  Tomorrow, there's football practice.  We'll stick around until Ash finishes, then we'll go to Gen's house.  He lives closest to school, it's just a few minutes walk away…we'll go to his house, and talk this over.'

'Are his parents going to be at home?  They'll think it a little weird if you start talking about you know…that stuff…' Katrina pointed out.

'His parents have gone to Japan for a business trip…his sister is staying over at a friend's house, so it'll be okay.'

'And mum and dad here?' Katrina questioned.

'I need your help there…tell them tomorrow, that I called you after school asking you to tell them that I'm staying behind to watch football practice, and then we're all heading off to buy a pizza, and then to Gen's house…'

'I see…' Katrina said, smiling a little.  'So you're going to text me and tell me that you are low on credit and you want me to tell your parents?'

'You're coming here tomorrow anyway right?  Please Kat…I'll call you later on the phone…' Vreya pleaded.

'Well…ooookay…but only because I'm so worried about you!  I won't say anything about this to anyone, but if it gets anymore serious…'

'I know…thanks…I appreciate this…we really need to talk this over…' Vreya nodded.  She would have to call her friends now, and notify them.

'Who's the best cousin in the whole wide world?' Katrina said, turning her nose up to the ceiling haughtily.

Vreya grinned, feeling relieved, and got up, throwing her arms around her cousin, who laughed.

'Thanks Kat…I don't know how I'd get by without you…'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Anymore of this and he would seriously lose it.  When did the guy ever stop?!  He'd said he was sorry already, what more did he want?!  Zane, the guy who never said sorry to anyone, the guy who was never sorry for anything, had uttered the words moodily, albeit rather sarcastically.  In truth he felt nothing close to apologetic.  So he'd been with another Chosen One.  So how had he meant to know?  He'd done nothing wrong as far as he was concerned.  Fleck was really beginning to pluck at the fine taught strings that were Zane's nerves…

'I can't believe you never told us!  Why?  Zane, I can't believe you lied!'

Zane focused his attention on the very interesting spot on the opposite wall, trying to block the lectures out.  He was not accustomed to being lectured…and it annoyed him when he was.  He did what he liked, when he liked, his way.  What was Fleck's problem anyway?

'All you had to do was check your ring…' Rica stated.  Zane had had quite enough.  Furious, he snapped at them all,

'How the hell was I supposed to check when I was dancing with her!'

The stupid newcomers had gotten him into serious trouble.  Zane glared at them all angrily.  He hadn't needed any of this…he'd been quite happy to keep it all to himself, but no.  Along came the loud mouths and blew away his cover completely.

'Crap.' He muttered, as Bo went on,

'Hey tyke, I don't think you realise how important finding Chosen Ones is!  You are not the only one!  You're one of many!  When you sense another like yourself, you tell us, you don't ignore it!'

Zane had to summoun all his self-control to refrain from rolling his eyes.  This talk was seriously boring him.

'Indeed, it has been more than a week since we met you…and considering the fact that the invasion is upon us in a matter of days…' Morgan started, and Zane said exasperatedly,

'You said that two weeks back!'

Fleck glared at his young charge.  'Don't you get it?!  We've been lucky to have this much time!  We should have found the rest of them by now!'

_Well who's fault is it for being so rubbish at the job, _Zane thought to himself, deciding against voicing this little matter.

'Well, it's not like we've fared much better.' Jez said dryly.  'We've known about them for ages, but we just can't seem to get hold of them.'

Harris agreed 'It's one thing knowing and another thing grabbing them.'

Locky felt sympathy for the boy who was getting accused.  It was their fault, and it was evident the young man was furious with Locky's group.  Not exactly the ideal way to start a working relationship…

'I have a great idea…' Locky said, just as Fleck had been about to tell off the teenager again.  'Instead of grilling Zane, why don't we discuss how we're going to cooperate together to bring that group here…?'

Tai nodded 'Sounds like a good plan to me'

'Yeah…' Harris agreed 'I mean, all we have so far is what school they go to, and three of their names…'

Fleck glared at Zane one final time, before turning his attention to the subject at hand.  'We need to come up with something quick…'

Jez said curtly 'We are getting them tomorrow.'

Rica's brows rose.  'Well.  That's rather ambitious!  It's now almost eight in the evening, and you want us to think of a plan to set into motion tomorrow?'

Jez said in irritation 'Well, we've wasted enough time already haven't we?  The more we waste, the more this big problem will get even bigger!  Here's the plan.  They walk out of school and we grab them.'

Zane stared at Jez.  That was the stupidest plan he had ever heard.  

'Uh…Jez…' Harris said slowly 'You know, that'd attract unwanted attention…'

'So we lure them to the van somehow!  And dump them all in.'

Zane almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the idea.  

'Since they've seen us all already, it'll have to be one of your lot who do the luring.' Jez added matter-of-factly.

Fleck pushed a strand of dark blond hair out of his eyes, frowning.  'I see…'

'The basic structure of the plan is fine.  Grabbing them and bringing them over here…the question is how?' Rica enquired.

Zane rested his head back against the wall.  He was tired…they'd been here for so long, just talking…his training sessions only lasted until seven usually, and here he was, an hour later, stuck listening to these idiots ask the same questions over and over again.  He wanted to get home and relax a little…have precious time to himself, the way he liked. 

'Here's the plan.' Locky said.  'We park near to the school…how many of us are there…eight…with Zane, that's nine…one of us will have to stay here to let the rest of us in…'

'I will.' Morgan nodded.  

'Okay, so eight of us are going?' Harris asked.  

'I guess three in the van and five in a car right?' Tai said, and Locky nodded.

'You got it…okay, we go like a good fifteen minutes before school ends…park near to the gate.  We know who we're looking out for…the group always meet up at the gate after school and talk a while before setting off separate ways.  We watch out for them, and when they start moving off…'

'What?' Rica asked, sceptical.  'We just grab them as Jez suggested?'

'No…we follow the largest crowd…and the rest of us follow the other members…and when they get to an empty spot, we grab 'em…' Locky shrugged.  'That's the only idea I have…'

'It seems like our only option.  We can't try the going into school thing because they are becoming too suspicious…' Jez nodded.

'So I'm guessing we're not going to do the student counselling thing tomorrow?' Locky smirked.

'Hell no: waste my time in that dump?  We didn't get the girl to listen, better we don't show up anymore at all…Harris can call up in the morning and explain to the head that the scheme is withdrawn, and isn't quite ready yet.' Jez replied. 

'Harris can't call up because he doesn't know what to say!' Harris exclaimed.  

'Shut up Harris.  You're always talking, don't tell me you'll lose that big mouth when it comes to talking to a principle…' Jez snapped at him.

Zane's lips twitched, almost smirking, but not quite.  These people were so ridiculous.

Harris grumbled something, but decided to shut up.  Fleck shrugged.  

'Let's just go there tomorrow, park outside like you said, and see what happens.'

'You okay with skipping final lesson?  We'll come pick you up at lunchtime…' Bo said to Zane, who shrugged in response.

'Time is running out…' Morgan said quietly 'Try your best to bring them all here tomorrow…the sooner they start to listen, the sooner we can begin to train them…'

'The sooner they can shift their lazy hides and put some effort in!' Jez agreed.  

'Instead of us doing all the chasing…' Tai nodded.

Zane listened to the exchange, with a rather detached air.  He was too involved in his own thoughts.  It was interesting though…to wait and see how it would all turn out….

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He was walking, not even sure in which direction he was headed.  His heavy black boots pressed down on the grass, which looked like a black mass all around him; it was so dark, wherever he looked it was black everywhere.  A brief flash of light above him, and then the mighty rumble of thunder…and then he felt it; the first gentle sprinkles of rain falling over him from the heavens above.

Then he heard it…the softest of sounds…like…weeping…but he couldn't locate it…it seemed to come from all around him, from the very earth itself.  Confusedly he looked around, trying to find someone, anyone.

_No…am I…all alone…?  _He thought, feeling very muddled, and rather disconcerted by the fact that it was so silent and empty and cold…

Alone again?  But where…this was…it wasn't time compression happening all over again…Ultimecia had been destroyed…he'd seen to it personally…it had been his limit break which had delivered the final blow…so it couldn't be…yet the emptiness and the nothingness of the vast area that surrounded Squall reminded him very much of the period in which he had been lost in a time void…not a pleasant thing to recall at all.

He walked on, his right gloved hand gripping onto his sword firmly, the trusty gunblade by his side, as ever, leaving a trail in the grass.

'Rinoa?' he called her name, uncertainly.  Was she here with him too?  He walked some more, forward, though towards what he could not tell.  It was so dark…

Suddenly there was a flash of red light overhead; then a scream, a girl's scream, and then manic laughter.  Squall's intense blue eyes widened and he felt the sudden need to hurry.  He began to run forward, as fast as he could, panic filling him for reasons he did not understand.  

What was happening…?  Rinoa…was she alright? 

AS he ran faster, a shape came into view…no, three figures…one, a tall figure, clad in black, as dark as the night.  The figure held a glinting silver blade, an impressive and terrifying sword, a mighty weapon, which was had impaled…a second figure, a boy who looked Squall's age.  And behind the boy…stood…

'Rinoa!' he called to her desperately.  She was standing so close to danger…the figure would dispose of the young man and plunge the blade into Rinoa…into his Angel…Squall felt pain just thinking about it.

_No…!  _Squall charged forward, but time seemed to slow down.  He couldn't reach her…though he ran he did not draw closer to her…she turned to him, raven hair streaking across her beautiful face, and her rosy lips parted, a sweet laugh escaping her mouth.

Instead of feeling relief that she was alright, Squall felt his very soul freeze over.  Something was wrong, very wrong…the young man had fallen back and lay lifelessly on the grass.  The dark figure had disappeared…and Rinoa was laughing…she was laughing…

Squall's eyes darted worriedly to the figure that lay on the grass.  He stepped forward, to help in whatever way he could, but another cry filled the air, stopping him in mid-step; such a piercing cry, full of despair, full of agony.  A slender, petite figure came running out of the darkness, falling to its knees at the fallen boy's side.  

A young girl…she was crying, sobbing, close to hysterics, as she gathered the limp boy into her arms, crying over him.  Squall's eyes moved to Rinoa again.  Still she laughed, and it horrified him.  How could she laugh at such a sight…a sight that was so similar to when she herself had rocked Squall's body in her arms, when she had found him in time compression?  

'Rinoa…' he whispered in horror, and she laughed on merrily, and finally spoke, in a singsong voice, over the other girl's crying and the raging of the wind, and the weeping of the mysterious voice and the pounding of Squall's own heart.

'Too late…lion…'

And his horror was complete as realisation hit him.  He saw her hands, her beautiful milky hands; they were red, stained.  They were stained with blood…blood of the fallen boy…

Possessed…Rinoa…she was possessed…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Squall's eyes flew open…and he realised that he had broken out into a cold sweat.  His heart hammered in his chest, as he slowly came back to terms with reality.  Letting out a slow breath, he attempted to calm down his troubled self.  

_What a messed up dream…damn…that was…_his eyes widened, as he recalled that what he had seen had been very similar to what Rinoa had told him she had seen…

_Damn…what the hell is going on…?_  Squall thought to himself, sitting up in his bed, running his fingers through his silky dark brown hair.  The strands only fell back even more messily over his eyes.  He sighed, not knowing what to think of it.  Things had been so strange lately…and what with being told that they were to leave their own world in a matter of days just added to all the confusion and insanity.  What was more, he couldn't even get over the fact that Seifer would be among them, a Fated Child in his own right…to Squall, it seemed as if the world was finally losing it…

It was either that, or Squall himself was losing it…for the second time in a matter of months, Squall's peaceful world was about to be turned upside down.  And this time round, the young SeeD was not so sure he would welcome the change…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

'Are you telling me, you got attacked nearly a week back, and you never even told us?  You never even told me?!' Lila screeched, staring at her best friend in disbelief.  

Vreya's guilt was only increasing by the minute.  The problem was she was cornered…a quiet empty spot outside of the classroom, a small grassy area which was a popular relaxation spot for the older years, the younger ones preferring the larger playing area.

Sara shook her head disapprovingly.  'So this is why you've been acting extra strange…'

Vreya buried her face in her hands.  Was it that obvious?  Was she so easy to read?  It was the next day, and she had asked to see them all at lunch.  The sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue…normal teenagers were sitting about, laughing happily, enjoying the bright weather of springtime, and gossiping about all the usual things teenagers gossiped about…or playing practical jokes on each other, or just generally goofing around.  Normal teenagers. Vreya and her friends were not classed as normal, much to their dismay.

She sat on the bench, with Roxy on one side of her, Lila on the other, and Gen taking up the fourth space on the wooden bench.  Sara stood by the bench, with Costa sprawled lazily on the grass, and Ash sitting silently beside him.  His eyes moved to Vreya, and he said quietly, feeling really disappointed that she hadn't spoken up sooner,

'Why didn't you tell us?'

Vreya couldn't meet Ash's gaze.  She felt too bad.

'Yeah, that's what I want to know…' Costa said, shielding his eyes from the sun, and peering up at her also.  

'…I don't know…' Vreya shook her head.  'I was…I was scared…and I didn't want to worry you…'

'Didn't want to worry us!' Sara exclaimed 'But Vreya, that was something very serious!'

'Yeah, what if that biker guy hadn't helped you out, you would have…you'd probably…they'd…Oh God Vreya, why didn't you tell me, you know you can tell me anything!' Lila said, feeling really hurt that her friend hadn't told at least her sooner.  

'And you said that it was those Inspectors we saw that led you to them?' Gen asked, frowning in confusion.

'Yes…oh God, I'm sorry, really, you're all my friends and I wouldn't ever hide anything from you, it's just that it's all so crazy…you know…those Inspectors…they were the same people I met at the student support room…' Vreya said, holding her breath as she expected another outburst.

It came a second later, from Ash.

'Yesterday?  Vreya…!'

'I'm sorry…' 

'…' Roxy frowned.  'HAY!  I don't get it.  Locky is a student support guy…'

'Yeah…and he was with the red-haired Inspector woman…and they said…they said that they know I've been having weird dreams and stuff…'

Costa sat up.  'What the hell!?'

'You think…they've been following you…?' Lila said slowly.

'…' Sara was quiet.  Locky had seemed like such a nice guy to her when she'd danced with him…there had to be another explanation…surely…

'Vreya, I still think you haven't told us everything…' Gen said.  

'Yeah, and lunch is over now…' Roxy said; no sooner had she said this than the bell went, signalling the end of lunch and informing students to head off for the final lessons of the day.

'That's what I wanted to ask you…' Vreya said.  'Let's meet up after school…we need to talk…really talk…I need to tell you everything they said to me…God it's crazy…Gen…can we go to your place?'

Gen shrugged.  'Parents not home, sister not home…sure I guess…'

'But Ash has football practice…' Lila looked to Ash, who winced, and nodded.

'I can't miss again…'

'I was thinking, we'll come watch you practice, and wait for you, then we can head off to Gen's.  It's not so far, we could walk, get a pizza and go after you finish…' Vreya said.  He shrugged.

'Two hours?'

'That's okay…!' Lila piped up, relishing the opportunity of watching Ash work his muscles.  Sara rolled her eyes, and said

'It's fine by me.  I'll just give my parents a call after school.  So I'll meet you all outside the lockers?'

Costa got up, brushing the grass off his clothes.  'Catch you later amigos.  Hey Bonita, let's get going, we have class together…'

Vreya sighed, and got up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.  Agreeing over final plans they dispersed, to head off for their last lessons of the day.  

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane stared out the window, feeling excessively bored.  He hated this waiting…this having nothing to do…it grated on his nerves.  It didn't really help that Tai and Harris were trying to get to know him better.  Didn't they pick up on the fact that he just wanted to be left alone, to himself?  Hadn't he given out enough negative signs?  Still they didn't seem to get it, and were determined to drag him into idle and pointless chatter.

'So Fleck tells us you kick box.  That true?' Harris asked.

_Oh God.  How stupid.  Would Fleck say it if it wasn't?  _Zane thought in exasperation.

'Yes.' He said through his teeth.

'How long you been doing it for?' Tai asked next, from his place in front of the steering wheel.  

'A while.'

'You like it?' Harris asked.

'Would I do it if I didn't?'

'I don't know.  Maybe you're one of those people who just force yourself to learn things and don't enjoy it.' Harris shrugged.

'…'

'You can use a sword too right?  Pretty accomplished compared to most boys your age…' Tai said, looking at Locky, who sat beside Zane.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Locky said, cocking his head to one side questioningly.

'It means look at what he can do.  More accomplished than even the great Locky…' Harris laughed.

'Oh right, absolutely…'

Rica glanced back at Zane, sympathetically.  She knew how much he hated to be asked questions and drawn into small talk.  Jez, Fleck and Bo were in the van, and the rest of them were in the car.  Rica sat at the front seat beside Tai.

'What's the damned time man?' Harris asked Locky, who said

'Three-thirty three.'

'Look the kids are coming out…' Tai exclaimed, as a few school children began to appear, heading out the gate.

'About time…' Locky said, 'I need some action…'

'How many did you say there were?' Rica asked, looking out the window, from heir safe place parked a good distance away from the school, but close enough to have a clear view of the gate.

'Well, four for sure, and we think there are others…three girls and a boy so far…' Tai replied.

'All together…that is strange…' Rica said.

'Strange or lucky?  Personally I'm thankful they are all friends…makes it easier on us all…' Locky replied.

'Helps that we've seen them before hand too, gives us an idea of their character…' Harris said.

'Oh yeah?  What did you learn about them so far?' Locky asked him in amusement.

'They're all spoilt brats who are asking for a kick up their ass…' Harris replied.

'Heh heh, once again, remind yourself of how you were when you first found out about your responsibility…' Tai said to him.

'Well my ass got kicked and I listened, we do the same to them.' Harris replied.

There was a second's pause, and Zane was about to thank God for the blissful moment of silence, when he was addressed yet again.

'Hey kid, did they kick your ass to get you to listen?' Harris asked Zane.  Zane turned his face from the window, and glared across Locky, at Harris, who sat at the other window.

'…'

What a pointless conversation.  Zane didn't even know what to say to the airhead who was asking him such stupid questions.  He simply glared, and then turned his face away, looking back out the window. 

'I guess not…' Locky answered Harris, chuckling at the boy.

Rica laughed softly.  Zane was quite charming in his own way, though he would hate to be told it.

A beep of a car horn from in front of them made them look forward.  Fleck stuck his head out the van's window, and gave them a thumbs-up sign.

'Hey, don't forget to activate the shade windows of your car!' he reminded them.

'Got it!' Tai called back 'Jez ready to raise that newspaper when they pass?'

'She's not happy about the idea, but yeah…' Fleck replied, grinning back.  He then nodded and disappeared back into the van.

'So we're going to throw them all in there?' Harris said.  'This had better work…'

'It's my idea, it's bound to succeed…' Locky replied casually.

'That's what I'm so afraid about…it's your plan!' Harris replied.

'Look we have the anaesthetising agents here…they're sterile and on these pieces of cloth…hold over subjects mouth and nose, and they'll be out in a moment.  Then we just get them inside the van and drive off.  Simple.' Locky replied.  'No worries…' He shook the clear plastic bag, which held the white anaesthetised pieces of cloth.

'Well, they'll still put up a fight…' Harris grumbled.

'Ladies take ladies, guys take on the guys…of course, there may be more girls than guys so then everyone just grab anyone…'Tai reminded them.  'And we all have our own black masks ready, to wear over our own mouth and noses so we don't accidentally knock ourselves out!'

'A precaution taken with Harris in mind…' Locky said, smirking.

Rica, Tai and Locky all laughed at this.  Harris glared.  

'Actually it's so they don't recognise us!' he said indignantly.

'That too.' Locky laughed.

Zane rolled his eyes.  He just hoped it'd be over and done with quickly…the sooner the better, the waiting was more than he could take.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Lila cheered as Ash scored a goal.  She screamed out encouraging words, along with Roxy.  The two girls were rather embarrassing with their commotion and Vreya begged them to pipe down.

'Roxy…Lila…please…'

'Two four six eight who do we appreciate!' Roxy said, dancing around excitedly on the bench for spectators.

Sara rolled her eyes.  'You'll find being polite and just talking useless Vreya.  This is the only way to get to them.'  She stood up, and walked over to Lila and Roxy.

'ROXANNE!' she grabbed hold of Roxy's arm and pulled hard.  The small girl squealed and fell off balance, into Lila, cutting her off.

Vreya giggled, and Costa said 'Uh huh, the mother trick always does it…'

'Stop acting like five year olds!  You're embarrassing us!' Sara snapped at the two.  Lila glared.  

'I'm just showing my support for our football team…'

'You mean Ash!' Sara replied, and Vreya burst into laughter.  It felt good to laugh with her friends; it got rid of some of the tension she felt.

Gen looked up from the book he was reading.  'Hey, it's six-thirty…isn't practice supposed to be over…?  Two hours Ash said…'

'Yeah look, they're crowding round the coach…probably for a final speech…when's the next match anyway?' Costa asked, lifting his sunglasses away from his eyes, as he sat up.  

'Thursday.' Lila said, rubbing her own arm, which she'd fallen on.  'Vreya and I are coming to watch, right Vreya?'

Vreya smiled.  'I'm guessing I don't have much of a choice…'

'Are you kidding!  We're all going!  Let's all watch our school team squish that loser school to a pulp!' Roxy said enthusiastically.

The players began to disperse and the group of friends stood up, as Ash came jogging up to them.

'Hey, still here?'

'Of course…' Lila said, giggling in a girlish way that made Vreya literally cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh.

'Didn't you hear us cheering for you?'

Ash nodded at Lila, a small smile on his lips.  'Oh.  Yeah.  Thanks…'

Vreya looked from Lila to Ash, and thought how cute it would be if they got together.  Lila was ecstatic that he had actually smiled at her…Vreya could see that from the look on her friend's face, and she knew she would witness the full outcome of her friends happiness later, when Lila would grab her and chatter on about it, as she was bound to do.

Roxy stuck out her tongue at Sara.  'See mum!'

'…' Sara sighed.  'Let's just get going shall we…?  Ash, we'll meet you by the gate okay?  Don't be long, look, it's nearly sunset…'

The sky was a golden colour, signalling the setting of the sun.  By the time they left it would probably begin to get dark.  Ash nodded and headed off to catch up with the other members of his team, and the rest of his friends moved to head to the gate.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Fleck got out the van and went over to the black car the rest of the group was in.

'Hey, what's going on?  I haven't seen anyone else come out the gate in an hour!' he exclaimed, talking to Tai at the window.

'They're not in school…either that or they sneaked out without us noticing!' Harris said.

Zane folded his arms, glaring at Fleck.  'This is a waste of time!' he told him.  Fleck nodded.

'I may have to agree with you…look, it's six-forty five…how much longer are we going to wait?'

Locky leaned forward and spoke to Fleck.  'Hey, doesn't it seem a little odd to you that they are all absent on the same day?'

'Sure, but we have been here for more than three hours…' Fleck replied.  Rica sighed in exasperation.  She agreed with Zane…this was a waste of time.  

'I'm telling you we haven't missed them!' Locky insisted.  'Maybe they all stayed behind for…some after school club!'

Harris yawned loudly.  'Well the gates are still open…usually they shut at six don't they?'

'Yeah, which means that there are still people in there…' Locky agreed.

Zane couldn't believe this.  He had an essay to hand in tomorrow, and he wasn't going to get it done; not that he minded taking a day off anyway…still, he wanted to get home.

'Here's the deal.  We wait until seven…' Tai began.

'Seven fifteen!' Locky said.  'Trust me, they're coming…'

Tai sighed.  'Okay.  Seven-fifteen…only half an hour and then we're going.  It's getting dark…'

'How're Bo and Jez?' Rica asked Fleck, who grinned.

'Jez is cursing at a hundred words per minute, about how typical it is that they shouldn't be here when we've set up the perfect plan…and Bo is close to snoring…'

Rica smirked.  'Keep those anaesthetised cloths away from him…he won't wake up for another century…'

'Heh, yeah, but I'd envy him…he'd get to sleep through what's going to happen…' Fleck said, and then 'Okay, fifteen minutes.  Keep watch okay?'  

'You got it…' Tai nodded.  Fleck then handed Zane a can of coke.

'Here, keep yourself busy.'

Zane gave him an irritated look, but he accepted the can of coke.

'Hey don't we get some?' Harris whined.

Fleck grinned. 'Only one can left, and I got to look out for my charge first…so sorry…' with that he turned and jogged back to the van, getting in again.

'Don't be so quick to, walk away…' Locky began to sing, and Harris elbowed him.

'Shut up smarty-pants.  We've been here three hours…three hours!'

'Yes, and it looks like it's about to pay off…' Tai said slowly, as he looked in the rear view mirror.  A few young people were gathering at the gate.  

'Huh?' Harris said, and he turned his head back to look towards the gate.

A beep from in front of them confirmed the fact that the people they had been waiting for were finally emerging.  Locky smirked smugly.

'Did I not say that they stayed behind?  Oh yes, all hail me, I am a genius.'

Zane looked to the gate.  A group of people were standing there, together.  He couldn't see how many, but it appeared to be quite a few, and he asked Tai:

'What if they all split?'

'Just watch kid…hopefully it'll work out okay…' Tai replied, and Zane frowned.  That didn't really answer his question.  

A blond guy joined the group, and after talking a little more, the group began to walk out of the school.

'Come this way, come this way…' Locky urged, and grinned in complete satisfaction as all the young people headed in their direction.

'The windows…' Rica told Tai, who nodded, pressing a button.  Dark shaded windows covered the standard clear ones, and Tai said

'Okay…now we can see them but they can't see us…'

'They're coming…' Harris said, as the group moved nearer.

'Seven of them…' Locky said, also watching.  They waited for the group to reach them and pass.

'Why don't we just grab them now?' Harris asked.

'Right outside school is not a good idea…they're all together, I'm sure that's all of them…we follow them, and when they get to a quieter spot, we grab them.  They're bound to take a short cut…' Locky said.

'What if they get in a car themselves…?' Rica questioned, and Tai replied

'Let's hope that doesn't happen…'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'So am I like the only one who is totally starving?' Costa asked, as he walked down the street with his friends.

'No way, I am totally famished!' Roxy exclaimed.  'I could eat three large sized pizza's!'

'Yeah right Roxy…' Gen teased her 'you could fit all that in that tiny stomach?'

'HEY!  Do not be fooled for though I appear minute my appetite spans oceans…or something…'

'Spans oceans…uh huh…' Costa said, placing a hand over his stomach.  'Well my stomach is growling for food baby!'

Vreya said 'I feel pretty hungry too…'

'There's that pizza shop near to your place right?' Ash asked Gen, who nodded.

'Yeah.  Pizza and fries, and hot dog sandwiches and the lot.'

'Oh the hunger…' Lila complained, 'Can we take the car?'  

'Think about it this way…' Sara said, shaking her head.  'We walk and we use up energy.  So by the time we get there, we'll be even more hungry, so we can enjoy the food more.'

'Oh gee, that makes me feel a lot better!' Vreya said, smiling at Sara.

'We can take my car…it'd be a tight squeeze though…' Ash told them.  'It's my fault you're all starving…'

'Oh Ash that is so sweet…' Lila grinned, as they passed a sleek black car.  

'But no really, exercise is good…' Sara quipped and Roxy, Lila and Costa groaned in unison, as the rest laughed at them.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Hello babe…' Locky said in a low voice, as he watched Sara pass.  She had a smile on her face, as did the others of the group.

'This them?' Rica asked, examining each face as it passed the car.

'Yeah…they're all there, and a few new faces too…' Tai nodded.

Zane watched curiously.  A redhead laughed loudly as she walked beside a tall, Latino looking guy, who was clutching onto his stomach.  A brunette girl had her face turned away from his line of view, and she was talking to another brunette.  The blonde girl was walking with an oriental looking guy and another blond, a tall guy, who Zane thought looked familiar.  Now where had he seen that face?

The group passed, laughing happily and involved in conversation with each other.

Locky handed out the anaesthetised cloths.  'We got them…we have so got them…'

'Hold your horses…are they all Chosen Ones?' Rica asked.  It seemed like an awfully large number.

'Four of the seven are, so there's a good chance the others are too.  What have we got to loose by grabbing them all?' Tai replied.

They watched and waited for the sign from Fleck and the others.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Jez held the newspaper up as the group passed.  

Bo grinned at them.  'Hey kids!'

The young teenagers looked up at him.

'It's kind of late isn't it?  Shouldn't you be getting home?' He asked, and Fleck swatted him on the arm.

'Young people need time off too you know…' he said, and this was popular with the group.

'Woo!  You tell him man!' A redhead grinned, and they waved and continued on.  Jez lowered the newspaper slowly.

'That was stupid Bo.' She said icily.

'I know, but hey, at least they think we're just friendly passers by!'  Bo replied.  Fleck stuck his hand out the window, signalling for the others to get ready to start their car.  The chase would start very soon…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Are we there yet?' Roxy whined.  They'd been walking for a long while in her opinion, too long.  

'Almost gotten to the pizza place…we can take a short cut here…' Gen replied 'Through an alleyway…'

Vreya opened her mouth to object, but then hesitated.  She'd gotten paranoid about alleyways now, and that was ridiculous…she was with her friends, nothing could happen to her…she was perfectly safe…then why did she have an uneasy feeling?

'Vreya?' Ash's voice came to her.  She looked at him.  'You okay?' 

'Fine…just…you know…alleyways…' she gave an uncomfortable smile.  Ash blinked, and said 

'Gen, maybe we can just walk the last few minutes…how much of a cut is it?'

'Ten minutes…we get there in five instead…' Gen replied.

'Aw, please take the short cut!  Have mercy man!' Costa said, and Ash looked to Vreya again.

'It's okay…' Vreya assured him.  'I'm being silly; I'm with you guys…'

Ash nodded and they took a left to enter the abandoned alleyway.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'This is almost too perfect!' Tai exclaimed in disbelief.  The group had turned into an alleyway.  He parked the car, and they got out quickly.  Fleck beckoned them to the van.

'Hey, this is great!  We got them!  Get in the back all of you, let's go round and close them off…' he said.

Locky smirked.  'Oh I am such a genius…' he said again.

'So you stroke lucky…' Harris rolled his eyes, as he got into the back of the van. Followed by Locky, Rica, Tai and Zane.

'Everyone get ready…this is it!' Fleck said, as he closed the door to the back of the van, and got back in the front, starting it up again. 

Zane pulled up the black mask that would not only protect him from any small chance of being knocked out from the anaesthetised cloth himself, but would also conceal his identity.  It comfortably covered his face all the way up to his eyes.  Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he knew there could be no mess-ups.  This was probably the only opportunity they'd get and any slips would ruin everything.  He would not fail.  

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'A nice cheese burger…' Roxy said, dreaming up the meal she was going to eat in a few minutes.

'Roxy will you shut up?  I'm hungry enough!' Costa snapped at her, as they walked down the empty alleyway.  The sky was a dark blue, the last streaks of sunset fading away.

'No, it's helping me cope!' Roxy replied.

'Okay we're almost there…gee, we only haven't eaten for a few hours, how do poor people feel?' Lila wondered.

'So now you think about that?' Sara asked, raising a brow.

'Well, you know…' Lila said, shrugging.  'It's an issue we have to be aware of…'

'Yes, and you finally became aware at age seventeen…' Gen began, but a screeching sound in front of them cut him off.  In the distance a van was reversing their way, fast.

'What the…' Sara began confusedly.

'This is a no entry street…' Lila said, and Ash instructed 

'Get to the side, out the way…'

The all moved aside, expecting the van to pass them, but they were surprised when it stopped.  The engine switched off, and they all stared, confusedly.  

Vreya's heart began to pound.  A warning a split second before the danger became clear.

'We have to get out of…' she began, but the back doors of the van were kicked open, and people emerged.  People also got out of the front of the van.  All wore black masks, concealing their faces.

'Oh shit!' Costa said, forgetting all about his hunger.  The people were armed with ropes and pieces of white cloth.

'Who sent you?  The mafia?' Lila said, inching closer to Ash, who began to back away, getting ready to tell them all to run.  The people seemed sinister in their intentions, masked as they were and holding the items they were.

'Okay…' One of the masked men spoke.  'Everyone knows what to do…'

Vreya's eyes darted from person to person, terror seizing her.  Why was this happening…why did the entire world seem interested in them, and her all of a sudden?!  This had something to do with Jez and Locky, she was sure of it…

'Run…' she said in a low voice to Sara beside her.

'…' Sara grabbed hold of her hand, and began to inch back, grabbing hold of Roxy's hand also.

Ash said bravely 'Who are you and what do you want?'

A white blond haired man spoke.  'In all honesty…all of you lot…'

Vreya's eyes widened… the voice was muffled but she recognised it, she was sure…

'Oh my God!' she began, but she didn't have the chance to react.  The group of eight were onto them before they even realised.  

'Shit!  Get the fuck off me!' Costa yelled, as a masked man grabbed hold of him.  He did his best to fight him off, but his legs were kicked out from under him and he was floored.  Before he could even work out what was happening, a piece of cloth was pressed against his mouth and nose.  Costa realised too late what was happening…he drew a breath to curse his attacker, but never managed to say the words, as he grew limp.

Fleck dragged the limp body up and threw him into the back of the van.  This alarmed the rest of the young people.  The blond haired guy was struggling with Bo, and Jez had a hold of the squealing red-haired girl.  The oriental guy was punched in the stomach and knocked to the floor by Harris.  

'Pretty violent stuff!' Rica said to him, as she dragged another to the back of the van.  The kids deserved credit…they were putting up quite a fight.

'Lila!' another brunette cried in dismay, and then 'Let them go!'

'Call the cops!' Roxy screamed.  Sara took out her cell phone, and with shaking hands tried to dial, but the white blond haired masked man was onto her in a second, grabbing the phone from her.

'Get off me!' Sara yelled, kicking and scratching at her attacker with her nails.  Ash had managed to get his attacker off him, and stumbled up, looking around.  Roxy was out cold, and Gen would be too.  They were doing something to them all…the white cloth…

'Sara, don't breath when he puts that cloth on your mouth!' Ash began, and only just avoided another grab.  Costa and Lila were in the back of the van, and he saw Roxy being carried also.  The only free person was a terrified looking Vreya…Ash caught site of someone advancing on her, and he moved to stop him.  If Vreya got away she could inform the police…

The green eyes young man advanced on the brunette girl.  So he'd been left with this one…it was dark, but clear enough for him to see the frightened look in her eyes…this would be easy…she wasn't even aware of him sneaking up on her, she stood there, frozen on the spot.

Suddenly someone rammed into him, knocking him off balance.  He cursed.  He hadn't been aware of anyone sneaking up on him!  

'Vreya!' a guy's voice called from over him 'RUN!'

The brunette girl cried 'I can't leave you!'

'Go and get help!'

'No, no, shit, get that brat!' 

Vreya backed away, so frightened her legs felt useless.  Someone had grabbed Ash and thrown him off the person he had pinned down.

'Get her tyke, NOW!'

'Shit!  Get off!  VREYA GO!' Ash yelled, and realised his mistake too late.  The cloth was over his mouth and he was out a moment later.  

Locky picked up a limp Sara in his arms and carried her to the van.  Gen was proving a tough nut to crack, but Harris finally got him.  

The masked person who had been floored by Ash got up swiftly and darted forward, to grab the final person left.  Vreya's fight or flight instinct finally kicked in and she turned and bolted away, running as fast as she could.

'HELP!' she screamed at the top of her lungs 'HELP ME!'

She ran quickly; she was light and small in size, but her pursuer was faster than her; much faster.  Despite her head start he caught her up, and tripped her off balance.  Vreya fell to the floor roughly, kicking at the person who tried to get a firm hold of her.  She managed to wriggle away from him and scrambled up again.

'Shit, is that the girl who got away?' Bo exclaimed, and Jez shrieked

'Yes!  Get her you idiot!  He needs help!'

Fleck moved to help Zane, but Rica stopped him.  'No, he's got her…'

Before Vreya could start to run again, she was pulled back down.  Strong hands attempted to trap her arms, but she yelled angrily, and dug her elbow back, into her attackers stomach.

'Shit!' he cursed; he had never been hit by a girl before, nor did he expect a girl to hit so hard.  He almost lost her as she shoved him back roughly, but he was better trained at fighting than her and he finally got her onto the floor, trapped beneath him so that she couldn't escape.

'NO LET ME GO!' she screamed, relapsing back into the typical methods of using her nails to try and scratch his eyes out.  As she struggled, she caught a glimpse of his eyes, and almost passed out by herself.

They were green…a deep dark green…

For a moment her arms stopped pushing him away, distracted, and he used it to his advantage.  

They wrestled a bit before he finally got the upper hand, and jerking her up, with her arms trapped firmly behind her back, locked by his own arm, he used his free hand to apply the cloth to her nose and mouth.  Vreya tried to turn her face away, still struggling wildly.  But her body ached and she needed to breath, and finally she lost the battle, as dizziness overwhelmed her and she lost track of everything, her world falling into darkness.  Her body grew limp and fell back into her attackers arms.

Zane sat there a moment, with the girl sprawled in his arms, breathing slowly.  He hadn't expected her to put up such a fight…he would have disposed of her much sooner if he had just hit her, but he wasn't the sort to hit girls.  In the end, his speed and strength had won over hers.  

A hand on his shoulder alerted him of Fleck's presence.  He looked down at Zane, the mask off his face.  

'You okay?  Quite a feisty fighter you got there…'

Zane glared at him.  'I didn't want to hit her.'

'Very noble of you.' Jez said angrily.  'She almost got away!  The brat!  Again!'

'Chill…' Locky said.  'We got the babe.  Come on, bring her over here and let's go…'

Zane picked her up.  She was rather light, and easy to carry.  Carrying her to the van, he let Bo put her in; the older man carried the girl as if she weighed nothing.  Then Bo closed the door, and let out a breath.

'Well that was exciting!  Good job all, we got them!'

'They're all Chosen' Rica nodded, and Fleck smiled happily.

'Come on.  Let's get them back quick…we have to get out of here…their shouting carried a long way…'

'Make sure you pick everything up…see you at the base…' Bo said to Rica, as he, Jez and Fleck got back into the van.  The others picked up whatever was lying around and moved off also, getting into their car and driving off quietly into the night.  

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

Zzzzzzz……hmmmm?  Oh.  ^__^ Hope you liked that…well, they're all together now, aww!  I'll try to update soon, thanks for reading, don't forget to review!  Now that they finally got hold of all the main lot I can start to really move things on, again sorry it took so long, it's almost the 2oth chapter!  Lol sorry but I like to take my time lol, as you already figured probably lol.  Anyway, see you soon, take care, until next time, happy reading! ^~^


	19. Realisations

HEY!  Angelheart is still alive and um, writing!  Which was more than I could say for my silly computer for the past week and a little!  Readers, I humbly ask for your forgiveness!  I've taken so long to update, but there was something wrong with my disk drive, and we had to send the computer to the doctor because it was sick…I missed it, I missed updating, and I missed all of you!  *sniffles*  I am SO sorry, times a zillion.  You probably all thought I'd given up, my apologies, I feel so bad!  It's just that I work all week now, more or less, and time is limited.  I would have updated sooner if my computer hadn't decided to break down…please forgive!  In return I give you my next chapter, I just hope you haven't all forgotten about this fic and me!  I hope this was worth the (ridiculous!) wait, once again thanks so much for your reviews, and to all new reviewers, welcome!  Hope you stick with my fic!  Anyway, enough time wasted, get reading, I hope you like this, I'm really gonna start picking up pace now!  Oh and to (^__^) Noacat, is this the moment you've been waiting for…the official introductions…teehee, two names to get you excited: Zane and Vreya…teehee…but who says I'm putting them together, I may have something else in mind…lol, just you all wait…^__- Now read, read!

Chapter XIX: Realisations 

Blood…it was everywhere…it consumed everything…splattered all over the floor, all over the walls…and when she looked down, it was all over her white clothing, her hands, her arms…a blood bath, all around her.

Horror filled her, she felt sick, trapped in the nightmare vision she was seeing, and the stench…dear god, the stench was…was more than she could take…

The scream wouldn't escape from her lips.  Her soul was screaming to be let out, to end the agony, the pain her body had endured for so long.

Pain…she hurt…every part of her body hurt…ached, felt so bruised, so battered.  She could barely bring herself to think…but a thought registered weakly in her mind nonetheless.  

_Water…water…purifies…I…call…I have to call…water…but…too weak…need…L…Levia…than…_

A voice came to her suddenly, distant, wise, calm, everything she wasn't.  It spoke to her, barely audible.

'Remember the light child.  When all else has failed you, the light shall not.  In times of darkness, when the rivers run red and all that is left is death and decay, look to the light within the shell…'

_The light…within the shell…what…?  _Confusion muddled her and made her unable to think or act.

'The tear, child…remember the tear…look to the silver tear, hold it in your righteous hand and all shall be restored and purified by the power of holy…'

The silver tear…the… silver tear…the words echoed in her head, pounding inside, as if seeking a way out. 

…_ Luna's tear_…_must get…the_ _Luna tear…_

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya's eyes opened, the dream slipping away into nothingness.  She tried to remember…it had been another strange one…probably important…but her head hurt…it throbbed…no, she couldn't remember, she couldn't think straight.

'You up?  You okay?' a voice said quietly to her.  Vreya blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light.  She was lying on a cold, hard wooden floor.  She remembered that they had all been abducted then, and realised that most of her friends were up.  

Ash took hold of her arm gently, and helped her sit up.

'You okay?' he asked again.

Vreya shook her head, feeling sick.

'I'm scared Ash…where are we…?'

Ash looked around, and sighed, shrugging.  'I don't know Vreya.  Some kind of basement…'

'We tried that door at the top of the stairs…it's locked…won't budge…' Gen said.  Even as he said this, Costa banged on the door loudly, Lila standing beside him.

'Are you all okay?' Vreya asked, looking around to see them all up.  Sara had her head in her hands, massaging her temples.

'Damn them.  What was that stuff?  I feel groggy even now…damn them, how is this happening?' she muttered to herself.

Roxy was huddled in the corner, hugging herself.  Vreya moved over carefully.  She still felt sick and a little dizzy herself.  

'Hey Roxy…'

'I'm scared Vreya.  What's happening to us?  Why us?  I'm scared'

Vreya hugged the petite girl, in an attempt to comfort her.  'It's okay Roxy…we're together in this…we're going to find a way out…it'll be okay…'

'HEY!  OPEN UP YOU ASSHOLES!  HEY, IS ANYONE THERE!  LET US OUT!  WE'RE CALLIN' THE COPS IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!' Costa yelled at the tip of his lungs.

Gen shook his head.  'Costa, come back here will you?  You're wasting your time.'

'Suckers!  What the hell is this?!' Costa said, outraged, his fiery Latin temper getting the better of him.  He kicked the door hard, and Lila winced.

'Ouch.  Calm down man, before you hurt yourself.'

'There's only one person going to get hurt, and that's the guy who…'

He was cut off, as the door swung open, right into his face, with such force it sent him falling back down the stairs.

'Ow!' Roxy exclaimed for Costa, holding onto her face.

Lila backed away from the door, running back down to her friends.  It was rather dark, they couldn't see who came in.  They heard a voice, cold and angry snap at them

'Shut up!'

They heard movements, as if there were more people, but saw nothing.  

Costa stumbled up, immediately resuming his ranting.  'Let us go!  You better not mess with us!  We'll kick your asses!'

There was a sound like a laugh trying to be covered up as a cough.  This only served to infuriate Costa more.

He stepped forward, to the dark figure.

'Hey you!' he began.

'Stay back.' The voice ordered harshly.

'Who the hell are you man?' Costa demanded.

'Stay back.'

'And if I don't…?'

'Costa…' Sara began, and then the clear sound of a bullet being loaded into a gun met their ears.

'I shoot.' The person replied.

'What do you want from us?' Roxy asked, in a tiny voice.

'We can talk about this…' Gen attempted to reason. 

Costa backed away and whispered to Ash 'Ash…there's just one…we can all rush him at once and then get out that door…'

Ash was unsure.  They could only see one, but what if there were more?

'I don't know…' he began.

'Ash, it's our only chance, before others come!' Lila agreed.  Ash sighed, and then nodded.  

'Okay…tell the others…'

As Lila moved to do so, Costa spoke again to the figure.  'Say man, so where are we anyway?'

The figure didn't reply.

'C'mon man, answer me already!'

Silence.  

'What the hell's up with you?' Costa demanded, stepping forward again.

'Get back' the voice said, through gritted teeth.

'You don't have a gun…I can take you out…come on!' Costa lunged forward, at the figure, but he was surprised as the figure swiftly side stepped out the way, and shoved him from the side.  Costa couldn't see all too clearly, but the person appeared to be a little shorter than his height…wait…no, this close he could see better…it was a guy…

'Now!' Ash yelled, and they moved forward.

Lila rushed forward but was also pushed back.  Ash attempted to rush the figure, but was caught totally off guard as the figure swept him off balance.  Roxy hung back, afraid, and Sara, uncertain.  

Vreya took a breath, an idea coming into mind…if she could try and dummy him…his back was turned, at least she hoped… 

Zane heard footsteps running up behind him, and whirled around instantly, simultaneously raising the gun he held in his left hand to drive back whichever idiot they'd caught that had decided to attempt to get past him.    

A sweet voice, vaguely familiar, cried out, and he found himself looking directly at the girl he had danced with the previous week.  Of course she'd be here…she was like him…a 'Chosen One'…yet he could still not get over the initial surprise of actually seeing her here...it confirmed that she really was part of this too…crushing all his hopes.

She looked equally as shocked to see him again.  Her eyes, which had initially widened with fear, were now full of recognition.  Her mouth opened, and she exclaimed in confusion,

'…You…?!'

Zane stared back stupidly a moment, still holding the gun up at her.  He opened his mouth to order her back, but a yell alerted him of another incoming and more mobile threat.  His face turned to see one of the boys they had caught come rushing at him.

'Get away from her you shit!' the Latin looking guy said, about Zane's age also.  Zane pointed the gun at him, angrily, but then something happened he hadn't anticipated.  He was attacked from behind, and shoved roughly.  Before he could even think to react the gun was somehow knocked out of his grasp and he was pinned to the floor, on his stomach.

Stunned, he blinked a moment, somewhat surprised that he should be floored once again by one of them, and then began to struggle wildly.

'Get off me you fucking asshole!' he snarled, but whoever held him down was heavier than he was, and had his arms trapped in a way so that he couldn't use them. 

Vreya backed away, stunned.  Her heart was racing; she was scared, yes, but seeing that guy again…she had never expected…never would she have dared to hope that she'd see him around again…what was he doing here…?  She couldn't believe it…and why had he helped to abduct them all?  She was more confused than ever…what was going on?  

Lila grabbed hold of her arm, her words echoing Vreya's thoughts.

'Vreya, I swear that's the same guy you danced with…'

Vreya could only stare, dumbstruck, as the young man tried in vain to get Costa off him.  It had to be him…no one else could have those green eyes…no one else had those amazingly sculptured and chiselled features…and he had looked at her like he had recognised her too…even in the dim light, she had been able to see his eyes, like green flames, burning brightly.

A cool voice ordered 'Alright, enough of this, get off him kid…'

Roxy let out a little shriek as she realised that they were not alone with the guy…in the dim light there was movement and then eight adults surrounded them, three of them also holding out guns.  

'Shit…' Ash realised the situation was hopeless…they were outnumbered by one, that and also the people who'd kidnapped them all had weapons on them.

Costa realised he'd have to let the guy go, but he wanted to beat the crap out of him first.  He had no idea that the guy he held down was as dangerous unarmed as he was with a gun.  He had been very lucky to catch him off guard…something not many people could, or dared to do.

'Costa…get off him man…' Ash said in a low voice, and Costa finally reluctantly relented, loosening his hold on the floored young man.  Zane reacted instantly.  Moving with grace and great agility he threw the unsuspecting Costa off of him, and elbowed him hard in his jaw.  Costa howled in pain, and as he attempted to retaliate he was met with a swift roundhouse kick that sent him flying back, flooring him.  

Zane glared at the boy who'd knocked him to the floor in disgust, and snapped 'Touch me again and you're dead!'

The rest of the young people gaped at him.  His reflexes were fast and he could seriously cause damage…they were average fighters, but they had never seen any one fight like that.

The light brightened slightly.

One of the adults, a blond haired man, chuckled.  'I think you scared them enough for now kid, come over here…'

Zane dusted himself off, and giving a stunned and furious Costa one final dirty look, he moved back to stand next to the blond man.

Vreya stared, mouth open in a shocked 'o' of disbelief, as many random thought raced confusedly in her mind.

_That guy…he…he just…he beat the crap out of…oh my God…and he has green-eyes too…it…he was…the one who…helped me?!  But he's with these people now…I can't believe it…then why didn't he tell me when we danced…I knew it was him!  _She thought, staring at him stupidly.  He did not look at her again…she felt angry…she'd attempt to beat him up herself…as soon as she got the chance she was going to punch him so hard…

'Right, now we understand you're all very confused…' a smooth, pleasant voice addressed them soothingly, and Vreya's heart leapt violently, her look of horror reflected on the faces of her friends also, especially Sara and Roxy.

'Locky?!' Roxy practically screeched, and he flashed her a movie-star smile.

'Hey Roxy, we meet again…'

'Y…you!' Vreya spluttered, outraged.  Her eyes darted around, dread filling her, and just as she suspected, Jez, and the two others who had posed as 'Inspectors' were here.  She put her hand over her mouth, and stared, in horror.  Oh God…what was going on…what did they want from her and her friends…?

'These the people you told us about?' Sara whispered, looking very angrily Locky's way.  Vreya nodded mutely, feeling furious herself.  

'Looks like you've all met before!' a dark tan skinned man exclaimed, looking at Vreya with interest, and the red haired woman next to them, with a deeper auburn colour than Jez, said to Vreya,

'Why, I believe you are the very same girl who got our little terror to dance here…'

Vreya's eyes moved to the green-eyed guy, who had his arms folded across his chest.  He looked very moody, and her suspicions were confirmed.  It was the same guy she'd danced with and who had saved her from these very same people.  His eyes rested on her for a split second before he looked away again, dismissively.  

'Yes…that girl has caused us a lot of problems…' Jez said, her eyes narrowed at Vreya, who swallowed.  Gen spoke up, ever calm and rational.

'Listen…we don't know what's going on…could you tell us…?'  

'Of course.  Once we get all settled, and you agree not to attempt to rush at us so blindly…' the blond haired man with a small ponytail said, smiling amiably.

'You're all fucking out of your minds!  I'm calling the cops right now!' Costa exclaimed, reaching for his cell phone.  His face dropped as he realised it was no longer on him.

'Give us credit kid…' the dark-skinned man chuckled, 'We're not stupid enough to leave your cell phones on you all…we took them all when you were all knocked out, as a precaution…'

'What do you want?' Roxy asked, trembling and grasping onto Gen's arm.

'Who are you?' Lila demanded.

'And why are we here?' Sara added.

The blond guy with the ponytail smiled.  'First things first children…let us introduce ourselves.  Believe it or not, we're all your friends here, and we're going to be spending a lot of time together!  Isn't that great?' he grinned.

The seven teenagers all stared back at him with the same looks on their faces…looks that suggested they thought he was insane.  He laughed good-naturedly.  

'Okay, it won't make sense yet, but let me just tell you all our names…I'm Fleck…' he began to point at the other adults.  'This is Bo…' he said, pointing at the dark-skinned man 'That's Rica…' the auburn haired woman, 'That's Morgan...' the white haired man, 'This is Tai…' he said, pointing to the spiky blond haired man who waved, and then to the brown haired one next to him 'Harris…' next he pointed to the copper haired woman and the white-blond young man next to her 'Jez and Locky…' and finally he gave the young man standing next to him a slap on the back, which made him frown even more.

'Introduce yourself kid.  These are the people you'll be working with…'

Zane scowled.  Oh great, what losers did he have to put up with…why did fate always decide to be harsh on him?  Sighing to himself in exasperation, he said his name in his customary flat tone of voice.

'Zane.'

_Zane huh?  I'm going to kick your ass, even if I know I can't it's not going to stop me trying…_Vreya thought angrily to herself.  She was sure he'd been the one who'd grabbed her, because the voice had been similar.  

Costa glared at Zane.  So his name was Zane?  More like Pain in Costa's opinion…his jaw still ached.  He vowed that he was going to get even with Zane even if he did get mashed up in the process.  Let the little asshole wait…

Sara glared hatefully at Locky.  She couldn't believe she'd been fooled like this…how could he do this?  He's seemed like such a nice guy when she'd met him at the dance…looking over to Vreya, who's small hands were clenched into fists, she guessed her friend was thinking the same thing about the newly introduced Zane.

Roxy couldn't believe this was happening…why would they do this to them?  And if they were all 'friends' then why had they grabbed them all so roughly like that?

'Now, you know our names, it's only fair we know yours…' Rica stated.  When all the young people simply stared back silently, Fleck said,

'Okay, if you don't tell us we'll make you'

'Just try!' Costa snarled, still holding his aching jaw and glaring at the man.

Fleck shrugged, and held his gun up.  'Okay then.  Tell me your name or I'll fire.'

Sara laughed an icy sharp laugh.  It was not an amused sound.  'Oh please.  If you were really friends of ours you would not shoot us.'

'Yeah well, there's only one of you that we have to make sure survives, and I'm sure it's not that loudmouth there.  Shoot him Fleck.' Jez said casually, and Ash's eyes widened.

'Whoa…wait a second…' he held up his hands, signalling a compromise, but Fleck shrugged.  'Sorry kiddo, but you said you won't tell us…'

'And we won't…you won't shoot…' Costa scoffed, and Zane's eyes narrowed at him impatiently.  If he was going to have to put up with this kind of shit he was seriously going to have to teach this idiot to put his mind where his mouth was.

Fleck shrugged again 'Okay.  Your choice.'  Without warning he pulled the trigger, and fired a shot.  All the young people cried out.  Gen pushed Costa out the way, and the bullet pierced the wall behind.  

Shakily getting up, Costa spluttered 'You…you crazy shit!'

'For your information, that wasn't a real bullet.  It wouldn't have killed you…but let it be a lesson…next time I'll use a real one, if that's what it takes to get you to listen.' Fleck warned, looking extremely serious.  Zane almost smirked at the terrified look on the loudmouth's face.

'Now…starting with you…' Fleck pointed the gun at Ash, 'Your names.'

Ash swallowed, and looked at the others.  Costa shook his head, signalling not to, but Ash was on a more logical wavelength of thought, a more reasonable and practical one.  They weren't in any position to make demands.  They had no choice but to comply…that was plain to him.  Shrugging, he answered.

'I'm Ash.'

Fleck looked to the next person.  Roxy squeaked nervously 'My…n…names…Roxanne…but…you can call me Roxy sir…'

'Oh God…' Costa muttered in disgust, and Fleck grinned.  'At least one of you has manners…next.'

Costa glared.  'It's Pete' he lied, and Sara couldn't help but burst into laughter.  Locky raised a brow.  

'Uh huh, and I'm the gingerbread man.  What's it really, stop wasting more time.'

Costa shot Sara a dirty look and snapped 'Fine!  Costa okay?  My name is Costa'

'Nice name!  Put it together with Rica's and you get a place…' Bo chuckled, his eyes moving to the guy next to him.

'Gen-Ray.' The oriental young man said.  

'I'm Lila.' The brown haired girl next to him introduced herself, moodily.

Vreya knew it was her turn, but before she could open her mouth, Locky said in amusement,

'Hello Vreya, how's it going?'

Vreya glared at him, feeling only hate and bitterness.  She'd been right from the very beginning…these people were all liars and cheats, and whatever they wanted from her and her friends couldn't be good.  She regretted not trusting her gut instincts and telling an adult about them earlier.

Harris chuckled at the look on the pretty brunettes face, as Fleck moved to the last person, Sara.

'I think Locky can tell you who I am too!' she said angrily, eyes flashing.  Locky smiled serenely.

'Oh yes.  The exquisite Sara…how could I forget…I'm enchanted…'

'You jerk…' Sara hissed at him, and he shrugged.

'I'm not that bad…once you get to know me…' he grinned at her, and she looked away angrily.  How could she have been so stupid?

Morgan, the wise looking old man spoke up then.  'It's good to meet you all.  You may think we have malicious intentions in mind for you all, but I can assure you, that is not the case…'

Tai nodded 'Yeah…you know we only ambushed you like that because there was no other way of getting you to come with us and listen to us…'

'You think we're going to listen to you now?' Lila demanded, and Harris said to her,

'Do you really think you have a choice, outnumbered like you are?'  She looked away, unhappily.

'Now, this'll take a while to explain, so you can sit down if you like…' Fleck said, and when none of them moved, Bo chuckled.

'Don't worry, they'll tire eventually and stop being so stubborn…' he said.  Fleck shrugged, and went on,

'You have to listen to me very carefully…what I am about to tell you is very serious…'

'It'll sound nuts, but it is true…Zane here has accepted it, and so must you…' Rica said, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

'Right then…from the beginning…' Fleck said, and began to retell the situation to them.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'And that, my young friends, is the reason why we have bought you here…' Morgan finished, looking at the young people, who were mostly all on the floor now, save for two of them who were resting back against the wall, Costa (who they'd expected to) and Ash.

There was a silence, and Sara said finally 'Wonderful story you've got there.  Great movie potential.'

Zane rolled his eyes.  Why couldn't they just accept it; that way it'd all be over a lot quicker and he'd have to spend a lot less time in their presence!

'Yeah, are you on drugs or something?' Lila said, as Roxy stifled a yawn.  God only knew how long they'd sat here, listening to the explanation for, all of them asking questions every now and again.

The adults, some of who were also sitting down around the room, exchanged glances.

'Look kids…how else would you explain these reoccurring dreams you've kept on having…its not just any coincidence…' Fleck said.

Gen was staring at him sceptically.

'I'm sorry…but we don't really believe in all this…how can we…it all sounds very…science fiction…'

'Yeah…' Lila agreed 'It's crazy…what you're saying can't be true…'

'So…' Costa began 'Is this like a cult you started and are looking for recruits?  Because we are not into this stuff…'

Zane wanted to shoot the asshole so badly.  They didn't need his talk…

'Not a cult…more like your fate.'  Harris replied.  Costa snorted but said no more.

Vreya sat with her legs drawn up against her chest, her knees on the floor.  All their dreams were connected to each other…so if they dreamed about someone here, that person also had the same dream about them…

_So then…I keep seeing…a green-eyed guy…_her heart gave a sudden inexplicable leap that surprised her, and her eyes moved of their own accord to Zane, who was slumped back on a chair.  Was he the one she kept on seeing?  It could be someone else…but then again, it was very likely it was him…after all, this guy had been the one who'd helped her out, and then she'd met him again at the party, and now again…she wished she knew what he dreamed, so she could confirm it.  It was insane, but part of her believed this, wanted to believe it…a lot of crazy things had been happening lately, things that couldn't really be explained…their dreams were just one aspect…another thing was that tremble in the ground a while back, that strangely had only been felt by some people, and hadn't even been mentioned in the news…in an insane, inexplicable way, what these adults were telling them made a lot more sense than any rational explanation would…at least that was how Vreya felt.  She desperately wanted to believe…any explanation would do.

Ash regarded Fleck.

'Excuse us, but could we just have a moment…?  Just to discuss this together?'

The adults looked to the oldest among them to make the decision.

Morgan nodded, motioning with his head for his fellow mentors to leave.  'Yes, of course…we'll be upstairs.'

'Back in fifteen…that should be enough…' Fleck nodded, and they all exited up the small flight of stairs, closing the door behind them.  As soon as they were gone, Costa exclaimed,

'Right.  We are gonna think of a way to get out of here, because those people are seriously freaking me out!'

Gen said quietly 'Keep it down…'

'Yeah…calm down…let's just think this over…' Ash said in a reasonable tone of voice.

'Okay…' Lila began 'So what do we think…?'

'I think this is crazy.' Sara replied curtly.

'…I'm scared…' Roxy said, with her small frame huddled in the corner of the room.

'…So…let me get this straight a moment…' Lila began, stressfully rubbing at her face.  'These people are saying that all our dreams are interlinked, because we're all involved in this…this extremely crazy…' she laughed suddenly 'I can't even say it…it's so insane…'

'Saving the world…huh, I always wanted to do that!' Costa said sarcastically.

Ash held up his hands.  'Listen.  Think about it…how do they know we're having these dreams?'

'They guessed?' Roxy piped up, and Gen shook his head.

'I doubt it Roxy…they knew somehow…without us even saying anything, that in our dreams were the same elements…'

'Oh come on…!' Sara said, looking at Gen in disbelief.  'Are you telling me you think…that you believe that the crying we hear is really the planet?!  Since when did the Earth speak!?'

Vreya, who'd been quietly listening to them all, spoke up finally.  'What about that earthquake?'

Eyes turned to her.  'What?' Lila asked, confusion spreading over her face.

'Remember the earthquake we felt a while back…that wasn't on the news…wasn't that weird?  I mean…if they're telling us that it's the planet trying to warn us…then we're the only ones who felt it…and our parents…well...my mum did…'

'But the entire school felt it…that so doesn't make sense…' Roxy said, twirling a strand of hair nervously around her finger.

'My mum said she wasn't too far from school…at the shopping centre…' Vreya said, trying to make sense of everything she'd been told.  Yes, it sounded completely crazy and like nonsense, but the more she thought of it, the more the events they'd been experiencing coincided with what they'd been told by Fleck and the others…and that scared her…maybe she didn't want them to be right…it was terrifying and insane and she didn't understand, neither did her friends who were equally as afraid and confused by this new information…but in a crazy way, it made sense…

'Maybe…it was just in our area…' Ash said slowly, and Sara cried,

'Ash!  You don't believe this…please tell me you don't believe this…saving the world…destiny?!  Fighting for the planet and merging of realms?!  Hello, am I the only one missing the logic to such insanity!  This…this is what movies are made out of!'

'You're not the only one Sara…I agree this is crap and I am gonna get out of here…if you guys want to stay here and listen to this shit be my guest…I have a home to get to…'

Roxy said, looking at Vreya, Lila, Ash and Gen, who all seemed more uncertain, 'Monsters and other life forms don't exist…so these people are drunk…maybe…you know, they're those sick people who…like, make things up…or maybe they're doing a test on us…'

'Why us?' Lila asked, in dismay.  'Why us?'

No one had the answer to that.

'All I'm thinking is that I would dismiss this, because it is total insanity…it's just that…they have us here…and I find it a little strange that we're all having connected reoccurring dreams, that they seem to know we're having…' Gen said.

Vreya shook her head.  'They don't sound like crazy people…'

'Crazy people generally don't Vreya…they believe they are genuinely right…that's why they're so sick in the mind and need help.' Sara replied.

Ash said 'Then what about that guy?  He seems to believe them…'

Costa's features darkened at the mention of Zane.  'That guy's an ass…he almost broke my jaw…'

'That was the same one who danced with Vreya…' Roxy said.  She would have usually relished the chance to tease her friend, but the circumstances were far too strange and confusing for her to bother.

Vreya took a breath…it was time she told them.  'He's also the same guy who got me away from that gang…'

Sara's brows shot up.  'What?  Are you sure?'

'I…I think so…I mean…he had green eyes and fought that good too…I just realised now…' her voice trailed off.

Gen frowned.  'That doesn't make sense Vreya…why would he help you get away from these people if he's with them now?'

Vreya shook her head again, burying her face in her hands.  'I don't know okay…I don't know anything…'

'Exactly Bonita, and you know why?  Because it's total utter shit and it won't make sense because it and they all belong to the loony bin.' Costa stated.  'Now, I am looking for a way to get out of here…how long have we been here for, our parents are going to flip…I am so leaving…'

Sara nodded her agreement, 'We'll get out, and then we'll report these crazy people…and they'll be put in the mental hospital…'

They were so involved in their talking, they didn't realise that someone had quietly entered the room to check on them, and had been listening to their exchange.  They only became aware when the person spoke up, in a cold, curt, flat tone of voice.

'I don't think so.'

Roxy jumped, and the look of surprise on her face was reflected on the face of her friends.  They looked to the stairs to see Zane emerge from his hiding place in the shadows, to come into view in the dim light.  He rested his elbows on the top railing of the wooden stairs, looking down at them.  He wouldn't even have bothered to talk to them, but it was becoming extremely irritating that they were wasting so much time…already they'd wasted so much…he'd been told to check on them by Fleck, and as soon as he'd listened in he'd heard the loudmouth Costa announce he was going to get out of here.  

Zane liked to see him try to get past him.

'You!' Costa growled 'I'm going to get your ass busted and sue you for assault!'

The young man looked very bored.  'Who attacked who first?' he questioned.

Ash regarded the boy, unsure of what to make of him.  He glanced at Roxy who had a small smile on her face.

_Oh yeah…Roxy always did have a soft spot for 'cute' guys…_he remembered.  No doubt she thought this one was 'cute' also.

'You almost broke my jaw you bastard!' Costa said, growing increasingly angry.

The guy on the top of the stairs gave a look of sarcastic and mocking disappointment.  'Damn.  It didn't break…I was hoping it would, maybe then you'd keep your stupid mouth shut.'

'You're such a shit…!' Costa yelled at him.

'…Whatever…' Zane replied dismissively, looking at him in disgust.  His response prompted a muffled snicker from Roxy.  

Vreya stared up at the boy, Zane, rather stunned by the fact that he seemed to have the perfect answer that would irritate Costa even more, every time Costa threw an insult his way.  His coolness and distant manner were…insanely fascinating…even Ash wasn't this withdrawn from feelings.

'Look…' Sara attempted, looking up at Zane directly, standing up on her feet again.  'If you just let us go, we won't hold any charges against you…we can all forget this ever happened…'

'What?!  Are you kidding?  I'm getting his ass in prison if it's the last thing I do!' Costa said, clearly disliking Zane the most out of all of them.

Zane rolled his eyes.  How immature…

Ash spoke up 'You believe all this then?'

'Yes, and so should you.' Zane replied, stony faced.

'But…heh heh…' Lila said nervously '…I mean, doesn't it sound crazy to you?'

The boy on the stairs was silent, signalling a clear 'no'.

'So you really believe it…but it's crazy…' Sara continued.

'Isn't it obvious he's crazy?' Costa asked, and Zane gritted his teeth together.  It was taking all his self-control not to kill the idiot right then.  It was amazing…he didn't even know the guy, yet he irritated him beyond anyone else he'd met in a long time.

Vreya didn't think it was a good idea to anger the guy…and it was obvious by the way he was glaring at Costa that Costa was treading on very thin ice…she reached out and took hold of her friends arm, drawing him close to her.  As Sara questioned the boy again, Vreya whispered to Costa,

'Costa…stop it…don't make him mad…'

'Vreya, the guy is an obnoxious ass…!' Costa hissed back.

'Okay, but just put up with it and we'll have an easier time of getting out of here…okay?  Please…' 

Costa looked at Vreya, and sighed.  'I'll try…but he pisses me off…I'm going to have a bruise for ages thanks to that ass…'

'So you've been having a dream like us too?' Sara was asking.

Zane looked at her in irritation.  She asked way too many questions…all with way too obvious answers.

'And the crying voice is there, and the field and another person right?' Roxy asked.

Gen added to the list of questions 'Who are you with…do you know?'

'What the hell is this, an interrogation?!' Zane demanded.  'All you need to know is that we're all the same here…' then he added under his breath 'Who'd believe it…'

Ash frowned, now growing irritated also.  The guy had a very annoying cool streak to him…a distant, almost aloof air to him…one that gave Ash the impression that Zane thought he was better than them all and too good to waste much time talking to them.  It was either that or Zane was a seriously self-centred guy, not just in the arrogant sense but in the way that he simply didn't give a damn about any one else except himself.  

_Maybe it's because he's new to us…we all know each other…he doesn't…maybe he just needs a little time to warm up to us, and us to him…that is…if we end up believing this…_he thought to himself.

'What's that supposed to mean?' he asked, as calmly as he could.

'Figure it…' Zane replied, and Costa snarled under his breath,

'Stuck up ass…'

It infuriated him that Zane simply ignored him.  Lila spoke up again.  The fifteen minutes were almost up…the others would be back soon.

'So you believe there's really gonna be a merging and other life forms…?'

Gen said thoughtfully 'You know guys, we can't really be the only living things in the universe…'

'Says who?' Costa pounced.

'Says logic…you wouldn't get it …' Zane said sarcastically.  Vreya frowned at him.  She'd had enough…the little war of words between the two was getting ridiculous.  She spoke up finally.

'Stop it…!' she said, looking his way 'Leave him alone!'

The guy hardly even spared her a glance.  He simply rolled his eyes and said flatly: 'Aw.'

Vreya frowned in confusion.  What was that supposed to mean?  At the dance, yes, he'd been distant at the start, when he'd tried to get rid of her, but once she had gotten him on the dance floor he'd seemed like…he was a nice guy…just the expression on his face and what she'd seen in his eyes when the dance had finished…had it all been a façade?  Had she imagined it all, hoped it so much, that she'd actually believed he'd seemed like a nice, shy, cute guy, full of mysteries she had daydreamed of finding out about?  Had she been stupidly influenced so much by the fairy-tale like surroundings, and been caught up so much in the moment that she'd been deceived so well by him?   The idea only made her feel even more indignant and angry…she wanted to know why he was at the dance.  And even more so, if he was such an asshole, why he had relented and danced with her.

'What's that supposed to mean?' she demanded 'If you have something to say to me, then say it!'

_Oh great, now she's on my case…_Zane though, and setting his eyes on her briefly, he shook his head.  She only seemed to get more annoyed with him, and she demanded again:

'So what were you doing at our school's party anyway?'

'Not charity raising I'll bet…' Sara muttered.

They all looked at him then.  Zane regretted opening his mouth…he should have just slunk quietly out the room when they'd been talking amongst themselves.  Now he had to engage in pointless small talk with these losers.

'And what was Locky doing there?' Roxy added.

Zane sighed inwardly to himself.  Then he replied flatly, looking up at the ceiling blankly: 'I was forced…' his eyes fell and rested on Vreya pointedly.  'Against my will'

Vreya stared back at him, mouth slightly open.  Against his will?  What was he referring to…if it was the dance, like she thought, then she didn't believe it…no…if he really hadn't wanted to dance, then he would have had no trouble pulling away from her…he could've shoved her aside so easily…before she could reply, the door swung open, and Fleck, Bo, Locky, Jez and Tai entered the room again.

'Ah, just what I like to see…getting to know each other better tyke?  What a nice bonding session…' Bo chuckled.

'Shut up…' Zane muttered, and Fleck grinned at his charge, before turning eyes on the other young people.

'So, you talked it over?'

'At least they're all still here…' Tai commented.  Locky laughed smoothly.

'Yeah…I was kind of expecting they'd all freak and dig a tunnel out somehow…'

'In fifteen minutes, how stupid…' Sara said, and Locky smiled at her.  She hated his smile…it was so disarming and attractive…

'You know when the fight or flight instinct kicks in, you can do things you never imagined you could…' he said to her, and Roxy huffed,

'Yah!  Now can we go?'

'Well that depends…Zane?' Fleck looked to him.  Zane shook his head.

'Ah.  Still don't believe us…say Fleck, where's the Earth stone?'

Tai said 'I got one here…' he dug into his pocket and pulled out a thin silver chain, with a strangely coloured gem pendant.  He handed it over to Bo, who looked back at the young people.

'I need a volunteer, just to come up here, and hold this…'

Fleck smiled.  What a good idea…

'Before that though, let me explain what this is…this lovely little stone here, is called an Earth stone…as you can guess, it comes from deep within the Earth…now, as we told you before, you're all collectively known as 'The Children of Earth'…this little stone, is very sensitive to you…as the Earth is to you, to all 'Chosen'…this stone glows in the presence of a Chosen One…here, let me demonstrate…'

He held it to Zane.  The stone began to glow brightly.

The teenagers on the basement floor stared at the stone for a moment, astonished, then Costa broke the initial confusion, and said scornfully 'Pshhh…please, nice trick you got there…'

'You can buy those glowing things that are sensitive to body heat…' Gen stated, and Fleck shook his head.

'Oh yeah?  Well look, hold it to me Bo…how come it's not glowing now?  And don't tell me it's because he's a zombie.'

They were silent.  Fleck smirked.  There was no smart-ass answer now…

'You're making it do that…' Lila frowned, 'It's some kind of trick…'

'…' Locky sighed.  'Okay, here…look for yourself' he took the necklace from Bo, and tossed it at them.  Ash caught it.  No sooner had it come into contact with his hand it began to glow with an even brighter intensity.  It also grew warm…disturbed he offloaded it to Roxy, who stared at it in fascination.  It was a very pretty necklace…she passed it to Costa, who quickly handed it to Sara.  The stone continuously glowed…Sara handed it over to Gen, who stared at it curiously.  How did it glow like that…?  He couldn't figure it out…he gave it to Vreya, who hesitantly took hold of the chain.  It ebbed suddenly, and flickered out.  Vreya's eyes widened, and for some strange reason, fear filled her…she didn't want to be different…why had it just gone out so suddenly?

'HAY!' Roxy exclaimed loudly, in surprise, forever stating the obvious 'It just turned off!'

Vreya's eyes slowly rose, and Tai, Fleck, Locky and Bo were all staring at her, the looks on their faces all equally confused.  Zane also stared at her a moment, and then looked to his mentor.  

_There's been a mistake…she's not one of us…_he thought to himself, about to tell Fleck.  Just as he was congratulating himself for being right all along, and celebrating in his strange relief, the stone suddenly flickered again, and then shone with even more intensity than it had before.

'Hey, h…how are you doing that?' Lila asked, looking at Vreya, scared.

'I…I'm not doing anything!' Vreya replied, equally spooked.  It was hot in her hand…too hot for her to hold any longer.  'Take it!' she practically threw it at her best friend.  The stone glowed brightly, before going back to its normal glow.

Zane cursed himself inwardly.  Damn…she was one after all…it was the stupid stone that was out of order…

'Weird stone musta gotten a knock…' Bo said, scratching his chin, as they all recovered from their earlier confusion.  Lila threw the necklace back at them, and Bo caught it swiftly.

'So…' Fleck smiled pleasantly at the stunned young people.  'You ready to believe us now?'

Tai said seriously: 'Listen kids…we've been looking a long, long time for all of you…we wasted so much time finally getting hold of you, and it's going to happen at any moment…out there in space, it's already happening…this 'Threat'…is going to invade…at any moment…just choosing the perfect most unsuspecting time…'

'Whoever it is thinks we're unsuspecting…we have to group together and give this 'Threat' a nice welcoming surprise…' Locky said, also serious.

'You have to believe us…like we said, we're here to help you…guide you…we can help you grow stronger, find your true potentials…I'm hoping this is all of you now…we'll wait a few days to confirm this…' Fleck said.

'How can you confirm it?' Costa asked, still looking very annoyed, but it was obvious he was listening. 

'We'll know…the same way we got the part of the scripture telling us about you…we'll be given some signal…' Fleck replied.

'So there's really a scripture that tells how to rule the world?' Ash asked.

Bo nodded 'Sure…we don't have it though…this 'Threat' will no doubt be looking for it…it wants to control all matter and all realms…only the One will know where to find it and protect it…'

'One?' Vreya repeated.  She didn't understand.

'Yeah.  The One…the person who's responsible for dealing the final blow…that's another task…finding out which one of you is The One…if this is all of you it must be one of you…as the prophecy goes…The One will stand with the Lost Child…and The Lion and The Angel…' Locky stated.

'Great names…' Gen said 'So how will you know which of us it is?'

'…' They all looked blank.  Finally Tai replied.  'We're guessing…whoever it is will be…different…in terms of their ability…'

'…Different…man, I sure wouldn't like to be any 'One'…' Lila commented, and Vreya could only agree…if this was all true, then the pressure would be so enormous on the 'One' whoever it would be…it was scary though…they had just said it could be any of them…they all had an equal chance of carrying such a burden…it was all beginning to make sense to her…and she could see that the others were all listening too, finally.

'We don't expect you to understand it all…we just want you to listen…' Fleck said sincerely 'I know how it must sound, all unearthly…'

'No pun intended…' Locky smirked, as Fleck smiled briefly before continuing:

'And crazy and scary even…but the merging will happen…hopefully we still have a little time to get you to know the basics of how to put up at least a decent fight…you'll have to wait for another lecture on how merging will affect you all, we just want you to listen now…can you at least do that?  Just listen to everything else we have to say, and if it still really bugs you, whoever doesn't like it can go.  In the end we can't force you…okay?'

'…Okay…fine…' Sara said, lips pursed together 'But what exactly are we supposed to tell our parents now?'

'Oh yeah…' Bo winced 'that little problem…'

Fleck said 'Okay, come with us upstairs…we'll reach some form of compromise…'

When no one moved, Bo laughed: 'Ha ha, c'mon kiddies, you were so passionate about escaping before…get motivated, we're letting you out the room!'

Ash frowned.  Sure he'd feel better, if he suddenly wasn't feeling like what they were saying made the craziest sense to him in the world…a strange heavy feeling of doom and gloom settled on him, a dead weight on his chest.  The others didn't look too happy either.

Perhaps ignorance really was bliss…the dreams alone had been disturbing enough, but knowing all this was worse.  Ash made a move to the stairs, and the others began to follow quietly.

'Zane lock up will you?' Fleck handed him the keys, before exiting the door.  Zane stepped back, letting the streak of young people, all about his age, slowly leave the room.  Ash glanced at him with an unreadable expression on his face, and Lila pushed past the others to catch up with Ash, glancing at Zane rather nervously.  Costa passed him with a look, and Zane stared back at him expressionlessly.  Gen nodded to him, followed by Sara who looked his way very briefly.  Roxy was next, smiling brightly, albeit nervously at him, and finally came Vreya, at the end of the line.  He watched as she passed him, expecting a look from her also, but she kept her eyes on the floor.  He thought nothing of it and waited for her to leave.  As soon as she had, he closed the door and locked it.  

Vreya stopped, just before the three small steps that led to another room, waiting for Roxy to disappear round the corner.  She turned back to look at Zane, who was locking the door.  She took a deep breath and decided to ask him what had been plaguing her thoughts since the second she'd seen him knock Costa back as he had done.

Zane turned, expecting to find a nice empty passage for him to walk up at his leisure, but he stopped in surprise as he saw Vreya was waiting for him.  The lighting was much brighter compared to the dimness of the basement, and he was irritated as a thought flashed through his mind, idly noting that she was attractive.  He'd almost hoped he'd forgotten, for since that night they'd danced together he'd been assuring himself that his first impressions of her looks were exaggerated due to the atmosphere he'd been in on meeting her.  Now he knew he'd been exaggerating his opinions by thinking that.  He pushed the thought out of his mind.  Once again he was thinking stupidly…it irritated him, she irritated him.

_What's she waiting for…?_  He thought to himself, curious despite his even more brooding than usual mood.  

Vreya felt very nervous all of a sudden.  Seeing him in the light really bought it all back to her…he was dressed a lot more casually now of course, in black jeans, a white cotton top and a dark grey trench-like jacket thrown over, which was short in length, above his waist, and had straps with buckles at the turned up collar, but whatever he wore he looked great, just as he did now.

So much for hitting him as hard as she could…the idea vanished from her mind completely, now that she stood closer to him.

_God, what am I doing standing here and staring, I shouldn't have waited…_she thought nervously, and was amazed by the fact that she seemed to be acting completely normal, and looking completely normal when she felt nothing but.  Her heart was going insane in her chest, racing as if she'd run a marathon.  She realised he was waiting for her to act, his look of initial surprise on seeing her waiting for him turning into an exasperated one.  He dearly hoped she was not going to gawk at him like all the other girls did…

Vreya finally gathered herself and found her voice.  She spoke, and was pleased to hear that her voice was not a shaky, nervous squeak, but its steady, confident, normal self.  

'Can you just tell me something?' she questioned him, and he gave her a strange look.  What in the world did she want?

'…' He waited for her to go on, looking right back at her.  Her deep brown eyes met with his, and then slipped away and she continued nervously,

'U…ummm…' she said, knowing what she wanted to say, but what was in her head was not what she wanted to ask him.  All she could hear in her head was the same insane thought going through her mind over and over again.

God…his eyes, he's got the most amazing eyes…so green…I must look so stupid, but God, those eyes, his eyes…

They had to be the coldest, yet most intense and piercing eyes she had ever seen.  So cold and hard, yet so intense and intimidating at the same time…green eyes were not all that common, at least, she had never seen a deep shade like his…and she could feel them on her, such was the power of his gaze.

_Are you going to look like a nervous mess and act all stupid every time you talk to him now?  If you're going to be around him a lot, you better get your act together!  How idiotic do you think he already thinks you are, and he doesn't even know you yet!  _Her sensible voice snapped at her, and she finally blinked, and listened to it.

'I need to know the truth…' she said, recovering well, and raising her own eyes to meet with his defiantly 'I don't really get what went on back then, or why if you were on the same side all along, but just tell me…was it you?  Were you the guy who helped me get away from that gang?'

Zane blinked.  It was his turn to look away now.  Of course…of course that was what she wanted to ask him…how could he think it would be anything else?  Well, he just hoped he wouldn't regret admitting it…if she was going to gawk and gush all over him she was really going to get it coming to her…after all, she was asking for it…

He replied with more exasperation than he actually felt, 'What do you think?'

Vreya swallowed.  She resisted the urge to grab him and shake him as hard as she could.  She seriously wanted to yell at him, why could he never give straight normal answers like normal people?  But something told her to leave it…besides; she knew he was saying yes indirectly.

Voices called to her, but she ignored them.  Her attention was focused on the green eyed young man who stood in front of her.

'Why didn't you tell me…at the dance?' she asked, her voice softening.  For a moment a look passed across his face, and she wasn't certain what it was, for it was gone as quickly and suddenly as it had appeared, but she could have sworn the emotions alarm and surprise had just crossed over his features very briefly.

'Because it's no big deal.' Zane replied icily, expecting her to insist that it was and that she was eternally grateful to him.  She surprised him again however, by not making an immediate fuss as he had anticipated.  Her eyes lowered again, and as they were both called to again, she stepped back, regarding him from a further distance.  She opened her mouth, as if she was going to say something…

_Oh no…here it comes…_Zane thought.  But the girl simply grimaced as if she were in pain, and said very quietly, so quietly he wasn't even sure at first if she was talking to him or herself.

'…Well…then thank you…'

He blinked, staring at her, as if she were insane.  Vreya didn't say anything more, nor did she look at him again, as she turned and hurried up the small stairs, to join the others.

Zane stood there a moment before moving himself, staring after her in confusion, thinking how unpredictable and strange she was, just as he had thought of her the night she had left him at the dance.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Ash watched as Vreya finally came into the room.  He was confused, and part of him rather irritated.  Why had she hung back?  Zane still hadn't come into the room yet…no, now he entered, walking past them all, to join the adults…

He's a jerk…she probably hung back to tell him that…how could anyone like him?  Maybe he's got looks, at least, girls would find his looks good, but he's an obnoxious person…it's okay…it's not like he's anything to worry about…he thought.  Ash wasn't one used to getting jealous feelings.  He was so well off, he never had to envy anyone or anything anyone else had.  Now he felt uneasy.  He assured himself he was just feeling protective of Vreya…Zane was a jerk and would probably hurt her so easily…but he was a fool to ignore the true source of his uneasiness…

Zane had saved Vreya's life.  He'd been there for her when Ash should have been…and…  

Vreya wasn't anyone's at the moment…  

Suddenly so many doubts lingered in his mind…he'd seen how the two had danced together, and now he knew it was the same guy who had given her a ride back to her house after getting her out of hot water with thugs.  Why did it have to be this guy who was here now?  Ash preferred anyone else Zane, and not only because of his personality…he watched Vreya now; she was unaware of his eyes on her…

He saw the way her eyes slipped over to Zane for a split second, as he walked past her, seemingly totally oblivious to her glance.

And a voice whispered in his mind, that perhaps Zane was something to worry about after all, something to be very, very careful about…

**Angelheart's End Of Chapter Ramble:**

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!   ^ ~ ^ The big green ugly monster is sprouting its tentacles mwa ha ha!

_Lol, I deliberately added that to the end…was just gonna finish at the part Vreya and Zane parted, but then I thought, why not be evil and stir things up, ha ha!  Hope you like this, beloved readers, and again sorry it took so long!  I am truly ashamed but hey, computer breakdown freaked me out majorly!  Well, anyway, that's another chapter done, phew, finally all the Earth people meet up!  I am real sorry it took so long, I know I shouldn't have made it take so long, but I have to warn you all, this story is going to be long and full of a lot of twists and turns, one which is coming up very, very, very soon!  ^__^ It took ages just to build up to this, normally people would have their main important characters meeting after a maximum of eight or nine chapters, but you know me I have to be all different, lol.  Anyway, next one up soon, watch this space (bear with me, I'll make it worth it, I promise!)  Until next time, take care and happy reading kay!_


	20. Practice Makes Perfect

Well, here we go again!  Thanks for the reviews, though I noticed I only got two this time-well, guess it serves me right for taking so long to update!  The rest are probably so angry!  -___- Well, all I can do to make up for it is try to update with more interesting chapters!  (Hopefully) Not much to say except I changed my pen name.  Well actually it got changed automatically because someone else has Angelheart already!  So I changed it again ^ ~ ^!  Anyway, enough babbling on my part, time to get on with the story!  Hope you like it, and don't forget to review!

**Chapter XX: Practice Makes Perfect**

****

It felt immensely satisfying watching the Grat fall to pieces on the gravelled floor of Balamb Garden's Training Centre.  The young man had all but sliced it to pieces.  He'd lost track of time; he had no idea how long he'd been here, just fighting.  He had nothing else to do.  At least here he could be alone, at least fighting would take his mind off things.

Seifer pushed back the few stray blond strands of hair that fell over his forehead, dusting himself off.  This was far too easy for him, and yet, what else could he do now.  He still hadn't encountered a T-Rexaur, it seemed only the Grats were out today.  Besides, this was a good way of stocking up on magic supplies.

He needed to stock up, badly.  Unlike Squall and the others, Seifer had never possessed as much magic or very high levels of it.  Ultimecia had given him all the magic he needed.  Now he was playing catch up, trying to gain experience so he would be ready for whatever lay ahead.  

Whatever lies ahead…dammit, the future is so uncertain for me, and it's all my own fault…I'm about to go on another mission with the others, just my luck, they don't trust me, and why should they!  How are we ever going to cooperate?  I can't put the past behind me, how the hell do Cid and Edea expect the others to?  They all hate me damn it…it's all my fault…we'll get to this other world and I'll be stranded alone.  It's all my fault…dammit, dammit…he thought, completely frustrated.  Though he'd been mind controlled for much of the period back then, he wasn't about to make any excuses.  He'd chosen to be Ultimecia's knight willingly…she'd made the offer very difficult to resist…she'd promised him everything he'd wanted…power…now he realised how foolish he'd been.  What use was power if the entire world despised you?  

He rubbed at the side of his head, wincing.  All this thinking was giving him a headache.  He felt even more moody than usual.  A bad night's sleep hadn't done much to help him wake up in better spirits.  

Damned dream…what the heck was it supposed to mean?  Who was that girl in white, and why did I pick her up?  So many questions raged about in his mind, and he had no answers.  How he hated feeling so clueless and out of control!  Angrily Seifer swiped at the ground with his gunblade, Hyperion, sending bits of debris flying across the floor.  

Dammit…damn it all to hell!  He swiped at a tree and kicked stray stones about with his feet.  So angry was he that he wasn't aware of anyone watching him.

'The Training Centre is a place where you fight against moving, breathing enemies, not defenceless, harmless objects of nature.  You can't expect to improve that way.'

Seifer's eyes widened, and he turned, in surprise.  What was she doing here?

'But then old habits die hard Quistis.  Seifer is so used to attacking poor defenceless things that he's forgotten all about honour and all those kind of things…'

Rage filled Seifer, directed more at himself for his stupidity than at Xu.  The brown haired Instructor stood beside Quistis, who stood with her hands on her hips.'

Dread filled Seifer…no, not detention again…he hadn't done anything…

'What do you want?' he demanded grumpily.

'No common courtesy at all…maybe it's better if he's left behind anyway…' Xu muttered.

'That's enough Xu…' Quistis looked to her friend, then back at Seifer.  'We thought you'd be here…'

Seifer glared and repeated his question.  'What do you want?  If you're here to give me another lecture, I'm leaving now.'

'…' Quistis tilted her blonde head.  'Why are you here alone?  You could have run into a T-Rexaur and fighting one alone is…'

'Just fine.' Seifer finished for her.  'I'm touched by your concern Instructor, but save it for those people who are weak in battle…'

'You definitely need it then.' Xu said curtly, and went on, before Seifer could reply 'Come on Quistis.  Let's get going.  I'm not prepared to spend all my time trying to drag him out of here.'  

'Please come with us.' Quistis said to Seifer, folding her arms across her chest firmly, as she did when she expected utter obedience from her students.

'Why?' Seifer demanded.

'Do you always have to be so difficult?' Xu snapped at him, placing her own hands on her hips.  'And we're doing you a favour too!'

'…' Seifer looked to Quistis.  She sighed.  

'If you're practicing to prepare for this little journey we're going on, it's useless doing it alone.  Cid and Edea have asked us to…'

'Ordered!' Xu chimed 'I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't an official order!'

Quistis paused and continued '…have asked us to help you in your preparation…'

'I don't need any help.'

Quistis had had enough.  'Put your ego aside for a moment and use your head Almasy!  The others will train together, and we are to help you prepare.  You need to gain experience levels!  You don't even have a Guardian Force to call your own!'

Seifer glared at her.  He had to admit she was right.  

'And I suppose you're going to give me a GF now?'

Quistis tossed her head back disdainfully.  'Hmmm.  No, I'm going to let you fight against one, and if you are worthy of it, it'll be yours.  How's that sound?'

Xu frowned.  Quistis was being…a little too lenient in her opinion.

'Why?' Seifer asked, directly to Quistis, who shrugged.  

'Oh.  Call it my treat.  Now we're even.'

Seifer stared at her, confused, then realised what she could mean.  So she was returning his favour of getting her out of trouble.  

Xu stared from Quistis to Seifer then back to her friend, dumbfounded.  What was going on?

'Hah.' Seifer sneered.

'So, you up to it?  Prove your worth to the Guardian force, and then you can begin to improve.'  Quistis stated.

Seifer considered.  His pride screamed at him to shun her, and her offer, but it was too good to pass.  He needed all the experience he could get before they were cast out of there home world.

He consented, hoping he wouldn't regret his decision, and replied

'…So…you gonna tell me which GF it is…anything but Tonberry King…'

Xu stepped back to leave the training centre.  'You don't even deserve Tonberry King, much less a Guardian like Diabolos or Bahamut.'

Quistis smiled slightly, stepping back to leave also, and replied to Seifer  'You'll see…let's just say, this Guardian Force is most eager to battle against you…'

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

'You've got to be joking!  You're not…seriously thinking of going back…are you?'  Costa cried out, almost spilling the contents of his glass over the table. 

The group of teenagers sat together in the sun, gathered round a table.  It was lunchtime, and there was only one thing they had been able to discuss since the previous day; their kidnapping, and what they had been told by the strangers who'd abducted them.

There was a silence, and Sara sighed, before breaking it.

'I don't want to.  I don't believe what they're saying.  It's too crazy.  All that talk they gave us about magic after that, and spells, and that in depth explanation of merging…'

Ash rested his chin in the palms of his hands, staring at his own can of soft drink.

'They're crazy.  We should get their asses busted.  Come on, we can just tell the cops and not have to worry about them again.'

'And what are we gonna say?' Roxy asked, resting her head in her arms.  'No one will believe us anyway.'

'…Look, all I know is that my parents were very angry when I came back home so late on a school night.' Lila declared, and then looked to Ash.

'Ash?'

He looked at her.

'What do you think about what they said?  You were really quiet yesterday.'

'…' Ash paused a moment, before starting slowly 'I think it does sound totally wild…'

'You see?' Costa said 'I told you, even he agrees…'

'But…' Ash added, silencing Costa.

Gen regarded him, and shading his eyes, finished slowly 'You think it also makes sense too right?'

Ash nodded.  'Yeah.  I do.'

'Oh come on!' Sara cried  'I can't believe this!'

'Why?' Vreya spoke up, looking at her blonde haired friend.  Sara stared back, surprised at the question.

'Wha…?'

'Why?' Vreya repeated.  'Why is it so hard to accept?  Their explanation makes more sense than anything we, or any stupid dream analyser could come up with.  Think about it…it is way too freaky to be a mere coincidence.'

'Oh man…' Roxy said, frowning.  She hated this.  She just wanted to go back to a normal life.

There was an uncomfortable silence.  Vreya looked at her friends, and shook her head.

'I'm going back.'

'…' Ash looked at her, eyes narrowing sceptically.  'Hold on a moment.  Don't make any impulsive decisions…' he warned.

Vreya sighed, impatiently.  'There's nothing impulsive about what I'm saying…look, they said that they would be waiting for us right?   If we don't go they'll probably grab us again anyway.' 

'But I can't go today…' Lila whined 'I got into so much trouble last night…today I have to sit and study…'

'You don't need to come…we don't all need to go…I'm sure if some of us went and explained…' Vreya began, and Costa exclaimed,

'Listen to yourself Bonita!  Why don't we just report these people?'

'Because we'll sound crazy!' Vreya replied.  Costa slapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation.

'…They haven't actually harmed us…it's mostly talk…' Gen said reflectively.

'Hello, are we forgetting the little aspect of kidnap?' Sara waved her slender hand lazily.

Roxy moaned unhappily.  'Oh!  You guys, why don't we just forget these dreams and I'm sure they'll go away!'

'I'm not just waiting for them to go away…they've been going on for months!' Vreya said 'I'm losing so much sleep over them!'

'So what do you propose?  We really go back?' Sara demanded, sitting back, folding her arms across her chest.

'What can those people do for us?' Costa asked.

'Yeah, think about it…all that insane crazy talk will get us nowhere.  Magic?  Please!  How ridiculous.  If I see it I'll believe it.'  Sara nodded.

'…' Vreya glared at the two.  Even Gen was keeping an open mind, why couldn't they?  'What's wrong with you two?  How do you explain that glowing pendant thing then?'

'A simple trick.' Sara stated flatly.  'It's not logical at all…'

'Will you forget logic for a moment!' Vreya fired back at her, angrily 'In case you didn't notice, these connected dreams aren't logical either and so…'

'And so you believe the first bit of insanity that comes your way?  I expected more from you Vreya…' Sara paused, eyes narrowing in disapproval, before continuing 'These people kidnapped us…'

'To make us listen…' Vreya said, 'we wouldn't have normally, and you know it!'

'You'd never believe anything like this normally and you know it' Sara replied.

'This isn't a normal situation!' Lila cut in 'Calm down okay, we won't get anywhere arguing…'

Vreya stood up, placing a hand on her hip decisively.  'Listen.  I don't know about you, but I am going back.  I have a lot of questions, and I think they can give us answers…'

'Man, talk about phoenix fire, this girl is so stubborn…' Costa groaned.

'…Look, maybe if we just…there's no harm in going back…' Gen said slowly.

'Exactly…and besides, they said if we didn't like what they were saying, we could ignore them and they won't bug us anymore.'  Vreya nodded, glad someone was supporting her at last.

'Well, I don't like what they're saying…' Roxy said quietly, frowning.

'They haven't told us everything yet…' Ash pointed out mildly.

Lila looked to him.  'You mean you're going back as well?'

Ash was quiet.  His eyes moved over to Vreya, who was staring at him, waiting.  

Well, she can't go alone can she…?  And besides…I have to keep an eye on that guy…he thought.  Shrugging, he nodded.

'Vreya can't go alone.  I think we should back her up here.'  He said, surprising her.

'…Thanks Ash…' she said, blinking in surprise at his supportive words.  He wasn't one to say so much usually.  The she looked to Gen.

'You in too?'

'…I guess.  My parents aren't here after all…I have no worries…' he replied.

'Oh…Okaaaaaay…' Roxy said reluctantly.

'Sara?' Vreya looked at her blonde friend, who shook her head stubbornly.

'No thanks.'

'What?  But Sara…' Gen began, but she cut in curtly.

'I said no thank you.  And besides…I don't have time to waste on the likes of them.'

'Fine.' Vreya said flatly 'You and Costa and Lila stay behind, and we'll go.  Okay?  Okay then…' she looked at Ash, Roxy and Gen.

'Meet up after school at the gate.  We can take your car, right Ash?  They gave us the address because they trusted us…if they try anything really bad, we report them.'

Costa grumbled, and Sara looked angry.  

'Vreya, I really don't think this is the right thing to do!  We don't know these people!'

Vreya pursed her lips together.  It was crazy but…she really did want to hear everything those people knew.  Somehow she was certain they weren't out to harm them.

'If they wanted to hurt us they could have when we were out cold.  There's no harm in listening to what they have to say…you disappointed me Sara…I would have thought that you of all people would understand the value of  that…'

With that Vreya turned and headed back towards the school building.  A moment later the bell rang.

Lila frowned.  'So how come I'm the only one being left behind?'

'You said you have to study.' Gen reminded her.

'Well what about your parents Ash?  And Vreya's?'

Ash shrugged.  'I can handle it.'  He got up, and nodded to Gen.

'See you later.  And Roxy, don't be late…'

Roxy muttered under her breath, as the group got up and dispersed for the final lesson of the day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Fleck closed the book he'd been skimming through, and looked at Morgan, thoughtfully.

'Hey Morgan…do you think they'll come back?'

The old man's grey eyes slowly rose from the book he was studying, and rested on the young man's doubtful face.

'I suppose we'll find out soon won't we?' he replied.

'Yeah…but…do you think they will come back?  For all we know they could have not been listening at all.'

'Oh yeah…' Jez snorted disdainfully, from the char she sat back in, flicking through a book herself.  'Kids these days…'

'C'mon Jez, you were one not too long back…' Tai grinned.  He was busy examining a few weapons.  

'Shut up.' Jez snapped at him, and added 'Those weapons are pathetic.  We'll need newer, stronger models.'

'Who makes sword upgrades nowadays?' Tai shrugged, and sighed.  'Finding these kids is just the beginning.  We have to find that other lot, and get more weapons, and start teaching them about magic…'

'We may not have to…' Morgan spoke up.  They looked at him.

'Huh?' Fleck asked, confused.

'The Children of Fate; perhaps they are from a land where magic usage is the norm.  It would be easier and wiser if we were to let them teach our young ones.' 

'You seem pretty sure they'll be the same age.'  Jez said dryly.

'Hello Jez, children suggests young person.'  Fleck rolled his eyes.

'Well excuse me Mr. Know It All, but we are children of this earth too are we not?'  Jez replied in irritation.

Morgan interrupted 'Time shall reveal all.  Back to the present…in answer to your question Fleck…I have a feeling that they will return…if it is not of their own liking, then certainly curiosity will bring them back to us…it is a very powerful drive, in itself...never forget that.'

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Laguna sighed, placing another finished piece of paper work on the pile.  He looked back at the larger pile he had yet to complete.

'Oh man…this is great…I'll be here until the next Lunar Cry!'  He realised what he'd said, and shook his head.

'Nah, let's hope that never happens…but, oh man!'

There was a knock on the door, and Esthar's president growled 'What?!'

The door opened, and his personal assistant entered.

'Sorry to bother you sir…' the very tidy looking blonde woman said formally 'I just need you to sign this…I've read it over…just permission to do up the local information centre…'

Laguna huffed, signed the paper, and sat back in his chair, yawning loudly.

'Can I get you anything sir?' the woman asked him.

'Huh?  Ah, nah, just a holiday would be nice…' Laguna replied, and waved her away.  She left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Alone once again, he picked up the pen he'd set down, to get back to his paperwork.  But his eyes rested on the photo sitting in the frame on his desk, and he lowered the pen, resting his chin in his hands.  

It was a picture taken many years ago, on his wedding day…he stood, grinning rather moronically, with a beautiful woman standing in his arms, and in hers, a cute little girl.

Me…Ellone…and…

A feeling of sadness washed over him, and guilt, as ever.  He hadn't been there for her…damn it…

'I'm so sorry…Hyne, how I miss you Raine…' he said softly, tears still threatening to fall, even after all the years that had passed.

Squall…

The name entered his mind almost simultaneously to his thinking of his wife.  Another failure…not only as a husband but as a father also.  His son was alive, the hero, saviour of the world, and he didn't even know him.  Laguna had known the moment he'd set eyes on the handsome young Squall Leonhart that he was his son.  He had so much of his mother's beauty in him.  

Damn, I promised Ellone I'd see him, and that was days back!  She's coming back…tomorrow!  Oh no…I better ring up and make an appointment for him to be sent over here to see me…ah man…Laguna thought, looking at the phone next to him.  He could do it now and get it over and done with…Ellone would be mad if she knew he hadn't done it up until now.

Just the thought of seeing his son made him nervous.  He told himself off for being so stupid.  Raine wouldn't have wanted it to turn out this way.  Laguna guessed he feared Squall's reaction more than anything…the boy was unpredictable.

Perhaps it was wrong to tell Squall now…hadn't the boy finally settled into a life he was satisfied with?  What right did Laguna have to ruin that peace of mind now?  Squall had been through enough, but on the other hand, there was no way Laguna could keep it quiet for the rest of his days, and he knew it.  Taking a deep breath he picked up the receiver and dialled Balamb Garden's number.

His hopes of getting off the hook were dashed when the line rang.  Not engaged like he'd hoped…damn…

He felt like a nervous wreck.  His hands began to shake, and his voice clogged up, when a voice on the other side of the line said politely:

'Welcome to Balamb Garden Enquiries Office, how may I help you?'

Oh no…I'm cramping up again…no, not now…c'mon Laguna, don't make a fool of yourself…you're the president for Hyne's sake!  Get a hold of yourself!  You have power!  Laguna thought wildly.

'Hello?'  The woman's voice repeated.

'U…uh…err…' Laguna stuttered nervously, and the woman repeated.

'Hello?  How can I help you?  Hello?'

Something finally snapped inside of Laguna and he managed 'This is Laguna Loire, President of Esthar…'

The woman sounded surprised.  'Ah!  Mr. Loire!  What an honour it is, how can I be of service?'

'Er…' Laguna felt rather embarrassed at the woman's change in tone and muttered 'Can I speak to Cid Kramer?'

'Yes, of course Sir…please hold and I'll put you through.'

'Thanks…' Laguna said, drumming his fingers on the desk nervously, resisting the urge to close the phone.  

Stop being such a fool.  All you need to do is say you would like to meet Squall Leonhart (my son, dammit, what if I say my son by accident!?) …no, calm down…you want to thank him personally…reward him with three stars…or some kinda medal!  Damn…Laguna thought nervously.

There was a click and a cheerful voice said 'Hello!'

'Er…Cid?'

'Hello?'

'U…h…good morning, this is Laguna Loire speaking…' Laguna managed pleased his voice didn't crack.

'Mr. Loire?  Oh, I say, good morning to you!  This is a pleasant surprise indeed!'

Yeah, I don't know why I'm ringing up either…Squall's gonna slam me, reject me, and I'll feel like a loser for the rest of my life…

'How are you?' Laguna asked politely, and then regretted it as Cid talked on for a good five minutes or so about how the Garden and his wife Edea were doing.

I said how are you not the school…Laguna rolled his eyes.  Finally Cid arrived at the question.

'What can I do for you?'

Here it goes…Laguna cleared his throat, and said, his heart racing nervously.

'Ah…well, actually, I called to request a meeting with one of your students.'

'Indeed?  Of course!  Who would you like to see?' Cid asked.

Laguna took a deep breath.  'Leonhart.  Squall Leonhart.'

'Ah, our star student!  Of course!  I can send him over this afternoon if you wish!'

!!  What?!  N…no, I'm unprepared, I need time to prepare…Laguna panicked, and stuttered.

'Er…n…no, not that soon…I mean…'

'Well, you see Squall is a busy young man…he is unavailable tomorrow, due to his overseeing a written SeeD exam…'

'Good.' Laguna said, then realised he'd said it out loud.

'I beg your pardon?' Cid said, confusion in his voice.

'Good, it's good to know he's working hard.  A proper Commander, a fine example to his peers and younger students…'  Laguna said, pleased with the recovery.

That's it, real smooth Laguna, you can handle it, he's just a kid for Hyne's sake…

Cid chuckled.  'Indeed, we are very proud if him here at Balamb.  Quite the popular student!  Now, may I ask as to why you wish to see him?  He may want to know.'

'Oh.  I…ummm, never really got to thank him personally for what he did for us in Esthar and everywhere else…I'd like to…so I ah…thought, if you'd just send him over for a little chat…maybe in about three days time?  I'm free again then, he can come in the afternoon…' Laguna said, biting the top of the pen anxiously.

'That should be fine.  I believe he is free in three days also, I shall inform him, and get back to you.  Would you like him to come to your office?'

'Yeah…that'd be…perfect…' Laguna said, feeling terrible.

'Very well.  Thank you very much Mr. Loire.  It will be his honour.  Anything else I can do for you?'

'No…just…send my regards to your wife…and err…you take care.  Keep up the good work.'  Laguna said weakly.

'Thank you Mr. Loire.  We are always pleased to hear from you.  Have a nice day.'

'You too…thanks…bye…' Laguna put down the receiver, and covered his face with his hands.  There it was all done.  Now all he could do was wait…and hope it would all turn out alright. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Too slow.'

The young woman frowned, charging forward at her personal trainer, swinging rather wildly.  Her trainer shook his head in disapproval, parrying her blow easily.

'Too impulsive.'

'Squall!  Give me a break!'  Rinoa cried, throwing the sword to the matted floor.  Squall stood back, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword.  He used a normal one; using a gunblade would be unfair when training a novice.

'You asked me to teach you.' He replied.  He'd been training alone, when Rinoa had showed up and asked for him to teach her the basics.  He could hardly hold back a smirk at the look on her face.

'Well, you don't have to be so serious!  Too slow, too impulsive…' she mimicked, pulling a face.  'In case you didn't notice Mr. Perfect, I'm not used to using one of these, you can give me a chance you know…'

'You'd rather I not tell you your faults?  How do you expect to improve Rinoa?' Squall asked, and she sighed.

'I just started!  I'm just doing it for fun!'

Squall raised a brow, and shrugged.  Very well.  She'd have her way…if 'fun' was what she wanted…

'Fine.  Come at me.'

Rinoa looked at him, looking rather puzzled.  'Huh?'

'Come on.  Are you scared?' Squall taunted her, and she grabbed the sword again, glaring at her knight defiantly.  'No!'

He noticed she wasn't holding it completely right.  He decided not to tell her.  It's what she wanted wasn't it?  Rinoa pushed her hair back, and took a deep breath.  

Seeing that she was hesitating, he rolled his eyes.  'Today Rinoa.  Your enemy won't stand around waiting for you to straighten your hair…' 

That did it…just as he'd expected.  She glared at him, and charged.  A small smile touched his lips, as he easily and gracefully dodged her, deflecting her weak hits with minimal effort.  This only seemed to make her angrier, and her hits became harder.  But it was evident her untrained arm was tiring, and Squall decided to finish it.  With an expert twist of his wrist that an untrained eye couldn't read he struck her sword just above where she held it, wit alarming accuracy, and with enough power to send the metal weapon flying out of her hands.  

'Hey!' Rinoa looked rather dazed.  It had happened so fast…Hyne, he was so amazing…she felt cold steel press lightly against her neck, and looked at him with widened eyes.

Squall shook his head.  'You'll have to do better than that…remember that your enemy will be looking for openings too.  They won't stand back and just let you attack.'

Rinoa pouted, then huffed.  A mischievous smile suddenly played on her lips.

Squall eyed her curiously.  'What?'

'Oh, nothing.  It's just…I'm just thinking how lucky I am that I don't ever have to worry about facing up to you.'

Squall rolled his eyes, lowering his sword away from his Sorceress's neck.

'Because…you know…I think it'd be harder to put a fight up against you…'Lionheart'…' she said, giggling.

Now what's she playing at…?  He could pick up on a little game she was trying to pull him into.  

Squall regarded her, his deep blue eyes narrowing in mock intimidation.  'What kind of a fight are you referring to?' he asked, making sure to keep his tone of voice flat.

Rinoa's eyes widened, and her mouth opened into an 'O' of apparent surprise.  'Squall!  I'm offended!  The battle kind of course!' she cried, but the small smile still played on her rosy lips.   

As always, Squall found it very hard not to be drawn into her pointless little teasing games.  He smirked, and reached out with his sword, snaking the arm that held it around Rinoa's slender waist, his other hand reaching out to take hold of the end of the blade, so that he had her trapped in his arms.

'Squall…' Rinoa giggled, failing to keep up the alarmed act, 'I…this is quite absurd…what are you doing?'

In response, he gently drew her in, and replied 'What if your enemy did this?'

Rinoa smiled up at her knight, the mischievous look in her eyes brighter than ever.  'I'd fling them across the room…'

'So why aren't you doing it?'

'…' Rinoa giggled, and flung her arms around Squall's neck.  'Because I'd rather fling my arms around you?'

'This is a training session, and I'm helping you practice…'

'I am practicing…!'  Rinoa said, and smiled as she noticed that Squall was getting a little embarrassed at her coy remarks.

'Are you sure about that?' he muttered, about to let her go, but she just snuggled up closer to him, and replied softly, holding onto the one she loved tightly

'I'm sure about this…'

Squall's reply was halted in mid-sentence, and gone forever, as soft, warm lips pressed over his, and he lost himself in an angel's love.  

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

'This is it, isn't it?' Gen asked, as the group stopped outside the fairly ordinary looking plain brown door in a fairly empty part of town.

Vreya looked down at the slip of paper they'd been given the day before, and drew a breath.  Was this the right thing to do?  Maybe Costa and Sara were right…maybe they were just throwing themselves deeper into the fire when it was better to run.  It wasn't too late to turn away…but they'd come this far, and it had been mostly her idea.  She felt nervous, and uncertain.  She was putting her trust in these people…she hoped she wouldn't regret it.

Ash peered over her shoulder, at the slip of paper, and then looked at the door.  Shrugging, he said 'I guess we knock.'

'Question.' Roxy piped up.  'How do they know it's us?  Do we need a secret password like open sesame?'

Vreya frowned.  'They never said anything about a password.'

'Let's just hope they don't grab us…' Gen said, and then 'so…shall we knock?'

Vreya took a deep breath, about to step forward and knock, but Ash intercepted, giving her a look.

'I'll go first.'

'Ok.' Vreya replied, feeling relieved he'd offered.  She certainly didn't want to be grabbed again.

Ash knocked on the door hard.  They stood back, waiting for it to open.  When nothing happened, Ash knocked again.  They waited again.

Roxy shifted her weight from one foot to the other, huffing.  'I bet this isn't even it…we're probably at the totally wrong address…maybe they gave it deliberately, because they thought we'd call the cops…'

'Hello?' Ash called.  'Is anyone there?'

'Fleck?  Bo?' Gen called, ramming on the door also.  

No answer.  Ash looked about, but could see no windows.  'This seems a little creepy.' He said at last.  

'Maybe we should go…' Gen agreed, looking to Vreya, who wasn't sure whether she was relieved or disappointed.  

'There has to be a way in…' she began, when Roxy said suddenly

'Hey guys…what's this?'  she pointed at a small bead like stone attached to string, which was barely visible, hanging just outside the letter box.  Roxy tugged on it, but it wouldn't budge.  It seemed stuck inside.  

'Weird…' Gen commented, trying to peer through the letterbox, but he could see nothing.  

Roxy touched the stone, and squeaked in alarm as it glowed to her touch.  Vreya stared at Roxy confusedly, and then they were all surprised as the door slowly opened of it's own accord, as if they'd just pushed a trigger to unlock it.

'…' The four teenagers looked at each other uncertainly.

'This is freaky…like a horror movie…' Roxy said.  'I don't wanna go in there…'

'Vreya?  It's up to you.  We'll go in if you still want to.'  Ash told her.  Vreya stared at the open door, and then said slowly

'I'm going in.'

'But Vreya…it's totally creepy in there!' Roxy said.

Gen examined the stone shed touched.  'I think this place is it…this looks like one of those stones they got us to touch…look, it glows…'

Roxy muttered under her breath, but said 'Okay, okay, I'll follow you.'

Vreya nodded, and Ash pushed the door open cautiously wider.  When he was sure nothing was going to jump out at them, he stepped in, Vreya following him, Roxy behind her, and Gen at the back.  The door closed as soon as they entered.

'That's weird…you'd think it was heat sensored or something…' Gen whispered.

'Stay close together.'  Ash advised, and they edged forward.  It was so dark they could barely see.

'Am I the only one feeling really…vulnerable?' Roxy asked.  Vreya felt exactly the same.  They all did.  As they walked on, a light suddenly went on, and just as they were recovering from the surprise, the floor beneath them gave way, and they were falling.

It happened so suddenly it took them a moment to realise that they were falling through some passageway.  

'Help!' Roxy screamed.  'They're trying to kill ussssssssssssssssssss!'

Vreya was seriously regretting coming here, and after what seemed like an eternity, they landed on the floor, hard, sprawled over each other.  Gen was the first up, staring back up at the closed passageway they had come from.

'What the hell was that?' he exclaimed, visibly shaken.  'A trap door?  What the hell is this?  Where are we, and how do we get back up?'

'I knew this wasn't it…oh, we're gonna die…' Roxy said, and Vreya felt terrible.  Once again she'd gotten them all into trouble.

'I…I'm sorry…' she began, but Ash shook his head.

'You couldn't have known…good job Costa and Sara aren't here…'

'But what was that?' Gen asked again.

Ash looked around.  They were in an empty room, save for the barrels that were stacked at the walls.  He frowned, and said

'I'll go check it out…'

'Alone?  No…' Vreya began.

'I'll be fine…' Ash replied dismissively, taking a step to go forward.  Vreya grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him back.

Ash looked at her, and her eyes were wide and anxious.  'No Ash…we should stick together…it's dangerous…'

'I'll be fine Vreya…' Ash replied gently, touched by her concern for him.  Perhaps that Zane was nothing to worry about after all.

'But…'

'Someone has to go and someone has to stay here with you…I'll go.  Gen, you stay with them.  I'll call you if I need you.'

'You sure?  I'll go if you prefer…' Gen offered.  Ash just shook his head.  

'Ash…' Vreya said, reluctant to agree to him going alone.  He looked back to her, and their eyes met.  

'Just…be careful okay?'

Ash nodded, and took a breath, moving forward.  They hadn't been here the day before, and so he had no idea where he was going.  But someone had to be in, how else would the door have opened and they fallen here?

He passed through a door, and a few stairs led down.  He followed them, and down a narrow corridor, feeling more nervous by the minute, despite his brave show.  He paused as another small room met him.  It seemed to be a dead end, but he noticed a small trap door.  He opened it, and peered down.  A small set of stairs led down.  Climbing down slowly, he walked cautiously through yet another small corridor, and stopped, as he heard the sound of…it sounded like punching…

He edged forward, peering round the open doorway.  The room was very large, and in the centre was a punching back, and mats spread all round.  Ash hid behind a few barriers placed near the doorway, and peered round the edge.  A person was ramming deadly accurate punched into the bag, sending the red training equipment back with the force of each blow.  The person jumped gracefully and spun in midair, delivering an expert kick to the punching bag.  Ash stared, stunned.  He may not have really liked the guy for any of his other qualities, but he would be a fool if he didn't admit that he was impressed by the boy's fighting prowess.  

He moved so fast, ramming punch after punch.  It was evident Zane could seriously kick ass…Ash realised then that it would be wise to be careful around him…better for himself, and for the others to watch where they treaded about the young man who trained before him.

Suddenly he stopped, letting the punching bag swing back and forth.  Ash had no idea why he was hiding, but he had been very quiet and was sure he hadn't been detected.  But once again he'd underestimated Zane's skills.  Ash's heart wrenched violently as the cool, irritatingly smooth voice called out rather tauntingly, and full of scorn,

'You can come out from behind there now.'

Crap…how the heck did he know?  Maybe if I keep quiet…he thought, but the dangerous edge that accompanied Zane's voice the second time warned Ash that it was better to reveal himself.

'Or do I have to make you?'

Feeling foolish, Ash stood up slowly.  Zane regarded him from where he stood, unwrapping the black straps from his wrists.

'Oh.  It's you.'  He said dismissively, letting one roll of strap fall to the mat.  'Should have known.'

Ash frowned.  What did he mean by that?  Walking round the barriers, he approached Zane slowly, who had now turned his back to him.

'What do you mean by that?' Ash asked.  

'…Nothing.'  Zane replied flatly.  But Ash wanted to know, and persisted

'No…tell me.'  

Zane sighed in exasperation, and turned to Ash, looking at him directly.  Ash wasn't prepared for eye contact and especially not one that glared daggers at him.  He frowned uncomfortably, and was then angry at himself.  

'You lack stealth skills.'

'…' Ash blinked, surprised.  Then he retorted angrily 'You don't know me.  How can you judge what I lack in?'

'I don't need to know you.  It's so obvious.'  Zane replied sarcastically, and then threw something at him so suddenly, Ash failed to catch it.  Zane snorted disdainfully, regarding Ash with contempt.

'Can't even catch.'

Ash was furious.  Zane had only thrown a plastic bottle at him.  Glaring at the young man, he was further irritated to notice that there was no doubt about it…he was a good looking boy, maybe…maybe even better looking than Ash was.  But he was a stuck up ass, or at least he certainly gave off that impression.

Zane turned away from him, dusting his hands off.  Ash wasn't one to let emotions get to his head, but the desire to yell at the obnoxious young man standing not too far off was overwhelming.  The desire to beat him to a pulp was even more overwhelming.  But he resisted, and said as calmly as he could

'There's three with me…'

'I know.'

'Huh?'

'I let you in.'

'You did?  What about that trap door?'

Zane didn't reply, but the small smirk on his lips told Ash all he needed to know.  He said impatiently 'We aren't here to see you…where's the others?'

'Coming.'  Zane said curtly, and added 'Three…where are the others?  Too chicken?'

'NO.' Ash said through his teeth.

'Oh.  I know.  Mummy and daddy were mad they got home late.'  

'Yeah well, unlike some our parents care.'  Ash retorted.  Zane glared daggers at him.  This comment seemed to get to him a lot, and Ash made note of it.  The boy didn't get on with his parents.  

Just as the tension was reaching fever pitch, a voice broke through, calling out Ash's name.  Ash wasn't aware how long he'd been down here.

'Ash?  Ash!  Where are you?!'

Ash started at the sound of Vreya's voice, and looked back to Zane.  The look on his face betrayed no emotions whatsoever.  

'Ash!' Roxy yelled loudly.  Gen's voice also called to him.  Then Ash heard a thump, and an 'Ow!'.  Zane rolled his eyes, muttering a 'pathetic' under his breath.  A moment later, Vreya appeared at the doorway.

'Ash!  Where were you, we got worried-!' she began, and the relieved light in her eyes was fully extinguished as she noticed who he was with.  Nervously she looked back to Ash, aware all the while that Zane's eyes were on her.  

'Hey Ash!' Roxy greeted, barging into Vreya, Gen following behind her.  'Phew, you're okay, we…oh!'

Gen stared from Ash to Zane, who stood with his arms folded across his chest.  He said rather nervously,

'Err…hi there.  Remember us?'  

'He let us in.  Pulled the trap door stunt.' Ash muttered.  Roxy frowned, stepping forward, and staring at Zane.

'HEY!  Ouch, that was no fun!'

'He doesn't care…' Vreya murmured, eying Zane.  He looked as good as ever, and that annoyed her.  He really did seem like an obnoxious and totally rude loner.  Nothing like how she'd seen him to be at the dance.

Zane turned away, and walked over to a small device on the wall.  Pressing a button, they all heard Fleck's voice.

'Hey!  What's up?'

'The Brat Pack is here…' Zane muttered into it, but loud enough for them to hear.  Vreya frowned, putting her hands on her hips.  Now that was just rude…

Ash looked at her.  'Vreya…don't let him get to you…he won't listen.  Just…ignore him.'  He said, hoping she would.  But it was hard to ignore Zane, and as soon as he put finished speaking, she said angrily

'So don't you have a home to go to?'

Zane looked at her, confused.  What was she talking about now?

'It's our turn to 'practice.'  I'm sure you have better things to do than hang around with a 'Brat Pack' like us, right?'

He blinked, staring at her, as if she was insane.  Her heart skipped a beat as he walked towards her.  She was aware of Ash moving also, but Zane merely walked passed them, to her fury, totally blanking her, and them all.  

There was a small laugh, and they turned to see Fleck had arrived, with Bo, Tai, Rica and Locky.  Morgan also stood, a smile on his lips.

'Now now kids, get a hold of those tempers.  There's no 'I' in team, right?'

'Yeah well…there's no Zane in team either.'  Zane replied icily, and rage filled Vreya.  Did he think he was too good for them or something?  

As the boy walked past his mentor, Morgan looked at him sternly.  'Zane, please…you're all a team here, and you must accept that…'

Zane shot a sharp look at the older man.  'I have had it up to here with this 'team'!'  With that, he left the room.

'Hey!' Vreya said angrily  'Come back here!'

'Yeah!' Roxy agreed.  But Zane was gone, and Fleck sighed, shaking his head.

'Sorry about him.  He's a loner, let him be.  But enough about him.  I'm very glad to see you here, but why only four?'

'The others couldn't make it…' Ash said slowly.  

'That's too bad.  Sara isn't here…' Locky smiled.  'I never really apologised for grabbing her like I did yesterday…'

Rica shook her head at him, then looked to the group of four.  'Hope you didn't injure yourselves with the little fall…'

'Yeah, what was that about?' Roxy asked.

'Security precautions you understand…we can't have anyone walking in here…' Tai said, and Bo nodded.

'Yup.  You may have been smart to notice this isn't the same base as yesterday…'

'We're glad you came…we don't mean to cause you any harm, or trouble…I'm glad you decided to trust us…so who decided to come along?'  Fleck asked.  Ash, Roxy and Gen looked to Vreya.

'Ummm…' Vreya said rather nervously 'I did…I…I have some questions…I don't understand…'

'Of course…we're here to help…' Fleck replied, motioning for them to sit down on the various chairs sprawled about the room.  When they were all seated, Fleck looked to Vreya again, smiling kindly.

'Well then, Vreya…' he said 'what would you like to know?'

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble**

Well, another chapter done!  Okay people, here's the deal…the story is going to move forward now, and I mean more than by one day forward, if that makes sense.  ^  ~  ^  The big meeting is gonna be soon!  I know I said that before, but now we are so close you can practically visualise it.  Or something.  Anyway, keep up the reading and take care all.  I'll be back soon, hopefully!  Watch this space!


	21. Drawn Into The Darkness

Phew!  It's been too long!  Apologies loyal readers, I know I deserve to be swatted with a stick!  I have been so busy sorting out my life, I can hardly find time!  Just bear with me!  Anyway, I feel terrible making you wait so long, here is the next chapter!  Moving at a snails pace is no fun, I know, not for me or you.  Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, (That Idiot, O.O? Soldier of Mercy, welcome!) here we go again!  To Cute Kitty, yeah, I know I don't update as much as before, but that is entirely due to the fact I was SO busy this summer, and now school's started again, so my sincere apologies.  I wish I could update five chapters in advance, but time waits for no man or woman for that matter!  Noacat, make up your mind which guy you like ^ ~ ^ and I guess you've eaten my slippers!   And thank you for adding me onto your fav. list Leah, I feel truly humbled and honoured!  ^  ~ ^ Thanks so much, hope I can live up to that privilege.  And Refugee!  All bow down to the king of FF8 fics!  Great of you to drop by, thanks for your review ^_^!   Now enough of me and more of the story!

**Chapter XXI:  Drawn Into The Darkness**

****

His eyes scanned the vast plains, looking over the enormous and fearsome army that stood beneath him, hungry, eager, ready to do His bidding.

Yes, perhaps they were ready.  Their training had been intense and in a matter of weeks, if time cared to measure the length of days on the cursed realm, they had greatly improved.  They knew how to fight, how to wield weapons more accurately, how to use magic, how to call upon creatures of darkness for aid. 

All were deadly silent, still.  He smirked scornfully; who would have thought this race of savages could learn order and obedience?  Perhaps they had been underestimated.  In any case, now was the time for the fools to prove themselves.

He finally spoke up, voice cold, curt, full of authority.  A voice that demanded loyalty, expected to be obeyed.

'I came here, promising you a pathway back to the realm of Earth.  In return I asked of you to train yourselves in the way of battle.  I come willing to fulfil my part of the bargain now…the question is, have you fulfilled your part?'

A huge roar met his ears…cries of madmen, beings thirsty for the spilling of blood…human blood.  Perfect.

'We shall see how worthy you truly are.  Only the worthy I shall select for passage between the realms.'  He held up a hand, and there was a bolt of lightening, splitting the ground far below.  The savages were clearly unprepared, and terrified.  The flash of electric light had split the ground into two; those caught in the middle fell into the abyss below, screaming.

'Now.'  He spoke calmly, as if nothing had happened.  'Those of you standing to my left, shall accompany me to Earth.  Those of you on the right…' He gave a wicked smile, and paused for effect.

They were still shaken from the effects of His powerful magic, and looked up at Him, in a mixture of anger, fear and awe.

'Those of you on the right…can rot here until the end of your days.'  He finished flatly, and began to turn away.

'NO!' cries, angry, furious cries, rose up, opposing His decision.  He merely raised His hand again and there were more cries, yet they were more of alarm.  They had had samples of what the strange man standing high up before them could do…this strange man who looked so human, and yet seemed so much more.

At the mere graceful flick of a wrist, a vortex of swirling red light appeared, behind those who stood on the left side; those who had been chosen.  The savage race looked in awe and fear at the huge portal that had suddenly appeared, marvelling at the mysterious man's power.  

'Step into the portal, and you shall be transported to the realm of Earth!  Serve me and in return you may have your revenge and annihilate humankind!  There will be only one true race that shall inhabit Earth…fight for it and it shall be yours!'

With these words a brilliant surge of blue electricity surrounded the man in black, and He vanished as suddenly as He had come.  Those on the left side gave cries of excitement and relish at the words spoken to them, and charged into the huge swirling vortex.  Those on the right who were full of desperation and fool enough to defy a powerful magic wielder's words attempted to jump to the other side, only to strike an invisible wall which repelled them back, and into the dark bottomless abyss below, to be lost in nothingness for all time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

'That's all you really need to know.' Fleck said, shrugging.  

'Actually, that's all we know.' Tai put in.  There was a thoughtful silence, and then Roxy said

'Well, now that you've answered some questions it makes a little more sense!  But…HEY!  Vreya, what's the time?!'

Vreya glanced at her watch, and gave a little cry.  'Oh my gosh!  It's like after seven…'

'We haven't been here for more than three hours!' Gen exclaimed in disbelief.

'Time flies when you're having fun kids…' Rica said, raising an eyebrow.  Her fellow guides smirked at the expression on the teenage faces.

Ash got up off his chair.  'We should get going.  I need to get back.'  He looked to Vreya, who nodded.  She then turned to the adults.

'Ummm…thanks, I guess.  You know, it's not easy learning to accept a thing like this and…well, we need time right?'

'Sure.' Fleck nodded 'But we don't have much to give you.  You can have as much as we have.'

'…' Vreya said nothing in return, but Roxy spoke up.

'We'll be sure to tell ya know, the others!'

'We hope to see them soon…bring Sara along with you next time.' Locky said, grinning a devilishly good-looking grin.

Vreya smiled despite herself.  Sara and Locky's relationship was a very strange one, and it had only just started.  She looked forward to seeing how they'd get along as time went by.  It was obvious he liked her.

'So, guess you need a guide back up to higher ground!' Bo smiled, and took a key off Rica.  'Allow us!  Err…hey does Morgan have the other key?' 

The older man had left.  Luckily Locky held up a key also.  'Here you go.  I got it off him before he left.  Of course you were all so absorbed in the excitement of the world ending that you didn't notice!'

'Gimme that!' Fleck said, shaking his head at Locky's sarcasm, and swiftly snatching the key off him.  He looked to the teenagers again.

'Right then kids!  I know we're all going to get on just swimmingly!  Now follow me and I'll lead you outside.'

Vreya and the others nodded, and turned to follow Fleck.  As the others walked out, Vreya hesitated and looked back at the remaining adults who stood together.

Those Fated Children they were talking about…I dreamt about two guys I didn't know…with scars across their faces…are they…should I have told them…?

'You okay Vreya?' Tai questioned, observing her uncertainty.

No…they wouldn't…it's not relevant...probably nothing.  She decided, and shook her head.

'No…I mean yes…ummm, thanks…'

'Anytime sweetheart.' Locky smiled, and Vreya felt too uncomfortable to stay any longer.  She turned and ran to catch up with the others.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

After walking for a while and Fleck giving a little tour of the area, they finally stopped outside a locked door.  Outside they could hear rain, and the humming of an engine.

Fleck frowned.  Zane was taking off without letting anyone know again?  How many times did he have to tell the boy? 

Oh well.  Old habits die hard and all…

He unlocked the door and threw it open.  Sure enough Zane was seated on his motorbike, and despite the rain, which was heavier than a slight drizzle, he wore no helmet and was busy adjusting the handles.

 'Hey!  You forgot to say bye!'

Zane eyed Fleck, eyes squinted slightly as rain drops fell onto his face.  Roxy squeaked, covering her hair, a stark contrast to Zane who looked like he didn't give a damn.  

What does he give a damn about?  I know those type of people…no, scratch that, I've never met anyone so stuck up in my life!  Vreya thought.  But she felt bad then; seeing him on the motorbike, she realised it was familiar, and confirmed that he really had been the one who had helped her escape the gang members.  She owed him her life in many ways…maybe she just needed to give him a chance.  She wasn't usually one so quick to judge, but she guessed friendship with a boy like Zane took time, and a lot of it.  She still didn't really know anything about him, his background, nothing.  She silently hoped she would find out more about him.  He struck her as a very interesting, albeit totally obnoxious character.

Ash watched Zane closely.  He was relieved to find that Zane hardly spared his own mentor a glance, let alone Vreya.  Good, it's obvious he's not interested.  The dance meant nothing to him.

'You coming tomorrow?' Fleck asked him, over the sudden gust of wind that blew.  Zane opened his mouth to reply when a bolt of lightening illuminated the sky.  He turned his face up at the sky, and so did the rest of them.

That's weird…it was perfectly calm a few moments ago…Zane thought, then turned his attention back to Fleck.

'Maybe.'

'That's a fairly vague reply, as ever.  I mean, come tomorrow.'

'I know what you meant…'

'Then answer yes or no.  C'mon, make an effort, I know speaking is a waste of precious air in your opinion, but you're gonna have to do more of it!' Fleck said.

Roxy giggled.  Zane was a jerk yes, but looked at from a no-grudge point of view, his sarcasm was rather funny.

Zane sighed, turning his eyes up to the sky.  Could he go now?  He really wasn't in the mood for small talk.

'In any case, we expect to see you all tomorrow.  If you can make it that is.'

'I can't…' Vreya said, and Ash looked at her.

'You can't?'

'No…Kat's coming round and…you know.'  She let her voice trail off pointedly.  Ash nodded, and looked to Fleck.

'We'll see if the rest of us can make it.  It's no guarantee…we've been home late twice now and our parents are bound to get suspicious.'

'Gen and I could come, our parents aren't around!' Roxy announced.  Gen didn't look happy with this leakage of information from Roxy's mouth, but said nothing.

'The more the merrier…you know where to find us now.  We have to get you training soon.  Anyway, you head off home now.  You drove here right?'

Ash nodded.

'Good.  I hope to see you soon then.  Careful now…looks like a storms brewing.' Fleck said, and added to Zane 

'Absence is not an option for you.  Training tomorrow.  Don't be late rescuing any damsels in distress will you?  Being hero to one is quite enough.' With a sly look at Vreya Fleck snuck back inside.

Zane glared daggers at the door as it closed.  Trust fleck to make a smart-ass reply before doing a runner!  Then he glanced at Vreya, who had her hands on her hips.  He smirked slightly.  He guessed the girl didn't like to be categorised as a damsel in distress, though that's what she had been more or less.  The smirk was gone from his lips as quickly as it had appeared.  It was time to head home.

Vreya found herself glaring at Zane.  She seriously hoped he didn't think of himself as a hero to her, or her as some damsel in need of saving!  But his face betrayed no emotion whatsoever, as he geared up the engine and reversed, and sped off into the night.  Roxy giggled next to Vreya.

'Oooh.  Vreya has a hero!'

'Shut up!  He's not my hero.  I am not a damsel in distress!' Vreya said indignantly, blushing furiously.

'Hey, it's okay.' Gen said, patting her on her shoulder.  Ash just looked back at her a moment before averting his face and beginning to walk ahead, and Roxy smiled a knowing smile.  Vreya sighed, realising it was hopeless to try to convince them.  The four piled into Ash's car, and were gone a moment later.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Squall rubbed his eyes tiredly, making his way out of his room, skimming over the note that had been pushed underneath his door overnight.  The headmaster wanted to see him urgently about a very important matter.  Squall sighed.  This was becoming quite a regular experience.  What was it now?

As he walked out into Garden's main circular corridor, squinting from the sunlight that streamed across the floor, he was aware of many students looking at him as he passed, awestruck, as if he were some legend.  

Oh well.  Saving the world has its pros and cons I guess…he thought.

'HEY!  Morning Squall!' A chirpy voice called over to him.  Squall's mood was immediately lifted, as he turned his face in the direction of the voice, in greeting.  The young brunette bounded across the adjoining corridor, all sunshine and happiness.

'Hi Selphie.'

Big green eyes peered up at him.  'Hey!  You just got up now?  You're late!'

Squall checked his watch.  'It's nine thirty…'

'Still!  Have you heard?  You'll help out right?  Of course you will, you agreed to join the Festival Committee at graduation night…' Selphie rattled on.  Squall held up his hand, stopping her in mid-sentence.

'Selphie.'

'Huh?  What?  Oh, you're gonna help right, right?'

Squall rubbed his forehead.  'What are you talking about?  I have to see Cid.'

'Huh?' The petite girl exclaimed, and then 'Why?  Is it important?  It can wait…'

'No.  I got a note saying it's urgent.'

'Oh…oh bummer!' Selphie pouted.  'I was looking for Zell, but he wasn't in his room.  Do you think he's still asleep?'

Squall rolled his eyes.  'Try the cafeteria.'

'…' Selphie stared, and then clicked her fingers together.  'Woo!  Oh yeah!  Of course!  It's too early in the morning for this…!'

You just told me it's late…make up your mind…Squall thought.

'Thanks!  I'll catch you later…you can help later, right?  Bye!' With that Selphie bounded off, calling out to some more friends.

Squall shook his head.  She was always so lively and bouncy.  No doubt Irvine loved playing the catch up game with her.  Squall had just had no idea what she'd been talking about.  That was Selphie for you.

He arrived at the elevator, pressed the button and waited patiently for the lift to ride down.  As it arrived, another voice addressed him.  

'Good morning Squall.  Sleep well?'

Squall glanced back to see Quistis.  She held a bunch of folders in her hands and was struggling to keep a grip on a book.  

He shrugged, and the elevator doors opened.  Out stepped Irvine.  Squall frowned.  It was very rare to meet all his friends in the space of a few minutes in the early morning.  Rinoa was still asleep, he knew, but he expected Irvine to be asleep also, and Quistis to be teaching.

'Howdy, if it isn't the Lion and the fair Quistis.'  Irvine grinned.  'Mornin' all.  Seen Seffie?'

'She went that way.' Quistis replied, trying to gesture, and the book fell.  Squall picked it up for her.

'Cafeteria.' He informed Irvine, who thanked him and ran off.  Squall stepped into the elevator with Quistis.  The doors slid shut soundlessly.

'Thanks Squall.' Quistis said, grateful.  'It's such a bother getting all this stuff marked on time…'

'Aren't you usually teaching?' Squall asked, as they arrived at the second floor.

'Yes, but today I start late.  Where are you off to?' She asked, shaking a blonde strand of hair out of her azure eyes.

'Cid's office.'

'Ah.'  The doors opened.  'Thank you.' She said, as Squall placed the book on top of the folders she carried.  As soon as she stepped out of the lift, a group of Trepies rushed to her.

'Oh, Instructor, let us help you!'

'You can't carry all that, let us take it!'

Quistis smiled politely, glancing back at Squall in amusement.  A few months ago, Squall would have ignored her.  Now he merely rolled his eyes in sympathy.  He knew what it was like to receive such attention.  Quistis smiled a beautiful, sunny smile, mouthed a 'see you later' and walked off with the students surrounding her, chattering with them.  The lift doors closed and arrived at the third floor.  Squall stepped out and knocked on the door.

'Enter!'

Squall took a breath and opened the door, entered the office, and closed it behind him.  The headmaster looked up from his desk, and stood up.  Squall saluted him respectfully.

'Oh Squall, how many times must I tell you?  Come here my boy!'

Squall, embarrassed, moved forward, and shook Cid's outstretched hand.  Cid smiled, and gestured for him to sit.

'Take a seat, please.  I'm glad you've come, on time as ever.  Sorry if it's a little early, I asked someone to pass on the message, but apparently it didn't get to you.  Right then, but oh, good morning, how are you?' Cid bustled.

'…Fine.' Squall replied, just wondering what Cid wanted.

'Right.  Now, I received a call from Laguna Loire yesterday…'

Laguna?  What does he want?  Squall wondered.  Then, strangely words crossed his mind.

You look very much like your mother…

He says it's a good job you don't look like your father…

Squall shook his head.  Cid regarded him.  

'Squall?  Is everything alright?'

'Yes Sir…what did he want?' Squall asked, changing the subject instantly.

'He requested to meet with you.  He did want to see you in two days, but I called him up today, and he asked if you could make it today.  He said that he had never really thanked you personally.'  Cid explained.  'It's quite an honour.  The president of Esthar wants to see you personally.'

Squall stared blankly.  'Just me?'

'Yes, he asked specifically for you.'

Squall was perplexed.  Laguna wasn't exactly…he wasn't exactly too keen on formalities…why then, this eagerness…?  And today?  But that meant he'd have to cancel Rinoa.  She'd asked if they could visit Balamb Town together later that day.

I guess she'll understand…I could always take her tomorrow.  I'll make it up.  Better to get this meeting out the way as soon as possible…he reasoned to himself.

'When?' Squall asked, not too happy with the news that he had to travel to Esthar today, and alone.  Looked like he'd have to take the train. 

'This evening at fifteen hundred hours.  Is that alright?  If you have any preoccupations…'

'No…it's fine.' Squall said, thinking it totally wasn't.  Rinoa would be disappointed.

'Excellent.  I'll confirm that now.  He sent you a luxury express ticket.  You travel first class, all fees and meals paid.  Isn't that nice of him?' Cid beamed.

Squall couldn't even muster a smile back in return.  Did he have to go visit that moron?  He didn't particularly like Laguna's attitude.  After being in Laguna's mind so many times, he knew the man better than he'd like to admit.

'Now, you may go and get ready, quickly now!  It's a four-hour journey, so make haste!  Please send him my regards.'

Squall nodded, feeling rather stunned.  His day was worked out for him and he'd only just woken up…nodding to Cid he turned and left the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The streets were alive and pulsating to the sound of the strange, mystical, hypnotic music.  It was enchanting; so many people, all here to see one man.  So many people…she felt crushed, unable to breathe properly.  Her mind spun, her eyes were dazzled.  Fireworks lit up the sky, and the strangely dressed dancers moved in tune to the exotic music.

Just in front of her, her friends were talking, quietly.  Friends?  No…he didn't look familiar, the black jacket and the white fur lining didn't look familiar, and yet, somehow, insanely, she knew he was on her sidehe, and the raven haired girl in blue beside him.  The other boy she knew, from his green eyes, which scanned the area like an eagle's, as the other dark brown haired young man spoke to him.  A young girl stood beside her, brunette hair spunkily arranged, talking to another girl.  They all seemed occupied with themselves, with each other, with the fantastic show on display.  

Where am I?  Dreaming…a voice in her mind whispered.

'Stay close together, and when the time is right, BOOM!  My cowboy will blow his head off!' The girl beside her said enthusiastically.

'…!' The boy in black in front of her whipped his head round sharply, unruly hair ruffled in the wind.  Piercing blue eyes set in painfully handsome, finely chiselled features glared at the spunky brunette.

'Quiet!' he hissed. 

The girl's eyes widened.  'Whoops.  Sorry…teehee.  But Irvy is the greatest!'

'You've done this kind of thing before?' A familiar voice asked.  Sara's.

'You could say that…' A young, unfamiliar looking blond haired man said; he had a tattoo on the side of his face.  'In fact, we've done exactly this before…same thing huh?'  He looked to the girl.

'Yeah…major spooky coincidence we're here doing it again?  What if we fail again…?' 

The voices trailed off.  The music was so hypnotic…it was impossible to stay focused.  Finally the noise became deafening as the speaker high above announced what they had all been waiting to hear.  He was going to come out soon.

He…?  Who's he…?  What's going on…?  This is…too weird…

So much music and colour, it all seemed, looked, felt, sounded so real…as if she was really here, amongst these people.

She looked around and noticed one of their company was missing.  No name came to mind, but someone was missing…

Have to find her…she can't be too far.  She's small; maybe she can't see over these people…all these people…

Making sure no one was paying her attention, she made her move, sneaking away, sliding between people with ease, eyes darting around, searching for her missing companion.  The people were chanting, calling a name she didn't understand.

Her feet continued to move her forward, randomly.  No sign of her friend.  So many faces, but not the one she was searching for.  The guards were all too busy dealing with troublemakers to notice the slender brunette pass.

Eventually she arrived at the back of the street, a back alleyway.  The lights even decorated the area here, but it was significantly darker, and deserted.  No guards were here; no one had seen her.

Boxes…crates, next to a van.  She looked up, at the huge, luxurious building, an important building for political members.  The van was a large one and reached up to some solid looking twisted branches attached to the upper wall, which led to the lower roof.  She could quite easily clamber up onto the roof, and into the building.

Hesitation…she didn't know what she was doing, but suddenly she felt strange.  No…she'd been feeling it ever since she'd come here, something was in the air, something was unsettling her, drawing her in.  But what was it?  She knew she shouldn't go up there, but curiosity was suddenly in the driving seat.  It was unlikely her friend had climbed up here, why would she?

Regardless, she needed to know what was in there.  Who was in there, she would be careful not to be caught…the feeling was too powerful to ignore…she began to climb up the boxes, careful not to make a sound.  It took a lot of energy, but she finally made it up without being detected.  She clambered up to the higher roof.  A back door was open, and within she could see the glimmer and flicker of flaming torchlights.

The music played, mystical, hypnotising, drawing her in, as the strange force was.

Go back…they'll have noticed you're gone.  They'll worry…this is wrong…it's dangerous…her sensible voice whispered.  Alarm bells were blaring, suddenly, as she stood there, hesitantly at the doorway, all her senses were painfully alive, she had never felt so alert in her life.  A tingling feeling was flowing throughout her veins, she felt rather sick, almost backed down, almost turned back, as she should have done.

But she scolded herself for feeling so weak.  She told herself to have courage, to be strong.  No one liked a weakling, a coward.  Heart pounding, defying all the warnings going off in her mind, she stepped into the building.  What met her eyes was a pure shock.  Lavishly decorated interiors, marble floors, a smoky grey, a velvet blue carpet lining the floors, a sight fit for the splendour of kings.

She swallowed, heart hammering away inside of her.  Despite the unmistakable elegance and beauty of the place, it reeked of the stench of danger.

LEAVE, LEAVE, LEAVE!  Her mind told her.  Her body did not listen.  Driven forward, she encountered no resistance as she walked down the breathtaking halls, passing many doors.  She didn't know where she was going, yet at the same time, she knew exactly were she was going. 

Finally she arrived at a huge, grand, silver plated door.  It looked huge and difficult to open.  But it was already open.  A cool breeze blew from within.  The music was louder here.  This room led to the main balcony outside.

…Here it is…the residence…

She carefully slipped through the narrowly opened door, and found herself in a moonlit room.  The silver light cast shadows all over the rich, glimmering floors.  Soft, thin, rich gauze hung from the walls, surrounding her.  

Then she saw it.  Her heart leapt in horror; her friend, she was here!  But what was she doing here?!  The girl swayed, as if in a trance.  In front of her stood a figure in black.  She backed away, behind one of the pillars in the large, ground room.  Fear paralysed her to the spot…what was going on?  And she felt so strange…the feeling was getting worse, she felt breathless, sick, and yet drawn forward…drawn to the mysterious figure.  

Why is my friend here?  Why would she come?  How?  What's going on?  She's in danger…he's done something to her…she's not moving…not calling for help…I…have to help her…

The figure moved forward, and her friend moved with it, walking unsteadily, as if she wasn't in control of her own legs.  They ascended the few steps that led to the outer balcony.  She followed, slowly, carefully, terrified.  What was he going to do?!

At the top of the stairs, the figure in black paused, as if sensing something.  She had stepped out from behind the balcony.  A dark, silky head, hair as black as midnight, turned slightly to the left.  She froze; he would see her.  The moonlight feel over milky, pale skin, smooth, youthful.  The attracting force suddenly took hold of her and she was walking forward, eyes fixed on him.  She could see his cheek, a side profile of his face, but the dark hair cascaded over his eyes, hiding them from view.  Forward, forward, even as her mind screamed for her to fight it and run away; he was going to see her, he had already sensed her, despite the bangle she wore…

It's just a dream, wake up, now!  She ordered herself.  But she didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore, no, this couldn't be a dream; she was so close, he was so close; she could reach out and touch him.  The electricity surrounding him was terrifying, the pure aura of power was suffocating her, yet she was drawn forward, closer, closer, moving to the left, so that she would be in his outer line of vision, going around him, trying to see his face.  She didn't know what had brought her to him, but it was as if he had been expecting her.  With a flick of his wrist, her friend was discarded like a puppet, thrown back.  She lay there, moaning, and then cried out weakly.

'No!  L…leave her alone!  Vreya!  Get away from him!'

Too late…too late for anything.  The face turned to her, the eyes rested on her, and she lost her breath.  Piercing, unearthly, mesmerising eyes, the colour of frosted purple.  She could only see his eyes, everything else vanished.  He was beautiful to look at, as mesmerising as the music, which played on.  The wind stirred his raven hair, and his soft, sultry lips opened slightly, head tilting back slightly, motioning for her to follow him.  The eyes were carved permanently into her mind; they had pierced her mind, her heart, her soul.

'NO!  Vreya, NO!  Get away from him!  Leave her alone!  Vreya!  Vreya!'  Her friend attempted to waken her from the spell, but she couldn't move.  He had frozen her to the floor, and taken her friend.

The strange feeling was becoming painful, especially as she tried to pull back.  What little resistance she had was finally washed away completely, as the eyes lowered and finally turned from her and he walked forward, out into the night. 

She followed him, heart never ceasing its wild pounding, mind confused, body no longer under her control.  She followed him to her death.

'VREYA!  NO!' A voice screamed, her friend…she was so far away…but at least she would live…he had only used her to lure who he truly wanted to him.  He'd known she would come.

'Don't try to fight it girl.  You have no power…you are weak, like the rest of your humankind…' The voice was beautiful, a smooth, sultry murmur, cool, light, yet rich and dark, full of mockery, an unmistakable arrogance, full of authority, as it coaxed her into submission.  His face turned to her ever so slightly as he addressed her quietly.  His power was frightening.  She was nothing to him.  Nothing…

'Why…?' she whispered, feeling the pain increase as her mind tried to snap out of the deadly spell he had her under.

'You should never have come.  I knew you would come…'

Long, strong, slender fingers reached out to her, towards her cheek, not quite touching.  The desire to fall at his feet was terrifying.  The magnetic attraction was also repelling her now, ripping her apart.

'Come…let us start the ceremony with a sacrifice…' Cool fingers brushed lightly against her cheek, caressing down to her chin, slipping away, luxurious in their touch, like silk.

He turned away from her and stepped forward, and she followed; it was then that she knew she was going to die…and far away her friend still screamed her name, still tried to shake her out of it with her shrill cries…

Shake…tried to shake…shaking…someone was shaking her…

'Vreya…?   Vreya!  Wake up!'

The voice suddenly sounded very close, and the shaking felt very real.  The music faded, the image of the dark haired man faded, and her eyes finally opened.

Her mother stared down at her, holding her.  Vreya's mouth opened, but no sound came out.  The shock of finding that there was no dark haired man, that there was no music, that she was not going to die, stunned her stupid.  She realised that her cheeks were wet.  She was crying.

Her father stared down at her also.  They both looked terribly upset, terribly afraid.  

'…' Vreya couldn't speak.  The dream had been so real…too real.  So many faces she didn't know, didn't recognise…

'Vreya…what is happening?  You were crying out in your sleep…we tried to wake you up…you weren't waking up…darling, what is happening, tell us!'  Her mother cried, tears in her eyes.

'What did you see?' Her father asked her, gravely.  Vreya couldn't respond.  Already the very memory was fading.

'M…mother…' Vreya whispered.  Her mother's eyes widened.  Her daughter never called her 'mother'.

'Vreya, please, what is happening to you?'

'…' Vreya shook her head, as fresh tears spilt down her cheeks.  The pain in her chest from the dream was still with her.  She threw her arms around the comforting figure of her mother, and sobbed into her chest.  She couldn't take this.  It was too crazy…too unreal, and yet it was happening.

'…Mother… I'm so scared!'

Silently, her mother stroked her daughter's silky hair, and looked to her husband, who shook his head, then sat on the bed, and also held his daughter, and together they gently saw her into sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Squall waited impatiently.  He'd arrived in Esthar's presidential palace over an hour ago, and now it was way past the arranged fifteen hundred hours.  Trust Laguna to be disorganised.

Tapping his hands on the table in front of him, Squall was about to get up and demand what was taking so long, when the door suddenly opened, and to Squall's surprise, Ellone exited.  

He blinked, shocked.  What was she doing here?  But of course…she was always around 'Uncle' Laguna.

'Squall!  It's so good to see you!'  She threw her arms around him, hugging him, doing it so suddenly he didn't really have time to respond.  

'What are you doing here?' He asked, when she'd pulled back.

'Just making sure Uncle Laguna is carrying out his proper duties!' She winked.  Squall was confused.  He didn't get it.

'How are things?  How is Rinoa?'

'Fine.' Squall nodded.  Ellone clasped her hands together.

'Oh, we'll catch up later I'm sure!  Go right in…he's ready to see you now!'

Squall gave her a strange look.  She was certainly very perky today.  What was there to be so happy about?  

Oh well…whatever…let's just get this over with…he thought, entering the room.  Closing the door behind him, he looked about.  The last time he'd been here was just before he and the others had been about to rescue Ellone from inside the Lunatic Pandora.

President Laguna Loire stood by the big window behind his desk, overlooking the grand sight that was the city of Esthar.  He stood with his hands behind his back.  Squall stood by the door, uncertainly, feeling uncomfortable.

When Laguna didn't turn for a while, Squall placed a hand to his hip, in exasperation.  Now what?  He opened his mouth to say 'Excuse me Sir?' but Laguna finally turned, and smiled at him.  It was a rather floppy smile.  Squall didn't return it.  

Okay, keep a grip Laguna…I…Hyne, I am so proud of him, and yet I have no right to be…what kind of a parent am I?  I've neglected him for all these years, but I didn't want to interfere, so why am I interfering now?  Dammit, he has a right to know, he looks so much like Raine, he's such a brave, handsome boy, he doesn't need me messing up his life now, but Ellone will kill me if I run away now, he's come all this way…Laguna thought frantically.  He was so nervous, but he was not going to pull a leg cramp now.  Not now.  It was time to talk, man to man.  Squall deserved to know.  Even if he wanted Laguna to have nothing to do with him, Laguna totally understood.  But the boy deserved to know the truth about his parents.

'President Loire.'  Squall saluted him automatically.  'You called for me.'

So cold and informal…that's really sad…gee…this is gonna hurt us both isn't it?  

'…' Laguna swallowed, and composed himself, before speaking.  He was pleased when his voice didn't crack.

'Squall Leonhart…'  Raine's maiden name.  

When he didn't go on, Squall pressed 'Sir?'

'Oh.  Sorry…just thinking…err…forget it…thank you for coming and err…well…'

Get a GRIP!  He already thinks you're a moron, don't embarrass yourself anymore!  You're his father for Hyne's sake!  Laguna snapped at himself.

Taking a breath, he went on, trying to keep his nerves at bay, 'Sorry if it was short notice.  I did want to see you personally…'

I gathered that already…Squall thought, shifting from one foot to the other.

'I wanted to congratulate you for your fine show of courage and determination.  On behalf of the people of Esthar, I would like to thank you for your outstanding efforts.  You're an inspiration Squall.  I reward you with a double merit of three stars.  It's lousy considering you saved the world, but it's all I got.  Sorry kiddo.'

Squall blinked, feeling pleasantly surprised. A double merit of three stars?  That was…that was fantastic.  The awarding of three stars was a very rare thing indeed, but to get a double merit…he said sincerely,

'Thank you Sir…'

'Please, Laguna…' Laguna said, feeling even more nervous, as he approached Squall, and handed him two golden extremely coveted badges.

Squall received them, looking at them.  It was a good reward.  He'd always wanted to earn one, but to have two was amazing.  He looked at Laguna and said again, feeling a little weird 

'Thanks…'

Laguna nodded.  'You make a fine soldier.  Almost as good as me!  Almost…' He winked.

Squall's eyes lowered and he said nothing.

Laguna regarded him, heart racing.  It was now or never.  The temptation to say he could leave now was overwhelming.  But Ellone was outside, he knew and she'd be so unhappy.  He didn't want to let her down too.  He'd failed at so many things already.

Clearing his throat, he said slowly 'There's something else I've been meaning to tell you about…ah…maybe you should sit down…'

'I'm fine…' Squall said, curious all of a sudden.  So this wasn't just it?

'Err, okay.  Do you remember…of course you do…you once asked me about Raine.'

Squall watched the man very carefully.  After a long pause, he replied 'I remember.'

Laguna nodded.  'Yeah.  Well err…you know my story…when I was brought to Winhill, wounded…Raine was the one who looked after me…'

I know that part…but anyway…why does this concern me?  I told Rinoa I'd be back before nightfall…

'I married her.' Laguna said bluntly.  'She was my wife…but…she passed away.'

Squall was silent.  He didn't know what to say.  Laguna picked up a photo frame off his desk, and showed it to Squall.  Squall looked at the three in it blankly.  There was a younger Laguna, little Ellone, and a beautiful woman, with blue eyes and brown hair.  As Squall stared at her he realised something alarming.  That woman…she looked like him.  There were similarities, and not just the colourings…

You look a lot like your mother…

No…it's…that's stupid.  What's his point?  Squall thought, now irritated.  He wanted to go home.

Laguna had noted Squall's eyes widening slightly as he'd gazed at Raine's picture.  He replaced the photo on his table.

'She died…she fell sick…she gave birth to a baby…I wasn't there for her…'

I'm not a crying blanket, I don't want you to express all your guilt to me, it doesn't concern me…Squall thought in irritation.

'A baby boy…'

Squall sighed after a while.  Laguna was obviously getting emotional.  Squall hadn't changed that much…he still felt uncomfortable at these sort of things.

'Sir…' He began. 

'Let me finish Squall…' Laguna held up a hand, surprising Squall.  He blinked at the older man.  'I've started now, you need to know.  Else Elle's gonna kill me.'

'…' Suddenly Squall felt like he needed to leave, and now.  He needed to know what?  A strange feeling was creeping up inside him, as he replayed Laguna's words…she was my wife…a baby boy…Hyne…no…that was just so crazy and impossible Squall wanted to laugh at himself.  But he found himself blurting out

'Know what?'

Laguna turned away, holding his head in his hands, shaking his head.  'I'm sorry.  I don't want to mess everything up, but…Raine wouldn't have wanted it to be like this…Squall…'

Laguna turned to him, more serious than he had ever been.  Tears were in his eyes.

'…I think…I should leave…' Squall began, feeling an urgency to run far away, but Laguna ignored him and said it finally.  He finally said it.

'Raine…before she married me, she was Raine Leonhart…'

Squall stared.  The words took too long to settle in.  He frowned, genuine confusion etching across his handsome face.  What was…Laguna saying?  Even though it was so obvious to him, his mind refused to register the possibility, the truth.

A baby boy…you look a lot like your mother…Raine Leonhart…good job you don't look like your father…

He opened his mouth but no words came out.  Laguna looked away.

'Raine was your mother Squall.  When she passed away you were sent to the orphanage with Ellone.'

My…my mother is Raine…?  No…it…it can't be…but Laguna looked so serious, and all the evidence was there…Raine and Squall looked very similar.

Th…then…my…my father is…is…Squall felt sick, as the painful realisation finally washed over him, as hard as he tried to fight it, to deny it.  Strangely he knew it to be true.  His relationship with Ellone, her's with Raine and Laguna…

'Raine was your mother…and your father…' Laguna was cut off by his son.

He backed away, shaking his head.  'It's not true.  My parents are both dead.'

'…Squall…I know I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid of your reaction…please…if you don't want anything to do with me I understand, but at least know that I'm proud as you, prouder than any father could be of his son…!'

Squall was staring at him with a look of pure horror.  Laguna, his father?!  Now that he had said it, it was impossible to believe.

'…What?' He whispered.  His mind was so confused, he was taken off guard so completely, that he didn't notice the blue light that had suddenly appeared and was surrounding him. 

Laguna noticed it and said suddenly 'Hey!  What is that?!  Squall, get away from it-'

Squall blinked, finally noticing the blue light.  Alarm filled him, and suddenly Ellone burst into the room.

'Uncle Laguna, the ground is shaking like crazy outsi…Squall!'

Before Squall could respond or react in anyway, the light surged up and engulfed him, so suddenly that the air itself was knocked out of his lungs and everything turned black.

Ellone cried out, shielding her eyes from the brilliant light.  

'Squall!' Laguna shouted, voice full of fear and confusion.

Ellone finally opened her eyes.  'Squall!  Where did he go?!  What's happening?!' She cried, frantically.

All that remained was black carpet and wisps of smoke.  Squall Leonhart was gone.  

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble**

_O.O!  Where has Squall gone?!  What is going on?  How come everything has turned chaotic?!  Hee hee hee, well, well my beloved readers, you wanted action, I now hand it to you!  From now on it is a fast, furious, crazy, exhilarating roller coaster ride down!  Be careful what'cha ask for right, teeheehee!  Read and review please, and I will try my best to update soon, 'cos it's gonna get really hectic from now.  ^ ~ ^ Thanks for sticking with it this far, and watch this space for more!_


	22. Blurred Visions

Hello again!  I know I only updated a few days ago, but I won't have time to during the coming week, so I'm sorry for the readers who haven't read the last chapter yet!  When you get round to it, please review both.  I appreciate it!  Thanks to Noacat and Leah who have reviewed the last chapter!  Leah, you are smart!  ^ ~ ^ And who knows, maybe you were that girl blushing in front of Squall!!  ^____-  My secret!  Anyway, on we go, enjoy!

**Chapter XXII: Blurred Visions**

****

Katrina stared at Vreya, who looked back.  It took a while for the girl with the shorter brown hair to digest what she'd heard, and form a reply.

Vreya waited, feeling utterly miserable.  After last night her parents were now extremely anxious, and were even suggesting counselling for their daughter.  Vreya had felt shocked and stunned when her mother had brought up the idea.  Counselling?  She wasn't crazy damn it!

In the safety and privacy of Vreya's room the two girls sat together, talking.  Kat was always one to offer support and ways round problems, but this time she sat back silently, quietly, worriedly. 

'Say something.  What do you think?' Vreya asked, looking to her cousin anxiously.

'…' Katrina opened her mouth, then closed it, and after another pause said finally,

'Vreya…these dreams are getting way out of hand.'

'…' Vreya's head lowered, her hair falling over to cover her face from view like a sheet of dark chocolate silk.

'And they keep coming…maybe…maybe you should talk to a professional.'

Vreya's head jerked up and she turned widened eyes at her cousin.  'What?  What are you saying?'

'…' Katrina winced.  'Hey…I'm merely suggesting…'

'Just like my parents.  I should have known.'  Vreya huffed, hugging a pillow tightly to her chest.

'Vreya…I'm not ganging up against you with your parents…we all want what's best for you.'

'You think I'm crazy…' Vreya squeezed her eyes shut, holding the pillow even closer.  For some reason she thought of Zane then.  He…he was the only one her age who took this completely seriously.  

'No…it's not you, it's the dreams…' Katrina reached out and placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder.

'The dreams are in my head.  So therefore I'm messed up, right?  Is that it?'  Vreya demanded.  She felt so frustrated.

Katrina sighed, pulling away and flopping back onto the bed.  'Vreya.  You know I completely believe you…it's just that your parents would never believe it.'

'…You aren't convinced Kat.'

'Very, come on…' Kat pleaded.

'I can prove it to you.  Tomorrow.  No.  Now.  There's still time…it's only five.'

'…' Katrina gave her a strange look, confused.  'What are you talking about…?'

'Come with me Kat.  I need to show you something.  There's someone I want you to meet.'

Katrina frowned.  She wasn't sure.  Maybe…maybe Vreya really ought to see someone.  She hated to see her cousin, a person she considered like a sister have to go through this.  She wanted the old, carefree, happy Vreya back.

Vreya got up.  'I'm going now.  You're coming with me.'

'Vreya…hold up.  Where are we going?  What are our parents going to say?' Kat asked.

'We're just going to see a film together.'  Vreya said flatly.

'Vreya…you're changing.  You never used to lie like this.' Katrina shook her head.

'Well, if you're being told the crazy things I'm being told, you tend to change your outlook.  Lying is so minor…it's the least of my worries.'

'Wha…' Katrina began, seriously worried about her cousin, but before she could say anything, Vreya had grabbed her bag and phone and was leaving the room.

'Come on.  Let's go.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Floating…he was floating.  He felt light-headed and sick.  A terrible throbbing radiated from his brain, like someone was hitting him over the head with a hammer.

'Ugh…' he groaned, and felt himself to be on cold, hard ground.  The floor…he rolled onto his back, and slowly opened his eyes.  The light hurt.  Closing his eyes for a moment more, he took a deep breath, to try to keep down the nauseous feeling inside of him, and opened his eyes slowly.

He found himself to be staring at…a pink sky.  Squall blinked, in confusion.  What in the world had just happened?  All he remembered was that he had gone to see Laguna Loire…the President of Esthar…

Your father…a voice whispered in his mind.  Squall gritted his teeth and sat up slowly.  No.  Now was not the time to think about that.  He had more important things to worry about…like where the hell he was.

There was light, and then I must have passed out…Squall thought, standing up shakily.  He felt disorientated and his head and chest hurt.  He rested a hand on the hilt of his gunblade, drawing strength from it.  Looking around he realised he was in…a strange looking alleyway.

Shiva…? He called to his most reliable guardian force.  

'I am with you Squall…' her voice whispered in his mind.  Squall sensed the other guardians also present.  So he still had his guardian forces junctioned, and magic spells.  He asked mentally:

What happened…?  Where am I…?

'I believe you have passed across the dimensional gate between the worlds.'  Shiva replied.

What…?  But…I wasn't prepared…

'Were you not told that it would happen at any hour, date, place?'  Bahamut's voice growled disapprovingly. 

'He could not have expected it Bahamut.  Even you were confused at a point.'  Shiva said in irritation, defending Squall.

Squall shook his head.  This was…crazy.  So…it had finally happened…he was really in another world?  On…on Earth?  The realisation that other worlds really did exist…that he was seeing the proof right there and then shocked him.  He felt…minor…even after all that he had achieved…

'I suggest you attempt to locate your friends.'  Bahamut said, ignoring Shiva.

Squall nodded.  That was the best thing to do now.  At least they could make sense of it together.

'You cannot summoun us…' Alexander informed him, deciding to add his own advice.

What?!  Squall thought in alarm.  He couldn't summoun his GF's? 

'Fear not Squall; this world has not yet opened the barriers that hold back the use of magic or summons.'   Shiva told him.

This world…doesn't have magic?  A world with no magic…?  Squall thought, in disbelief…what kind of world was this then?

'One very different to your own…and yet, you will find much of it the same…' Bahamut replied.

'There is no need to fight now…find your friends…' Alexander said.

Squall nodded, and walked to the end of the alleyway.  He peered out, cautiously.  There were…cars, all over the streets.  His blue eyes widened.  The cars were recognisable, and yet, they looked very different.  The buildings were…strange.  Unlike anything he had seen before.  He noticed people walking around.  They looked human…they were human…dressed in nothing too bizarre.  

They carry no weapons…Squall thought, uncertainly.

'Yes.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to hide yours.'  Bahamut advised the young SeeD.  Squall looked down at the gunblade.  It was rather difficult to hide.  He glanced back at the alleyway, which was still empty.  He decided to stash it away behind some boxes for now.  No one would take it…it was heavy and only a professional could handle it.

Uncertainly, he stood at the end of the alleyway.  He was frightened, he admitted.  Nothing, no one was familiar.  What was he supposed to do now?  His friends could be anywhere…he wished Rinoa was here with him.  Even Seifer's face would be something of a relief now, though he despised him.  

A flash of light caught his eyes, and he glanced behind him again.  A figure dropped to the floor with a dull 'thud'.  Squall stared.  Speak of the devil…there lay Seifer Almasy himself.

The blond head slowly rose, and cursed, sitting up slowly.  Squall slowly took hold of his gunblade again, just in case.  Seifer rubbed his head, cursing away, and finally got up, swaying unsteadily.  He turned, and blinked in surprise to see Squall, who stood there with a hand on his hip, making sure to glare.  Just because they were in another world, that didn't change anything.

'Squall…' Seifer stated stupidly, and then the confusion in his face was replaced by his normal haughty expression.  He gripped Hyperion tightly in his gloved hand. 

Squall tilted his head to one side sarcastically 'Seifer.'

'Where the hell am I?' Seifer demanded.

Squall rolled his eyes, and shook his head.  'Figure it out for yourself.  Where are the others?'

Seifer blinked, and then said 'Hey…are you telling me…that we aren't…that we…oh shit.'

Squall turned away from him, looking about.  If Seifer was here now, then shouldn't the others be along soon?

'Where's Quistis?' Seifer wondered aloud.  The last thing he remembered was being about to face off against a GF.  When he'd discovered the identity of the GF, he'd been stunned into silence, for he'd thought that GF long gone.  The guilt had been all his; he'd killed a sacred spirit.  Before he had a chance to form words and address the mighty guardian force, a bright light had surrounded him and he'd blacked out.  The last thing he recalled was Quistis's alarmed voice crying out his name, and Xu yelling at her.  Now he was here…in Hyne knew where, with Squall.  How appropriate…

Just as he spoke another flash of light appeared, and Quistis fell onto the ground, hard.

'Ooof!' she cried, falling face first.  Both Squall and Seifer stared in surprise.  The blonde haired young woman sat up dizzily, looking very sick and disorientated.  Her hair fell messily into her face, loose for once, looking wind swept.

'Quistis…' Squall said, forgetting to address her by her formal 'Instructor' title.

Azure eyes focused on him.  'Oh!  Squall!' she noticed Seifer.  'Seifer!  Are you both alright?  I…I think I frightened the students…I mean…I just disappeared in front of them so suddenly…'

As she began to get up onto her feet, a circle of light appeared above her, and Zell toppled down onto her.

'Ooof!' She cried, falling onto her face again.  Seifer sneered.  Great, even more enjoyable company.  Chicken Wuss was here.

'Whoa…too many hotdogs…' Zell said, holding his stomach, looking almost green with sickness.  

'Zell…would you please…'

'What the heck happened…?  I…whoa baby, what a rush…' Zell said dizzily.

'Zell…I…please…' Quistis's voice came out weakly from underneath him.

'…' Zell finally realised he was on top of her, and said 'Hey Instructor…what are you doing here?'

'GET OFF ME!' Quistis had had it with being polite.  Zell apologised, and got off her.  Standing up, he noticed Squall.

'Yo!  I'm so glad to see you're here man.  So uh…like…where are we?  And I finally got to the front of the queue and there were hotdogs available for once!  Whoa…so…' his voice trailed off, as he noticed Seifer.  'Yo!  What the heck are you doing here!  We don't need you…!'

Seifer glared, arms folded.  'You think I wanna be here Chicken Wuss?!' he demanded, sending Zell from green in the face to an interesting red.  'Trust me, as soon as I find a way back home, I'll be sure not to let you know!'

'You ba…' Zell began, but Quistis, who had efficiently fixed her hair, now clamped hands over her ears, and yelled 'QUIET!'

They all looked at her.  She glared at Zell.  'Zell, for goodness sake, we have more important things to worry about!' she turned to Seifer, jabbing a finger at him, eyes narrowed.  'You, shut up for now and stop provoking him!  Just grow up!'

Seifer stared at her in shock.  He found that he couldn't respond…maybe because she was right about there being more important things to worry about.

Quistis sighed.  'The last thing we need is squabbling now…Squall, are the others here?'

Squall shook his head.  Where was Rinoa?

As he turned to look back to the street, he only realised too late that a circle of light had opened above him.  He was floored before he knew it.  Shocked, it took him  a moment to recognise the familiar, sweet fragrance, and a second later relief flooded through him.  She'd made it…

Rinoa looked up dizzily, directly on top of Squall.  

'Huh?' she said, sounding very confused.  Her eyes rested on her knight, and a second later she hugged him tightly.

'…'Though Squall was happy she was alright, he really felt awkward on the floor like this, especially in front of all the rest of them.  

'Squall…that was scary…I'm so glad you're okay!' she exclaimed.

Squall nodded.  'Will you get off me now?'

She giggled and jumped off, recovering well.  Helping him up, she exclaimed 'Selphie!  Are you okay?!'

'Whoa…' Selphie said, walking to the left, and into the wall.  'Whoa…I feel majorly high…whoa…'

'Steady yourself!'  Ifrit's voice snapped in her mind.  

Oooh…Iffy…you're still here…yay…uh…whoa…I feel weird…

'Sit down…' Tonberry King advised her.  Selphie had only agreed to junction him because she thought he was 'cute'.

'I think I will…' Selphie sat on the floor, looking around dizzily.

Squall was glad she was alright.  Now there was only Irvine left.  Trust him to be last and make a flashy entrance…

But his entrance was less than spectacular.  He fell directly onto the cardboard box pile that lined the side of the alley.  It took him a moment to sit up.  He cursed at his guardian force.

'Dammit Pandemona, you could have cut down on the gales you threw at me.  So what if I summoun Eden more than you?!  Gee!'  He replaced his hat on his head.

'Believe me young human, if it was me, you would be lost in outer space right about now.'  Pandemona replied flatly.

'I believe you are wrong.  I am the one with the ability to turn beings into outer space…I believe you meant to say…' Eden argued, but Pandemona silenced him.

'Irrelevant.  The human knows what I meant.'  

'Irvy!  Are you okay?!' Selphie cried, moving over to him.  Irvine stood up and clambered over the boxes, and smiled at them all.

'Well y'all, I'd say that was a spectacular landing!'

Quistis sighed.  'Right.  Now that we're all here, we can figure out what to do.  It's obvious we've been transported to…what was it called…?'

'Earth…' Rinoa said softly, clinging onto the rings she wore on her necklace.  'I can't believe it's really happened.'

Zell rubbed his face, frowning.  'Aw man.  This sucks I tell you.  Don't we get a break?'

Selphie said 'Hey!  This is kinda exciting!  I mean, oooh, look at the cars!' she cried, peering out onto the street.

'It's kinda spooky Seffie.  I mean, where do we stay and all?' Irvine asked, looking about.  'Things sure do seem different here…'

'And money…I'm sure they don't have our currency here…so how do we stay at a hotel?' Quistis shook her head, stressed out.

'And what about our weapons…people don't carry them here…' Rinoa said.  

'I suggest finding pathways where you may go unnoticed.'  GF Siren told her junctioner.

'For once I must agree.  Your weapon may be concealed, but for the larger ones, they cannot be left unattended.'  Diablos agreed.  Cactuar also made sure that Rinoa would sense his agreement.

Rinoa bit her lower lip anxiously.  This was really frightening.  She told them what her GF's had suggested.  

'Yes, Leviathan and Doomtrain agree…' Quistis nodded.

'Quezacotl and Brothers say that if Odin was around, he'd know what to do…but of course, Odin isn't around anymore, is he, and we all know why…' Zell shot a look at Seifer, who smirked.  The stupid Chicken Wuss…so he thought Odin was dead?  A GF as legendary as Odin didn't go down so easily.  Just let them wait…he'll come, I know it…

The others looked at Seifer.  Squall's eyes narrowed.  GF Odin had been a valuable member of their little group.  Squall had been truly shocked, horrified, and deeply saddened when he'd seen Seifer tear him apart.  The rage now resurfaced.  Odin had been a haughty GF, one sure of himself and his abilities, but he had also seemed a lot more than GF alone.  He had also been a guide in the short time they had had the honour of him being in their company.  His wisdom was second to none, and he had aided them in times when they had needed him the most.  

'You're right Zell.  We could have used his advice now…' Squall said through his teeth.

Selphie said softly 'I miss him…'

There was a silence.  Without GF Odin, their party was just not the same.

Quistis looked at Seifer.  He read her look.  Now was not the time to tell them.  

'Hey…Gilgamesh will help us right?' Rinoa said hopefully.  'He'll still come…right?'

'Yeah, if he isn't too busy getting lost in dimensional gates…' Irvine said, yawning. 

Selphie smiled.  'He's funny…I like him too!'

Seifer averted his gaze, uncomfortable.  I just don't fit in…I…everything that they cherish, I was always out to destroy…damn it…I can't do this…how am I gonna survive this?  He thought.  It was all his fault too.  Gilgamesh…that GF had almost killed him.  Back then, he had appeared, guarding Squall and his party, and sent a hurricane spin attack Seifer's way, knocking him senseless.  Seifer still couldn't forget the words Gilgamesh had spoken inside his mind after he had delivered the blow.

'You have been a fool above the most foolish of fools.  I shall spare you, so that you shall see your sins, see how much you have hurt your family, so that someday, you shall meet with the bearer of the fourth sword and prove yourself worthy of redemption…'

'In any case, we're alone for now, and our own GF's will aid us as much as they can…we should look for a place to stay, any abandoned place will do for now, until we figure out what to do next.  It'll be night soon.'  Squall said, assuming leadership once again.

They agreed.  For now, they needed to rest and recover.  They would have to worry about the rest later.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Katrina sighed, as she got off the bus, and followed her cousin.  It was going to be sunset soon…just where were they going?

'Come on Kat…keep up!' Vreya said, stopping to let her cousin catch up.

'Hey, this is crazy!  Just where are we going…?!'  As they neared a side alleyway, Katrina reached out and grabbed hold of Vreya's slender arm, stopping her, forcing her to face her.

'Kat…'

'Okay, time out!  You have been acting too weird!  Now tell me where we're going!  Why have you dragged me all the way out here?!'

Vreya blinked.  'I…I'm proving myself right.'

'I never said you were wrong honey!' Katrina exclaimed.

'I need you to see this…please Kat…'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

As Squall neared the corner, he heard voices.  His group were all chattering behind him, amongst themselves.

'Shhh!' he instructed the others behind him.  They all fell silence.  Listening closely he managed to pick up some lines of conversation.  The voices sounded young, and female.

'Look Vreya, even if you do convince me, your parents aren't gonna believe it are they…it doesn't change anything!'  A voice cried.

'If my own parents don't believe me, the closest direct relation I have to prove myself to is you.'  Another chimed.

'But what is going on?  I don't get it.  Has this got to do with saving the worl…' 

Squall's eyes widened.  Saving the world she had been about to say.  Were these the people they were supposed to team up with here?  It had to be…why else would they be talking about saving the world?

'Squall!' Rinoa whispered.  'Did you hear that?!  I think we should go and check it out…'

Squall nodded, and gave his gunblade to Irvine to hold.  He didn't want to scare the girls off.  Talking a breath, he stepped round the corner, with Rinoa, Quistis and Zell directly behind him.  At the end of the side alley, quite close to them, stood two young girls, talking together.  Both brunettes, except one had longer hair, similar in style to Rinoa's.

'Kat!  Keep it down.  We can't talk about this here…just trust me okay?'

Rinoa stared.  That voice…it…was she just going crazy, or did it sound familiar…?  No…maybe it was just her imagination…

Squall frowned.  The voice…hadn't he heard one like it before?  Except in different tones…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'I hope I don't regret this…' Katrina grumbled, looking into her cousin's pleading eyes.

'You won't.  Please Kat…'

'Okay, okay…gee, I hate it when you pull the pouting look, it always gets to me somehow, you know I think you should…'

As Katrina spoke on, Vreya's eyes slipped past her, noticing that a group of teenagers was standing at the other end of the alleyway, not too far off.  They were dressed in very differing clothing, which was strange.  They were looking at her and Katrina.  Vreya felt it was definitely time to leave…how long had they been there, and how much had they heard…?

Her eyes went back to her cousin who was still talking, but Vreya had lost track…her eyes darted back to the group.  The two people at the front, were a dark ahired girl in blue, and a young man in a black jacket, with a white fur lined collar.

She stared vacantly, when a strange feeling came over her.  The clothes…blue, black…

Wait…didn't I…there were people in that dream…I don't remember…she thought.  Her eyes rested on the young man's face.  From this distance, she could make out that he was probably good-looking, but something was slashed across his forehead…a scar?

Her mouth opened, as something struggled to be remembered in her mind.  A scar…it was just beyond her grasp…she must have had a strange expression on her face, because the young man was looking back at her with the same confused, uncertain expression.  The girl beside him also stared at Vreya with a similar expression.

'Vreya?' Katrina finally noticed that her cousin was paying no attention.  She sighed.  'Are you daydreaming on me?  What was the last thing I said?'

Vreya finally tore her eyes away from the group.  Maybe she really was going mad…in any case, it was going to get late if they didn't make a move.  

'Ummm…you said 'said'.' Vreya frowned.  The group were starting to move their way.  Definitely time to get going.

'Oh ha ha.  C'mon…what are you looking at…?' Katrina glanced behind her, seeing the group.  'What's with that get-up?  Oh well…hey, you know them?'

'N…no…c'mon, let's just get going…' Vreya grabbed her cousin's arm and pulled her along hurriedly.

'Hey…you are acting so weird!  Calm down…' Katrina began, when a male voice shouted after them.

'Excuse me!'

'Don't look back!' Vreya whispered.  Katrina looked very worried now.  

'Vreya, what do they want?  You know them don't you?'

'No…I swear I don't…' Vreya replied, feeling panicked.

'Hey!' a girl's voice called.  'Hey, you there, please, we need directions!'

Vreya felt Katrina hesitate.  'Kat…!'

'Vreya, I think we should…'

Before they knew it, they were surrounded by a group of teenagers, their age.  Katrina gaped.  They were all so good looking.  The guys were gorgeous…especially the tall blond one, despite the fact he had a scar across his face.  The women were stunning too.  

Vreya cursed inwardly.  Just great.  It was wrong to stop.  

A girl in a short yellow dress with spunky hair smiled at her.  Vreya stared back.  The…the spunky haired girl…

'Hi there!'

That voice…

BOOM!  My cowboy will blow his head off!

Suddenly she was back in the strange environment she had been in last night, somewhere music was playing…she looked dizzily at the girl with the raven hair…raven hair…eyes the colour of frosted purple, tinted with silver…

You should never have come…

'We would like to know where the nearest…uh…hello…?' The girl regarded Vreya.

The boy with the dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes spoke up.  'Why are you looking at us like that?'

'Please…do we look familiar?' The raven-haired girl asked.  

Katrina looked from her cousin to the strangers.  What was going on?

'Yeah…we're kinda lost ya know…and it'd be a real help…' A blond haired guy with a tattoo smiled rather nervously.

Vreya's eyes went back to the blue-eyed young man.  He was stunningly handsome.  He reminded her of…someone…but she was so confused, so disturbed that she couldn't even remember who it was.

'Are you alright?' A blonde haired girl asked Vreya.  She shook her head, and then realised what she was saying, and blurted

'I'm fine!  Where did you say you wanted to go?'

The dark haired young man was regarding her with something like suspicion.  The raven-haired girl in blue also peered at her strangely.

'…Guess it's not what we thought…' The guy with the tattoo muttered.  The girl in yellow said

'Uh…oh.  The nearest…hotel…?' she said lamely, shoulders dropped as if she'd experienced a major disappointment.

That scar…I've seen it…I know I have…but I…I don't remember…Vreya was afraid that if she spoke up, they'd think her mad too.  But they had asked if she knew them…no, it was better to forget it.  What was the matter with her, weirding out at everything she saw? 

'Just follow the road and turn to the last right…' she said, getting a grip, recovering some form of calm.  She signalled with a finger, in the direction she'd just said.

They all stared at her.  Vreya felt very uncomfortable.  Just what were they looking at?  

Katrina decided it was time to go.  Whatever freakiness was going on, it was high time they left.  The way the young people were looking at Vreya was scary.  Like they thought they knew something.  

'Well, we better get going!  We hope you like our town!'  Kat smiled, and grabbed hold of her cousin's arm.  

The guy with the dark brown hair opened his mouth, but apparently changed his mind about talking and muttered a 'thanks.'

Vreya finally looked away, her heart pounding, relieved that Kat had come to her rescue, yet again.  They turned away and hurried off.  Vreya could feel eyes burning into her from behind, even as she and Katrina left the group standing there, far away, alone, lost.  

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Well, that was fruitless…' Quistis grumbled, in a bad mood.  

Seifer turned his eyes to the sky.  How pointless had that been?  It was really going to get dark soon.

'…' Squall turned to them.  'I guess we're back to square one.'

'I thought you said she looked familiar!' Irvine exclaimed, handing Squall his sword.

'I said I wasn't sure.'  Squall replied, rubbing his forehead.  That had been a strange encounter…the expression on the girl's face had changed so many times he wasn't sure what he saw.

Rinoa spoke up, hands on hips.  'She was lying.'

Selphie looked at her in shock.  'Huh?'

'She was lying…didn't you see the look on her face?'

'Spooked?' Zell said.

'Not just that!  The way she looked at us…especially Selphie, Zell, Squall and me…like she wasn't sure if she had seen us before or not.'  Rinoa said.

'But I haven't met her…' Zell said, confused.

'I think she may have had a dream about us, just as I've had dreams about people I don't know.'  Rinoa concluded.

'So why'd we let her go?  We coulda just said…' Selphie began, but Quistis interrupted

'No…because if it wasn't her, she'd be totally startled, and…and it would have been embarrassing…' 

Squall shook his head.  This was a mess.  Where were they going to stay?  He wished more than ever that Odin was around.  Even Edea and Cid.  He had seldom ever felt so lost as he did now…not since time compression.  Wearily the group moved back into the alleyway, to try and find some form of shelter for the coming night.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'So you want to tell me what that was?!'  Katrina demanded, looking at Vreya.  Vreya shook her head.

'Kat, I don't want to talk about it…'

'Vreya, this is unfair!  How can I trust you if you don't tell me anything!'

'Please…we're almost there...'

Katrina glared at her cousin.  Whatever it was, it had better be good.  Good enough to explain such strange behaviour.  She'd never seen Vreya like this.

Finally after what seemed like miles of walking, Vreya stopped at a door.  Kat looked around, uncertain.  She watched as Vreya reached out and touched something that looked like a piece of stone which was attached to a string.  When the stone glowed softly at Vreya's touch, Katrina gaped in disbelief.

'Oh my God!  How did you do that?!'

Vreya sighed, and looked at Katrina.  'Look.  There's a lot to explain and it's better if they say it.'

'They?'

The door opened.  Vreya motioned for Katrina to follow her.  Hesitantly, putting her trust into her cousin completely, Katrina followed.  The door closed firmly and quietly behind them.   

Vreya walked around unsurely.  Would the others be here?  She'd told them she wouldn't be coming, but she hoped they were…so Kat could see with her won two eyes that it wasn't just her.  Yesterday they had fallen through a trap door…would that happen again?  She hoped not.  She'd nearly had a heart attack.  Footsteps told her someone was coming.  A dim light was switched on, and the voice made Vreya's heart jump.

She immediately scolded herself.  Since when was she so jumpy and wimpy?  She really needed to get a grip.  Nothing should unnerve her, not even staring straight into Zane's gorgeous face, not even being pinned under that intense and piercing gaze.

That's who that guy reminded me of…she thought, recalling at last.  

'What are you doing here?' he demanded, as usual, skipping the hello and how are you polite form of greeting.  Ever to the point and curt, he didn't even let her answer, before turning his attention to Katrina.

'Who's she?'

Vreya said, adopting the same curt tone of voice 'A friend…'

'I know that.  Why is she here?'  

'…I brought her here…it's okay…' Vreya said, beginning to let go of the previous shaky experience she had just had, and preparing for another clash of words with Zane.

Zane's eyes moved to Kat.  Katrina stared at him, and put a hand to her mouth in realisation.  

'Oh!  Hey, you're the guy who danced with her at the charity ball right?  Pleased to meet you!  I'm Katrina…Vreya's my cousin actually…you can call me Kat.'

Zane didn't seem too impressed with the news that Katrina was Vreya's cousin.  His eyes turned back to Vreya.

'She shouldn't be here.'

'I know that.  But she wants to speak to Fleck.'  Vreya looked to her cousin, who was still marvelling over Zane's great looks.  As far as Katrina was concerned, she'd seen enough cute guys today to last her another decade.

Zane's eyes went back to Kat, who looked at Vreya.  

'Sooo…you gonna introduce him?'

'Oh.  He's Zane…'

Zane glared.  Who said he was okay with the brat cousin knowing his name?

'Oh.  Just Zane…' Katrina looked to Vreya, raising her eyebrows suggestively.  Vreya wished she could make her disappear.

'…Yeah.  He's…' Zane was staring at her blankly.  Vreya shifted on her feet uncomfortably.  They weren't friends.  She couldn't even call him that.  She said hastily,

'Just tell me where Fleck is.'

Zane looked at Kat disapprovingly.  'You shouldn't get her into this.'

'Get me into what?' Katrina asked, puzzled.  

'Thank you for your concern…' Vreya said sarcastically.  She'd had enough of everything.  Too many crazy things were happening and she didn't need to stall any longer.

Zane frowned at her words.

'…But I know exactly what I'm doing.  I don't need or want your advice.  Now if you won't tell me where Fleck is, I'll go find him myself!'  She said, feeling bad about being rude to the very guy who had saved her life.

She felt even worse at the look on Zane's face.  He looked…mildly surprised at her outburst.  As if he hadn't expected it.  

Well it's not like he knows me!  Two can play at his little game!  She thought in irritation.

'I don't think so.'

His tone of voice made her regret her stuck-up words.  Kat was just looking from one to the other, watching the sparks fly.  She could see them all too clearly.  A small smile touched her lips.

'What…?' Vreya asked, not prepared for such a reply.  'I want to see Fleck!'

A slight smirk touched Zane's lips.  Vreya stared at him in confusion.  He raised his right hand, as if to push something on the wall next to him.

'Fine.  Whatever…'

He's…agreeing…?  What…?  Vreya thought stupidly.  But he had just said…on an impulse she looked down and realised she and Kat were standing on a…

Trap door!  The jerk!  Her eyes rose to Zane who was looking at her smugly.

'It's your call.'  He said and pushed the button.

'No…no Zane…don't you daaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeee!!!!' she screamed, Kat's own cries joining her own as the floor gave way beneath them.

Zane looked down, after them, laughing to himself.  What a duo of losers.  Closing the trap door, he moved to make his own way downstairs.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Katrina landed hard, onto cold, solid floor.  She sat up instantly, glaring at her cousin, who looked absolutely outraged.

'I hate him!' she announced, and Katrina said sarcastically

'Oh gee Very, you both looked real cute together at that dance…'

'That wasn't him up there.  That was his evil twin.  Oh who am I kidding?  He's a jerk!'  Vreya said angrily, helping Kat up.

'So what is this, haunted house in horror land?  What's with the trap door…I nearly had a heart attack!'

'Sorry.  I…sorry, I should have known.  How else would we get down?'

'You've been here before?' Kat asked.

'Yes, I came yesterday…oh and I may as well tell you now…that guy…he's the one who saved me from the gang.' Vreya said, deciding it was time to let her cousin know.

'Huh?  The guy on the motorbike, who brought you home?' Kat asked, eyes wide.

'Yeah…' Vreya said, smoothing down her hair.

'Oh!  He is so cool!  Vreya, he's really cute.  I mean it…and that trap door thing was funny!  You shouldn't hold that against him…at least he has a sense of humour.'

Vreya laughed despite herself.  Sense of humour?  Zane?  The guy was too scared to smile in case his face cracked or something.  She motioned for Kat to follow her, and they climbed down the rung ladder she and the people she'd come with yesterday had climbed.    

She led Katrina to the place where she hoped everyone was.  Relief filled her as she heard a familiar voice…Lila's.  Then she was surprised to see that Sara and Costa were here too.  Who had convinced them?  They were all here, even the adults.  

Her cousin had stopped beside her and was staring at all the people in shock.  What was going on?  What were Ash, Lila, Roxy and the rest of Vreya's friends doing here?  And who were the adults?

Bo noticed Vreya first.

'Hey!  Hello there!  I thought you said you couldn't make it today!'

Faces turned to look at her, and her friends greeted her.  

'Hey, Kat's with you!  What's she doing here?  Hi Kat!' Roxy smiled.  Kat smiled weakly, feeling very uncomfortable.

Vreya noticed Zane was already down, standing next to Fleck.  The blond man said

'It's great you're here, but Bo's right, you said you weren't coming…'

Before Vreya could reply, Zane spoke up, which surprised her.

'She just decided to drop in.' He said matter-of-factly, arms folded across his chest, emphasising the 'drop' as he looked at her.  Katrina giggled beside her; it was funny seeing the reaction on Vreya's face.  Vreya was glad he was all the way on the other side of the room.  She was glad so many people stood in the way.  If he were any closer she would have gone up to him and hit him as hard as she could.

Ash looked from Zane to Vreya.  They were talking about something he didn't understand…what was going on?

Vreya slowly unclenched her fists; she shouldn't let him get to her. So he thought he was a smart-ass?  Smiling sweetly at him, which made him frown in turn, she looked to Fleck, smirking.

'I wish Zane would just drop it.  I'd drop it for him if he stood on a trap door.'

Kat sniggered beside her.  Zane glared at Vreya, and Locky laughed.

'Okay, you've completely lost us.  What's with all the droppings?'

The group of teenagers, excluding Zane and Vreya, who were locked in some kind of glaring contest, all laughed or smiled.

Vreya couldn't stare at him anymore, and looked to Fleck instead.  'This is my cousin, Katrina.'

'Kat.' Katrina smiled.  

'Uh…hold on princess…' Bo began, uncertainly  'You shouldn't be bringing anyone else here, especially not family members…'

'It's okay.  She knows everything.  I told her most of it before I met you all anyway.  About the dreams I mean…I just need to tell her about what you told us yesterday.  Except I thought it'd be better if you told her, so I brought her here.  She wants to understand you see…'

The adults looked at one another.  'I don't know…' Tai said slowly.  'You know, things are going to get dangerous, and it'd be safer for her not to know…'

'I can take it!' Kat spoke up.  'So tell me!  Now I am really curious!'

Fleck shrugged.  'Well…that's alright I guess, if you're okay with knowing and all.  But you can't tell anyone else, do you understand?  You have to promise.'

'I promise.'  Kat nodded.

'We're serious kid…' Jez said, voice sharp.  'You don't breathe a word to anyone else about this that isn't here already.'

'Yeah okay, okay!  You can trust me!  Now tell me just what is going on…I wanna know what's bugging my cousin.  I want to know it all.'

Zane looked at the girl.  She was making a mistake wanting to know about things that didn't concern her.  He was always careful not to meddle around affairs that didn't concern him…she should be careful what she asked for.  Before he knew it, he was voicing his thoughts out loud.  

'Be careful what you tell her.'  He said to Fleck, but the entire room was listening to him.  He was more than aware of this, as he added

'Curiosity killed the cat.'  His eyes slipped over to Katrina, in warning.  Her place was not here.

Katrina frowned.  What?  Her cousin opened her mouth to protest about trying to scare her off, but Zane turned abruptly and silently left the room, before anyone could think to respond.

**Angelheart's End Of Chapter Ramble:**

_Well, there's another chapter done!  Hope you liked it, tell me what you think!  Right, well, I'm gonna update as soon as I can, meanwhile, you can all think over what's gonna happen next.  ^ ~ ^ Yeah, as if you don't all have more important things to worry about (special wishes to Noacat, you'll do just great, remember, just breathe!) and don't worry all, that wasn't the meeting between my characters and the FF ones.  That was just a starter.  Not even a starter!  Just wait!  Until next time, happy reading and take care!_


	23. The Beginning Of An End?

Here we go again!  Wow, I reckon I'm getting back to some form of regular updating!  At least lets hope so!  Well uh, I guess I have only you to thank this time Leah, since no one else has reviewed as yet.  Maybe I'm updating a little too fast!  But I got to do it when I have time, otherwise I'll just end up disappearing again!  But thanks Leah, and yeah, Zane is a jerk, lol.  For now he is.  ^ ~ ^ Well, here we go again!  And if you do read, please review too.  Just in case new readers forget!  Oh and by the way…this is going to be kind of shorter than the other chapters, but that's deliberate okay?  Don't panic, I'm not getting lazy on you, lol.  Just trust me on this okay?  Hope you like it!

Chapter XXIII: The Beginning Of An End? 

****

'Well, I'd say we're lost.' Irvine said, looking around, tipping his hat back to gaze up at the sky.

Squall sighed.  Irvine was stating the obvious, and yet there was no solution to the predicament the young people were in; not that he could see anyway.  They had no plan and no idea what to do.  Squall felt frustrated and confused.  

'It's not fair!' Selphie whined.  'I mean, oookaaaay, we have to help save this world because it's the only way back for us and the only way for us to save our world, but hey, we don't even have any pointers, we don't even have any clues, and we've been walking so much that I…'

'Have blisters on my blisters.'  Zell muttered, slumping down on the floor of the street.

The ever-rational Quistis brushed back a long strand of golden hair, and turned to the dejected group.  When things got Rinoa and Selphie down, the two most optimistic amongst the group, it was a sign that things were seriously getting out of hand.

'Alright.  It's like Irvine said.  We are lost, but things could be worse.  We can thank the gods above that we bumped into that youth protection centre.  For the past three nights we've had food and warmth and shelter at least.'

Seifer spoke up.  'In a protection camp for runaways?  Everyone there looks at us like we're pathetic charity cases.  Isn't that just a little degrading?' 

Zell shot him a look, instantly. They all knew how much Seifer scorned being pitied.  Did the traitor even know what degradation was?  So reducing himself to a sorceress's lap dog wasn't degrading?  

'You have any smarter ideas?' Squall remarked, turning angry eyes to Seifer.  

Seifer glared back.  'Yeah.  We shouldn't be wasting our time site-seeing.'

Squall opened his mouth to answer back angrily, but Rinoa placed a hand on his arm, signalling for him to drop it.

'The last thing we need is arguing between ourselves.  We gotta work together right?  We're all in the same boat here…let's put the past on hold for now.'

Zell cursed inaudibly, under his breath.  Forget the past over his dead body.  But Rinoa was right.  There were bigger issues at hand here.

Seifer met Rinoa's gaze.  It was a stern look, full of a warning she didn't need to say out loud: a look that warned him not to wind Squall up, or anyone else for that matter.

'Rin's right.'  Selphie sighed.  'But the question is, how'd we find those people?  Are we even in the same country?  They could be miles away!'

'Calm down Selphie.' Quistis instructed.  'As long as we know the way back to camp, we can spend the time looking about and getting used to things.'

Squall stared at Quistis.  What was she saying?  Did they even have time?  How long before this unknown force would strike?  Was he the only one here who hadn't forgotten the real reason they were here?

'Time?' He repeated.  'What if there is no time?  How do we know it hasn't started already?  The attack by this invading force?'

'Hey there captain man, you got to calm down!' Irvine exclaimed, holding his hand up.

'The magic barriers haven't even been lifted yet.  I'm sure we have time.' Quistis said, reassuringly.

Squall shook his head, rolling his eyes in exasperation.  This was one huge, ugly mess.  They should have followed the girl they'd met on the first day they'd arrived here.  Now they really were lost, with no idea what they were searching for, or where to begin looking.

He turned to Rinoa.  'Rinoa.'

She looked at him.

'Do you remember the dream you had?  About being told that we would be coming here?'

'…Yes.  What about it?'

'Didn't the…the voice tell you how we find the people we're looking for?'

'I don't remember exactly…I think she said they'd find us.'  Rinoa replied.  'Why?'

Squall shook his head dismissively.  'Nothing.  Doesn't matter.'  The information he'd just heard had hardly helped.  He sighed again, deciding to ask Bahamut what he thought the best route of action should be.

_'Bahamut…'_

But the great GF had already read his thoughts and replied accordingly.

'What can you do human?  You must simply wait.  It is evident you are not achieving anything by walking around.  You do not know for what you are searching, and for whom.'

_'Are you suggesting that they all just stay in that pathetic place for the rest of the days, waiting?'  _Shiva demanded.

_'What do you suggest ice-spirit?  That we freeze over the town and search that way?'  _Bahamut growled back.

Squall put his hand to his forehead.  He hated internal quarrelling; and Shiva and Bahamut weren't even opposing forces.  He only wondered what it'd be like if he junctioned Ifrit to him also.

_'Wait Squall.  In the mean time, familiarise yourself with your surroundings.  This will after all be a battleground soon, will it not?  That is the best plan.'  _Alexander said, ignoring the quarrelling.  Squall nodded slightly.  It seemed that it was going to be another long day.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya looked at the weapon in her hand, then back up at the target board.  She swallowed nervously.  This wasn't exactly the ideal way to spend her Saturday mornings, but they had to start training at some point.  The only people missing were Gen and Lila; both had Saturday jobs and said they would drop by later in the evening.  Of course Vreya felt bad.  Her parents thought she was at the library and from there going to Gen's house to work on the make-believe project.  Still, she felt much better now; Kat had been totally convinced after talking to the adults, and Vreya was grateful that her cousin understood at least.

'What is this exactly?' She asked, looking to the copper haired woman who stood beside her, arms folded across her chest.  How fitting that Jez was assigned to be her personal trainer.

'It's a projectile weapon.  You can wear it on your arm, as you are doing.  Pull the leverage handle back, and sharp shards of metal are released.  Think of them as mini daggers. The fly like darts, quick and swift and powerful-if you're accurate enough.  You can also just empty out the ammo and throw it yourself.  That requires slightly more skill.'

'What's it called?' Vreya asked looking at the weapon she had slipped onto her arm.  It was a perfect fit, and looked impressive.

'Well…it hasn't been christened or anything.' Jez frowned.  'Does it need a name?  You can make one up later, if you're that excited over it.'

Vreya sighed.  Jez was so military-like.  She looked around to see that Roxy was wielding two sharp elbow daggers, also worn on the arms, one on each side.  

'You're small Roxy.' Bo told her.  'That's why we've selected these twin arm blades for you.  You can easy sneak up behind an enemy and hit them with these.  And because they'll be so stunned, you'll have time to get distance and attack with magic.'

Roxy grinned.  'Oh this is so cool!'

'Why can't I use something like what Roxy has?' Vreya asked, looking back to Jez. 

She noticed that Costa had been given a very powerful looking gun.  However, his trainer, Harris, handed him a smaller one to get to grips with first.  Ash was staring at a sword he had been given by Tai, and Sara looked rather overwhelmed with the weapon Locky held out to her.  It was a whip like weapon, but made from a powerful, flexible metal, with sharp spikes attached.  A small crossbow had been laid aside for either Lila or Gen, together with a rod with a sharp blade at the end.  So many weapons, it was amazing, especially to feel the weight of the metal in the hands.

'Each weapon has been assigned to all of you according to suitability.  Your stature gives you a good eye for aim, and so this weapon is perfect.'  Jez replied.

'What about all that magic?'

'When the barriers are lifted, we'll get to that.  First learn the basics of combat.'

'Where did you get these weapons?' Vreya asked, rather startled by it all.  She'd only seen weapons like these in action-movies.  Jez gave an uncharacteristic smile.  

'Does it matter girl?  We have them and we should be grateful.'  She replied evasively.  Vreya gave her a look.  Okay she guessed.  She'd probably find out later anyway.  Everything would be cleared up in time.

'Now, see that target board over there?'  Jez pointed.  Vreya nodded.

'I want you to aim for it.  Don't think about hitting the centre.  Just try to get a shard onto the board.'

Vreya looked at her trainer nervously.  Seeing all these weapons really brought it all home: they were going to be fighting hostile beings and a weapon would be there closets ally in combat.  Vreya prayed she had the courage to fulfil whatever role was expected of her.  Taking a deep breath, she raised her right arm, aiming, trying to hold it steady.  

'Good.  Hold it steady.  Straight…don't bend your arm!'  Jez straightened Vreya's arm.  Vreya blinked, squinting an eye shut, so that she could get a better aim.

'Now pull the lever back.'

Vreya pulled it back with her left hand, and heard a 'click'.  A second later a bolt of metal shot out of the weapon, startling the young girl, making her stumble back from the unexpected momentum shift.

She blinked.  A miss, surely.  To her surprise however, a glinting, deadly looking dagger-like shard was neatly and firmly imbedded in the second inner ring of the target board.  A smile formed on Vreya's lips.  That had been so cool!  She looked to Jez, expecting a look of approval, but the woman was staring at the board with her hands on her hips, a frown on her face.  She looked back at her young apprentice.  

'First time lucky huh?  Don't let it get to your head.  You're going to have to devote hours of practice to mastering this weapon.  Later on it gets much more complicated, you'll be incorporating elemental magic to your fire.'

Vreya's smile disappeared.  It all sounded so…serious.

'And you're going to have to be much quicker.  The enemy won't stand around waiting for you to take aim.  Come on, again.  By the time today is over, I want you hitting bulls-eyes.' Jez instructed.  Vreya sighed, and raised her arm to take aim again.  She paused waiting for Jez to pull out the shard from the board.

_I should shoot her in the ass…that'd show her a thing or two about being first-time lucky!  _Vreya thought, and giggled to herself a little at the ridiculousness of the thought.  As she waited, she looked around, seeing that all her friends were practicing.  In the far corner of the large room, which was full of mats lining the floor, Fleck was laughing, engaged in a fierce duel with Zane.  The young man charged forward, gracefully dodging and parrying attacks.

'Good!  Heh heh kid, you're getting better, much better!'

Zane didn't reply of course, just twisted his hold on the sword expertly and charged again.  It was obvious he was good, obvious he looked so good fighting; obvious he had enormous potential and talent.  It was obvious he was the most skilled and advanced in combat out of all of them.  

Vreya tossed her head.

_Hah.  Show off.  _She looked to Ash, who was awkwardly trying to deflect hits from Tai's sword.  __

_You go Ash.  You practice and practice and get better, then give that stuck up ass a run for his money!  You can beat him…I know it!  _She encouraged silently.  Ash stopped then, and glanced in her direction.  Vreya smiled and gave him a thumbs up.  A small smile touched his lips, and then he was scolded for getting distracted.  A moment later Jez's voice addressed her sharply.

'What is this, a vacation?  Take aim will you?'

Vreya sighed inwardly and slotted the shard back into the projectile feeder.  This was going to be a long day for them all.  

Meanwhile, Sara gave a cry of exasperation.  'Oh this is useless…' she began, throwing the weapon to the floor, as gunfire interrupted her.  She whipped her head round to see that Costa had just fired a shot, and was looking very pleased with himself.  Surveying the area, seeing everyone so engaged in practice with their trainers made the young blonde irritated.  It was like…everyone was getting to grips with things and accepting the craziness of it all, and happy about it, happy to continue in this way.  Was she the only one that still found this totally unreal?  This looked totally ridiculous!  People their age should be out seeing a movie on Saturday mornings, not…not cracking whips!  She looked back to Locky, who rolled his eyes.

'Hold up there sugar, I know you're about to say that…'

'What?!  That this is completely ridiculous?  Oh you're smart!  You've even got Costa getting into this now.  This is…so stupid!  I can't believe how…there's just no point to this!  I'm only here because of my friends…maybe I should reconsider who I hang out with…I don't want anything to do with this…'

Locky placed the wooden pole he had been holding to deflect her aims onto the floor.  Leaning an arm back, he regarded her, looking rather serious.  Sara stared back at him.  Why did he have to look so gorgeous when he did that?  It just annoyed the hell out of her.

'What?' she demanded.

'Can I ask you something?  Why are you having so much of a hard time accepting that this is happening?  Don't you want adventure?  Excitement?' Locky asked, tilting his head to one side.

The words were out of Sara's mouth before she could stop them.  'I…I don't want to die…'

Locky blinked at her response, and then sighed.  'Oh.  Good old fear huh?  Gets to the best of us.  Look babe…take it this way.  Look around…you're not alone here.  We're here to help you get through this…I'm here to help you.  I can only do that if you let me help you…'

Sara looked away, feeling utterly miserable.  Life was just getting more complicated and crazier by the minute.

'You've got your friends too.  If you won't do this for yourself and what you think is right, then do it for them.  Because when alls been said and done, the only thing you'll have is each other.  Fight for each other, for survival.  You're all in the same boat here Sara…don't be the one to let it sink.'  Locky said.

Her eyes moved back to Locky, narrowed.  He was never serious, always so arrogant and light-hearted, but he had to choose now to give her the guilt trip?  What a jerk.  What a gorgeous idiot who could charm the legs of a donkey.

'So…' the familiar smirk was forming on his lips now, at the genuine look on Sara's face.  He held out the weapon to her.  'You gonna give it another shot?  You gonna prove you're a fighter and not one to give up?'

She sighed deeply, and looked from the weapon, back to Locky.  Could she do it?  Did she have what it took to get to grips with a weapon like that?  She'd had no previous experience in combat…but then, neither had any of the teenagers in the room, save for Zane.  Se guessed she really was in the 'same boat' as Locky had put it. 

'C'mon…please?  Pretty please with whipped cream and a serving of toffee and honey on top?'

Sara rolled her eyes.  'Fine.  I'll prove I'm a fighter, and I'll kick your ass in the process.  Deal?'  She snatched the weapon back.  Locky grinned at her.

'Oh sure…except for the ass kicking…' he said slyly, as Sara cracked the whip.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The pain of her barriers being penetrated by pure evil made her tremble in rage and agony.  Of course, She had seen it all along, seen it coming.  She had seen him coming her way, moving faster than the speed of light, and with Him He carried a malicious dark cloud, full of evil, full of destruction and horrifying, nightmarish creatures of the other cursed realms, hungry for revenge.  Revenge on her people, on her children.  His laughter, so cold and so emotionless, so devoid of any pity still rang over her surface.  It had finally happened, She had been contaminated, touched by dark magic; He had broken through her defences with startling ease, withstanding the glare of the mighty Sun, who blazed more intensely with His fury of having to witness such chaos break out over His kingdom.  

The evil force had arrived and Earth shook with her rage, the only warning She could give to her beloved children far below.  She should have been more prepared…but nothing could have prepared her for such evil.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The training was going more smoothly than any of the mentors could have hoped for, and had passed well into the afternoon.  So engaged in improving and teaching the group of trainers and apprentices alike were not aware of what was going on outside, in the world above them.

'Okay Roxy, now this time, when I attack, I want you to feign to the right, got that?'  

Bo said.  Roxy nodded.  'Great.  You're doing just great, just fine…'

But his words were suddenly broken off, as a loud sound erupted from above.  All stopped, startled by the volume of the sound.  The young people looked around, surprised.

'What was that…?' Ash asked quietly, as the silence stretched on.  

'…Sounded like…thunder…wait…' Fleck motioned for them to be still as he strained to hear more closely.  After a moment the sound erupted again, and Fleck looked to his young charge.

'Zane.  Go see what's happening outside.  Climb up this ladder.'  He instructed.  Zane gave him a look, but did as he was asked, climbing up the ladder and onto higher ground.  

'Morgan?' Jez asked 'What's going on…?'

Morgan was silent.  He had been watching the young people train.  Finally he said:

'Let us wait for Zane to return.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane threw open the door on the ceiling that led directly to the roof outside.  Nothing could have prepared him for the mighty gust of wind that fired painful drops of ice-cold rain at him, showering him so that in mere seconds he was soaked.  Cursing his luck he turned his eyes to the sky.  It was much darker than normal for an afternoon at the time of year, and a crack of lightening illuminated the sky, followed by a huge roar of thunder again.  Hail flew down onto Zane's face and he swore, almost losing his grip on the ladder.

'What the hell is going on?' he muttered to himself.  The weather was going totally crazy.

Closing the door quickly he moved down to report what he had seen.  Reaching the ladder that led back down to the training room, he climbed a few rungs then let himself drop the rest of the way, landing on his hands and knees.  Fleck took one look at him and exclaimed.

'Good lord!  I asked you to see what was going on outside, not to take a swim!'

Zane glared, shaking rain drops out of his hair.  'I did see what's going on outside.  It's raining like crazy.'

Morgan shook his head.  'This is not a good sign…'

'What do you…?' Rica began, when she was cut off.  A violent trembling in the ground caught them all off guard, and alarmed, they all cried out, falling to the floor.

'Shoot me!  What the hell is up with the world?'  Costa exclaimed, sprawled on the floor.

Ash frowned, looking around.  Everyone was shocked and surprised.  

'I don't like this…we don't get earthquakes like this…' Roxy said.  Sara twisted her head to look at Locky, who had a grip on her arm.

'What is going…' she began, but another tremor in the ground cut her off.

Vreya looked around, frightened.  She didn't dare to get up…Jez was behind her, clinging onto the target board stand.

After a moment of hushed and uncertain silence, Zane finally stood up, slowly, and looked to Morgan.  

'Morgan!' he exclaimed, and the wise man looked into the eyes of a child…a child who was uncertain and frightened no matter how much he tried to hide it; confused and angry eyes.

'What's going on?  Why is it…' he stopped, as once again thunder roared outside, and the floor trembled dangerously.  Zane fell to his hands and knees again, frowning.

'I…wanna go home now…' Roxy began, breathless, the fear evident in her voice.

'It's okay kids…just stay low…' Bo said.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The rain was hurtling down as if with a vengeance; Squall stared at the sky through the window, amazed.  He'd never seen such a storm…and it was so dark outside…not to mention the tremors in the ground.  Rinoa clung onto him, frightened. 

'Squall…what's happening?' she said, the fear evident in her dark eyes.

'I don't know…' he said quietly, and looked to the others.  Selphie was clinging onto the table with Irvine behind her, and Quistis knelt down behind a chair.  Zell was sprawled flat on the floor, and Seifer was looking out of the window, a scowl on his face.

The entire protection centre was full of alarm and confusion.  Squall looked to the other kids, teenagers just like he and his group, all of them were afraid, all uncertain.  Staff shouted orders to calm down, trying to keep order over the cries.

'It's okay, it's just a storm!' a woman shouted.  Squall begged to differ.  Something told him this wasn't the average storm people here experienced.

Another tremble in the ground and hysterical cries rose up once again.  But what frightened Squall the most was the cry right next to him.  It came from Rinoa, and she covered her head as if in pain.

'Rinoa?' Squall took hold of her arms, concerned, a feeling of dread filling him.

'S…Squall!  The pain…I can feel her pain!' Rinoa screamed, doubling over, shaking violently.  Squall looked on, helplessly.  What could he do?  Her pain hurt him also…the GF's junctioned to him were all talking at once.

'Damn…' Seifer cursed.  What the hell was going on?  Who was 'she'?

Quistis stared at Rinoa, face pale.  This was terrible…this…this was horrible…seeing the pain on Rinoa's face…she could guess why.  Sorceresses were more connected to the elements of the earth than normal people, and more sensitive to disruptions in normal balances.  What Rinoa was feeling was a result of the disruption in this planet's balance.  Selphie whimpered, afraid for her friend, as Irvine tried to comfort her.  Zell looked up, eyes wide, and Quistis stared up at the dark sky, praying that it would end soon. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'What's going on…?  Morgan?!'  Zane demanded.  He wanted answers, and now.  

The old man shook his head, and opened his mouth to reply.  But it was interrupted by a cry of pain.  Zane's eyes darted to the source; Vreya had doubled over, and looked to be in severe pain.  He frowned, confused.

_What the hell is up with her?  This is no time to pull off an indigestion trick…_but a split second later he realised that she really was in pain.  Her friends called to her in alarm, but as they moved to go to her the ground shook again. 

Jez stared at Vreya, in alarm.  What was going on?  

'Vreya?' she began, but the girl's scream made her wince and cut her off.

The pain…it was crippling.  Vreya couldn't breathe, it was as if someone had pierced her through the heart with a sharp pike.  It was unreal, as if it wasn't her pain she was feeling, but someone, something else's.  Her chest felt like it was being crushed from the lack of air.

'Stop it!'  She cried 'Make it stop!'

Fleck and the other adults stared at her in horror.  What was happening to her?  What was she feeling, and why couldn't they feel it?

Zane looked to Morgan.  'W…what's wrong with her?' he said, hesitant to ask the question.  He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know why.

Morgan's eyes were wide, and fixed on Vreya.  It was agony to see the young girl in such pain, but he couldn't think for the life of him what was the matter with her, or how to stop it.

'Vreya!' Ash got up to go over to her, but the ground shook yet again.  Sara was the first to manage to scramble across the matted floor, and grabbed hold of Vreya's arms.  She was shocked to find that Vreya was trembling almost as violently as the earth.

'Vreya…for God's sake…what is it?'

Terrified eyes looked up to her, full of pain and confusion.  'I…it hurts…it hurts…it hurts, make it stop!'

Sara felt the tears roll down her cheeks.  What was hurting Vreya?  What was happening?  She couldn't take seeing her friend in such pain.

'What does?  Vreya what?!'

Cries of anguish answered her.  Sara looked at Vreya, horrified, terrified for her.

'Stop…stop screaming…' Sara whispered, holding Vreya tightly, trying to stop the girl shaking.  Another clap of thunder, and suddenly everything grew still, including Vreya.  

Ash got up after a moment, and rushed over to where Vreya lay.  Taking her from Sara's arms, he shook her gently, calling out to her.

The rest of them gathered round, unsure, afraid, bewildered.  Even Zane peered down at her, confused.  

'Vreya…?  Vreya…wake up…can you hear me?'

Vreya's chest hurt, and she felt like a terrible headache was coming on.  She heard a voice calling to her, and slowly opened her eyes, feeling dizzy and disorientated.  Her eyes focused on the face directly above her: Ash, his eyes wide and full of concern.  The look was mirrored on all the faces, except one.  Zane was staring down at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

'Hey kiddo…' Fleck said gently 'You okay?  What did you feel?'

Vreya shook her head, and closed her eyes again, relaxing in the warm, strong, protective arms that cradled her.  She was terrified of course; she had no idea what she had felt or why.  But she was tired, and thinking about it all now just hurt too much.

Jez swallowed.  That had frightened the skin off of her.  She looked angrily at Morgan.

'What happened to her?'

'I'd say that's enough training for today…' Locky said quietly, gazing at the resting girl.

Morgan's eyes looked over the group and he shook his head, and said gravely

'Something has changed…it is beginning.  The threat…it is here…'

'So what was all that?' Zane asked, motioning pointedly to Vreya.

No one could answer his question, because no one had any answers to give.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

She could feel her mother's pain, and it caused her distress to see that He had made it at last.  After centuries in exile, safely locked away and lost in the unknown regions of outer space, He had returned; the very same sorcerer who had been cast out of Earth for the frightening magnitude of power He possessed, and His equally as terrifying sinister intentions to govern over all.  The evil and ruthless threat that had lurked as a dark shadow lost in a place where no time passed, had finally broken His binds and was now even stronger, hungry for revenge on the race that He had once been part of.  Hungry for revenge and with Him a terrifying army with one sole purpose-to wipe out humankind.  The sorcerer known as Lorne was back.

Luna, or the moon as she was so fondly called by the peoples so far below, felt all the pain and fury that her mother, Earth, who had been by her side for many a millennia, felt.  She felt all the sorrow and hate and hurt, and made a wish for the power of love and good and righteousness to triumph over the dark and twisted plans of evil.  She made a wish for the chosen to live and overcome oppression, and poured out all her gentle, restorative love and let it fall to her mother, to her mother's children, a beautiful and shimmering silver tear, encased in a protective diamond crystal of transparent moon rock.  The only aid she could give to the struggle that would now ensue; Luna gave her tear to the earth, and in it the ability to heal and revive those drained of energy and life. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The mighty gust of wind tossed his dark hair back, away from his face.  It was almost as if Earth herself was trying to topple him from the high hilltop he stood upon, with the mere slight power and fury of the wind.

He smiled, a small, cruel, cold smile, and then, as lightening crackled and bolted down in his direction, he easily summoned a force-field to withstand the attack, and threw his head back, and laughed, chilling laughter, full of smugness and evil.

His silver-tinted frosted purple eyes turned up to the sky, and a smirk settled on his lips, as he taunted her.  

'Is that the best you've got?  I pity you.  Keep your elements to yourself and watch as I crush all to my will!'

Another roar of thunder, and Lorne laughed again, and turned his eyes to look over the hoards of followers he had allowed passage back into this realm.

'This is it!' he said, raising his voice over the raging of the wind and the wrath of thunder.

'This is the end!  Go now!  Destruction and ruin, this is the end of mankind!'

Roars of approval met his ears.  His army was ruthless and hungry for blood.  

'Man, woman, child, animal, kill them all!  Hunt them down and show them what they have brought unto themselves!'  Lorne paused, and his eyes narrowed.  He knew very well about the so-called 'prophecy' that would be fulfilled once he arrived here.  No.  It wouldn't be fulfilled.  He'd make sure of it.  He'd find the cursed 'One' who stood alone in the twilight, and he would have the scripture with the knowledge of how to gain complete and utter power over all beings, time and space.

'Spare none!' he raised his voice 'Except those with the ability to wield white magic.  Do you understand?  They are to be hunted down and brought to me!  I want them alive!'

They understood.  Their enthusiastic cries were proof of that.  Lorne turned his face away disdainfully, and said in disgust,

'Now go…and do not disappoint me…'  

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

Well, there you go!  That'll lead me nicely into the next chapter.  Tell me what you thought of that!  Trust me when I say things are going to move along now.  Just you wait for the next chapter mwa ha ha!  This one will seem boring in comparison, and I don't think I've done so much action before!  Right, until next time, take care of yourselves and I'll be back soon!


	24. Curiosity Killed The Kat Pt I

On to the next one now, thanks for all the feedback!  I'm glad you liked it!  Hey Christy, it's great to know you're still reading!  I remember you reviewed early on in the beginning but under a different name?  I wondered where you'd gone, lol.  Leah, heh, yeah, the characters have had 20 chapters worth of time, a lot more than they usually do in stories!  As you so interestingly said, it's time I tossed them all in the blender, lol.  Welcome also to hope you can stick with my story!  And of course Noacat, thanks for the great review!  I am gonna steal Tama someday, ^ ~ ^ just you wait!  Now, read on!  This is going to be quite an emotional scene-just look at the title!  PS: warning-it's a really long one!  So I've divided the chapter into two parts, so 24 and 25 will be part I and II okay?  It'll be easier to read!

Chapter XXIV: Curiosity Killed The Kat-Part I

Harris yawned tiredly, adding the crossbow to the top of the pile of weaponry.  He glanced back too see that Rica was flicking through a book, and Tai was assembling the targets onto the boards.

'How'd you think it's going?' Harris asked him.

Tai shrugged.  'OK I guess.  They're getting the hang of it pretty quick.'

'We don't have much time.'  Rica shook her head, looking up from the page she was examining.

'What happened on Saturday?  I mean, we didn't mention it yesterday, to the kids I mean-what happened to Vreya?'

Morgan, who was sitting quietly in a corner, spoke up.  'It was indeed strange.  I cannot fathom why she would feel pain where we could not.'

'It was too weird.  Maybe…maybe she's just got some kind of reaction to earthquakes?'  Harris said.

Rica gave him a look.  'I doubt that.'

'Then what was it?' Tai asked.  The redhead shrugged and turned back to her book.  

'I believe we will learn exactly what happened and why in time.'  Morgan replied.  'But for now, let us not unsettle them, or the girl.  No doubt she is troubled enough without us having to bring it up.'  Morgan advised.

Harris nodded.  'I guess it must have been pretty scary for her.  Well, practice as usual then.'

Rica silently agreed.  There was no point in worrying over something they didn't understand. Or couldn't explain.  It was hard enough for the young people to take on board their duties…they didn't need the extra worrying.  It was Tuesday now, and they said they'd all be here, as they had been the previous day.  She glanced at the clock up on the wall.  Almost four.  They would be here soon.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The cell phone rang.  Vreya answered, walking up to the door of her house.  She had just finished school for the day, and there was just enough time to grab something to eat before making off to the base for practice.

'Hello?'

'VERY!' A voice called enthusiastically down the other end.  Vreya smiled.  Ever lively, Katrina's phone calls were always a treat.

'Hey.  How's it going?'  She opened the front door and stepped into her house.

'Great!  You finished school right?  You heading off to that place again?'

Vreya nodded.  Her cousin had taken up the habit of calling the base 'that place'.  'Yeah.  Just gotta eat first.'

'Mind your parents Vreya, you have been going out a lot…'

Vreya's mother poked her head round the kitchen door.  'Hello darling!'

Vreya smiled.

'That's your mum?  Tell my aunt I love her loads!'  Katrina giggled on the other end.

'Mum, Kat says she loves you loads.'

Vreya's mother rolled her eyes.  'Is that her?  Isn't she at work?'

'Oh yeah Kat, are you at Cody's?'  Cody's Restaurant was a popular on in town, and was where Katrina worked after-school shifts on Tuesday's and Thursday's.

'Yup.  That's why I called actually.  I'll be coming round with mum later…like at eight…be there okay?  And don't eat dinner, because today I get freebies!'

Vreya smiled.  'Yummy, sounds great.  Okay, I won't eat much.  Thanks for telling me though…you take care okay?  Oh by the way, how's Shane?'

Shane was a boy who also worked on Tuesday's and Thursday's who Katrina had a crush on.  Vreya was sure Shane liked her also.  Who wouldn't?

'Great!  How's Zane?  Funny how the names of the guys in our lives rhyme isn't it?'  Katrina laughed.

Vreya rolled her eyes.  'Ha ha.  He's not a guy in my life.  Shane's another matter for you though.'

'Deny it all you want Vreya, I know you like that guy.  He's hot.'

'I know you talk too much!  Does your boss know you're on the phone?'  Vreya said, raising a brow.

'Uh…speak of the devil here he comes!  See you later Vreya…love you loads and loads!'

Vreya smiled and returned the warm exclamation.  She hung up the line then, and went to greet her parents.  To her surprise her father was at home too.

'Daddy, you're at home!'

'Yes, I thought I'd finish early today.  We haven't sat together for a while.'  He said, looking up at his daughter.

Vreya felt terrible.  Katrina was so right.  She had been going out too much lately.  How did her parents feel?  Very upset no doubt.

'Um, mum, Katrina said don't cook dinner.  She's bringing it round when she comes after eight.'

'That sounds nice.  But we can't starve until then.  I've prepared something light for us to eat…' her mother paused, and looked at her daughter, hopefully.

'Vreya?  Will you be staying in with us today?'

_Oh God.  This isn't fair…I'm a bad daughter…I'm totally neglecting my parents and I'm the only child…_she thought, feeling very guilty.

'Mum…dad…I know I've been going out a lot…but it's just…I told you I have this project right?'  Vreya said.  It wasn't completely a lie she tried to assure herself.  She did have a project…to save the world.

'Vreya…' her mother sighed.

'Mum…my grades have been really bad at school, and I'm trying so hard to fix that.  I need to study more…' Vreya replied.  It was remarkable…she never used to lie like this, and the horrible fact was that she was getting pretty good at it.  But her parents could never understand.  They'd never believe her, though she longed to share her troubled with them.  

'Listen to me Vreya.'  Her father said.  'We are worried about you.  All these…strange nightmares you keep having, the falling grades…if there is something behind all this we have a right to know.  We are your parents.  We love you.  We want to help you in any way we can.  Can you honestly look at us, and tell us that nothing is troubling you?  Nothing that we shouldn't know about?'

I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…I'm so scared…what happened to me on Saturday…I don't know what's happening to me…am I…going crazy for real?  I'm so confused…I just don't know…I'm so scared…she thought, and replied

'I would never…hide anything important from you if I knew you could help me…mum, dad…I'm sorry…I know that I'm…a bad daughter…'

Her mother came over to her and hugged her.  'No darling, you're wonderful, and we completely understand that you are worried about your own affairs and want to handle them as an adult.  But remember we are here Vreya…and if anything is troubling you, you can tell us.  You can tell us anything.'  

Vreya clung onto her mother, and seriously doubted she could tell them 'anything'.  What was worse, she felt as thought her parents hadn't seen anything yet…that she would be gone for even longer periods of time, and they wouldn't have a clue where she was.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'These are delicious!'  Zell said, through a mouthful of hotdog sandwich.  'Better than the ones back at home!'

Selphie grinned.  'Don't choke on them now!'

Irvine took a bite out of his own sandwich.  'Hey, where's the ketchup?'

Quistis passed it over.  She'd opted for a salad instead.  Rinoa munched on fries, and Squall had already finished his meal off.  Seifer was also finishing his.  He sat on the other side of Selphie, mostly quiet, which was strange for him.  He hadn't said anything for the entire time they had been eating, not even throwing any insults at anybody.

'The food is good.'  Rinoa agreed.  'But we're just getting free meals here.  What about the restaurants?'

'Ah, wish we had some money…then we could dine in style baby!'  Zell nodded, taking a huge gulp of orange juice drink.

Squall sat back, arms folded.  How many more days did they have to spend like this, just sitting around?  They weren't here on vacation.  Though they had looked around the area a little, it didn't mean anything.  They were still strangers to the world, lost and confused.

'Yum.  What's for desert?'  Selphie asked.

Quistis eyed the petite SeeD.  It seemed like she was enjoying her stay here a little too much.  She glanced at Squall.  The look on his face suggested he was thinking the same thing.  She smiled discretely behind a tissue.  This was amusing in a strange way.  Here they were, heroes in their world, in another world where they were unknown.  

'So, like, what's the plan for today?'  Irvine asked, having finished off his sandwich.  He leaned his elbows on the table, looking at the others.

'Looking around?'  Rinoa guessed.  'The usual.'

'Oh man.  We can't even hire a car and go look round ourselves.'  Zell complained.

Squall said 'We need to get out this afternoon anyway.'

Seifer pushed around the remains of his food with a fork.  This was stupid and pointless and he was getting really annoyed.  He wasn't the patent type he wanted some action.  

'What?  Nooo.  Why?'  Selphie asked, huffing, holding her stomach.  Maybe she had eaten too much.

'They're changing the bed folds.'  Squall replied pointedly.

'Which means, they'll be in our rooms.  These weapons are a real burden here.'  Irvine drawled.

'How come they don't carry any round?'  Rinoa asked, looking confused.  'Only securities do.'

'I guess in this world, the security here is equivalent to Garden and SeeD?'  Quistis suggested.

'Most likely.'  Squall agreed.

'So, when do we get going?'  Selphie asked.  

Squall checked his watch.  Well, it was almost five now, and they'd be changing at around six, in time for tonight.

'Should change them in the mornings.'  Seifer muttered to himself.  Selphie replied

'Hey, nooo, because then how would be able to hide…'

Seifer shot her a look.  Did she have to be so loud?  Just like Zell!  

'Selphie, keep your voice down.'  Quistis said.  Selphie blinked and smiled.

'Oh.  Sorrieeeeee…'

'Ten minutes to rest, then we head out.'  Squall ordered.  

'Huh?  Whoa, ten minutes?  That's all?'  Irvine complained.  Squall shot him a 'don't argue' look, which settled any protests on the matter.  Ten minutes it would be then.    They moved then to clear away their plates.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

It hid behind the delivery crates, eyes glowing a menacing red, and saliva drooling out of its dry, crackled lips onto the floor.  It was hungry, starving, famished, deliberately so that it would wipe out the entire population within the building.  It could smell its prey from here, and it took all of its self-control not to attack before the command was given.  It had no feelings, only animal instincts that needed to be satisfied.  Now the need to feed was all that it thought about.  It felt a hand on its side, and turned its head to look at the creature accompanying it.  A human-like creature, but dressed strangely, with black tribal marks all over the tanned face.  There were two of them, with spears.  

'Hold it.  First we wait for the right time.'

The creature hissed and flickered its forked tongue hungrily, glowing eyes turning back to the building.  Soon the hunt would begin, and the thirst for blood quenched.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Katrina pushed open the double door leading to the kitchen, carrying order lists and menus with her.  Her boss turned to her, a middle-aged brown haired man, with a slight tan and a slightly heavy build.

'Good to see you hard at work Kat.'  He nodded at her.  Katrina grinned.  She got on well with the people here and thoroughly enjoyed working with them all.  It was a good job for earning extra cash.

'Mario, three chicken and mushroom starters, and…here, take this…' she handed the list to the chef, and turned to place the menus back onto the pile for Shane to return to the front.  The smell of food was delicious, and she couldn't wait to take her meals back home to share with the family.  She knew how much Vreya especially loved the restaurant's food.

'Katrina!' a voice called to her.  It was Shane.  Her heart fluttered a little, as he came through the door, with an apologetic look on his face and a bunch of cardboard boxes in his hands.  

'Shane, hi!'

He smiled at her.  'How are you doing?  It's really busy today!'  

'Heh, it always is…'

'Yeah…I'm so sorry, I know you're busy and all, but a customer's just spilt some soda all over the floor…could you do me the biggest favour?'

'Hmm, depends…' Kat said flirtatiously.

Shane looked at her, and blinked, then smiled slowly.  'I'll make it up to you.  Movie, tomorrow at seven.'

Kat's eyes widened.  'Oh!  Shane Allan, are you asking me out on a date?'

Shane smiled sheepishly.  'I guess so.  How about it?  Pretty lame huh?'

Katrina laughed.  'No, it's totally fine.  What would you like me to do?'

'Just carry these over outside, place them beside the delivery crates?'  Shane said.

Kat smiled.  That was a good deal.  'Okay.'

'Thanks.  You're a star.'

Katrina blushed, feeling extremely happy.  What a pleasant surprise.  She'd liked Shane for ages.  She smiled again and took the boxes, and walked round to the back exit.  Balancing the boxes carefully, she pushed open the door with her leg, and walked outside.  It was cool, but it seemed like it was going to rain.  She looked around, and spotted a few crates.  She deposited the empty cardboard boxes beside them, and moved to go back inside.  

But then her eye caught something.  She glanced back, frowning.  Was it just her, or had she just seen something move?  She stared a moment.  Rats?  That wouldn't be good…oh no, was there a nest behind the crates?  She heard a small sound, and hesitated again.

_I should get back inside…I got work to do…but what's that noise?  _She thought, her curiosity getting the better of her.  She turned back and slowly inched round the crates.  It was probably rats or something, she assured herself, as her eyes rested on something big, green and scaly.  Red eyes.  Glowing eyes and razor sharp teeth…Katrina stared, confused a moment, when she should have ran away to call for help.  

It finally registered in her mind what she was looking at, and her eyes widened in disbelief.  But it was too late.  She didn't even have time to scream.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'This is too hard.'  Lila said, frowning.  Rica sighed.  

'Focus Lila, look to the target and aim the tip of the arrow there.'

'This cross-bow is too hard to use!'  Lila protested.  'It's heavy too.'

'This one isn't even a normal sized one.  It's designed to be carried on the arm.  You'll get used to the weight.'  Rica assured her.

They had been training for quite a while now.  On the other side Morgan was tutoring Gen on how to wield the bladed rod.  The old man moved more swiftly than any of them had expected.  Costa, Ash and Sara hadn't arrived yet, and their mentors were sitting back, waiting for them to show up.

Bo laughed as Roxy fell over.

'Aw, it's okay…'

'Not funny!  This is harder than I thought!'

'What do you expect Roxy?  It takes a lot of time and patience to be skilled with any weapon…' He was cut off as his cell phone rang.

'Excuse me…' he apologised, and answered.  

'Bo here…' He listened a moment, and then his eyes widened.

'Holy crap!  Are you sure?  The restaurant on Dawson Road?  What was it?'

Roxy stared at Bo.  Dawson Road?  Vreya's cousin worked there didn't she?  As Bo finally disconnected, she asked him

'Hey.  What happened?'

Bo's usually cheerful face looked troubled.  'Man.  This is not good!  Do you know Cody's Restaurant?'

Roxy's heart skipped a beat.  'Oh no…what…happened?'

'There's been…an attack…we have people who look out for this kind of stuff…one's just called me and said that the restaurant is in total ashes…totally destroyed…like something was deliberately intent on taking out everything in there…' He stopped, looking at Roxy's horrified expression.

'You know it?'

He wasn't aware that Vreya had picked up on the conversation.  The girl moved over to him, frowning.

'What?  What's going on?'

'Cody's Restaurant…there's been an attack…someone called me saying it's a mess and in ruins…smoke and dead people…'

Vreya stared, stunned.  Cody's…Kat…no, it couldn't be…there had to be a mistake…

Bo looked at Vreya.  'Are you alright?'  

'…' Vreya swallowed.  Then she said after a moment  'Are you…is your friend sure?'

'Yeah.  Dawson Road…he said it was…that whatever had done it couldn't have been human…oh shit, it's started hasn't it?  There's no other explanation…'

'Vreya…she could have escaped…' Roxy reached out and placed a hand on Vreya's shoulder.

'She?  Oh…uh oh…who'd you know?'  Bo asked, not realising that Katrina worked there.

'Kat…' Vreya said, and the worry she felt was extreme.  'I…I have to go there!'

'Whoa, now hold on a moment, it's way too dangerous…' Bo began, but Vreya shook her head.

'No…you don't understand…I need to go…I…'

'Okay, calm down, let's see…Kat is that cousin you brought here right?'

Vreya nodded, feeling numb.  Her heart rate had increased significantly.

'She may have escaped…you sure she was there today?'

'She…called me from work…earlier…oh no…' Vreya whispered, hoping it was just a nightmare, or a mistake.  She hoped it wasn't true.   

'Damn…okay, I'll just go talk to Fleck and the others…you hold on…don't go anywhere…' Bo moved off and hurried over to where Fleck was standing.

Lila had been watching the exchange, and saw the look on Vreya's face.  She excused herself from Rica, and approached Roxy and Vreya.

'Hey.  Vreya, what's wrong?'

But Vreya couldn't talk.  Roxy had to fill Lila in, as Vreya's eyes moved to where Bo was talking to Fleck.  The blond man's expression changed from a smile to alarm and his eyes moved over to where Vreya stood.  After another moment Bo turned and jogged back over to the three girls.  

'Hey Vreya.  Fleck wants to talk to you.'

Vreya nodded, and moved across the room to where Fleck stood.  The young man's eyes looked troubled, and he regarded Vreya for a moment before speaking up.

'You're sure your cousin wouldn't have left early?'

She shook her head.  Fleck sighed.  

'It seems like the barriers on magic are weakening.  I thought we had more time.  I wasn't aware…crap.  Okay Vreya, Bo told me that you want to go there?'

'Please…I…God, this can't be happening…' Vreya's voice trailed off.

'If what we've heard is true, it's far too dangerous for you to go there.  Whatever was responsible could still be there.  It's not a good idea…'

Vreya was angry.  Didn't they understand?  Her cousin could be dead!  She looked at Fleck angrily.  'I have to go!  I need to know she's okay…what if…what if…please, if I could just borrow a car…'

Fleck shook his head.  'I'm telling you it's dangerous…'

'I don't care!  If you won't help me, I'll go myself!'

'You're stubborn Vreya, but not stupid.  Think about this…' Fleck attempted to calm the girl down.

'There's nothing to think about.'  Vreya said obstinately.  'Please lend me the car.  I'd ask Ash but he's not here yet.'

'There is no way you're going alone.'  Fleck replied  'And taking a car is a bad idea.  There's traffic on the roads now, and if you need to make a quick getaway you need something lighter, faster and smaller…'

'There's no time!' Vreya cried.  'Please, I'm so worried…'

Fleck looked into the girl's pleading eyes, and sighed.  He seriously hoped he wasn't going to regret this…he knew that the girl would go, whether he approved or not.  But she needed to go protected.  With someone reliable.  On something small and lighter than a car…there was only one person who came to mind, and Fleck winced a little.  Zane wasn't going to like this.  He would probably say no, and not change his mind this time.  

'Okay.  I don't think this is right, but you're obviously going to fret unless you go there yourself.  Go and get Zane.'

Vreya shook her head.  'No…why…I don't want him involved.'

'Listen Vreya, no one but him can drive a motorbike, and he's the best person to take you there.  In case anything happens you've got him with you.'

'I can take care of myself!'

'I'm sure that's true.  But you still need him to get there.  It'll be faster.  Go get him.  He's upstairs I think.'

Vreya frowned.  No, Zane was just going to be a waste of her time…he'd never agree…'Fleck, he's not going to agree…'

Fleck folded his arms.  'You ask him Vreya.  He's not all that bad you know.  And if he is an ass, tell him he's ordered to take you.'

Vreya bit her lip anxiously.  This was going to be useless…sighing, she turned away to find Zane.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Hey, you coming down to practice?'  Locky asked the green-eyed young man, who sat on the desk idly.  

'Later.'

'Should you be up here?'

Zane gave him an exasperated look.  Locky grinned.

'Oh, right.  Mind your business Locky.  Sorry…I appreciate you want some alone time.  I'll…' He stopped, noticing a girl had appeared in the doorway.  It was Vreya.

'I'll just be going now…' he said, smiling, and exited through the other door.  Zane looked after him, frowning.  What a strange guy…

Vreya felt nervous-alone in the room with Zane, and about to ask him a favour he was bound to get pissed off over and refuse.  He'd say something like 'Do I look like your personal driver?' and irritate her also.  It really annoyed her that she had to ask him for help.  Like he needed anything else to get smug over.

Zane blinked, then realised why Locky had left so suddenly.  He wasn't alone in the room.  He turned his face to the right, and saw that he had company.

_Oh great…what does she want now?_

'What?  I'm coming.'  He said, thinking that she was here to tell him Fleck was asking for him.

Vreya swallowed.  She felt anxious, anxious to get to Cody's, but Zane wasn't the kind of person she could just go up to and expect to be on the way in a matter of seconds.

'No…that's not why I'm here.'

_So what pointless reason are you here for…?_  He thought to himself, looking away from her.

'Something's happened…' Vreya began, feeling shaky and angry that Zane could make her feel so uncomfortable.  'I…need your help.'

Zane looked to her again, waiting.  When she didn't say anything, just stared back, he said 'Why don't you ask your friends to help you?'

It puzzled him; he was always pushing her away, just like everyone else, but she never just ignored him.  All these friends of hers surrounded her, and yet she came to him for help-why?

'They can't…I need…there's been an attack on Dawson Road, on Cody's Restaurant…someone just called Bo up now and said it seemed like non-human activity…my cousin was working there today…I need to get there…'

Zane finally realised where the conversation was leading.  Fleck had probably told her that she'd get there quicker by riding on a motorbike, and he was the only one who could drive one properly.  But that was stupid.  They were letting her go to a dangerous place?  That was fine, but Zane didn't want anything to do with it.

'So…let me guess…you want me to take you?' He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

His eyes were so intense.  She felt very nervous then and said hurriedly 'I'm sorry okay?  Believe me, it doesn't give me any pleasure having to ask you, but I don't have a choice…'

Zane turned his face away dismissively and got off the table he had been sitting on.  'Well I do.  No.'

'Zane…'

'You want me to go out just for you?'

'I…'

'Who do you think you are?'

'…'

'This was Fleck's idea right?'  Zane said in disgust.  Typical.  

Vreya glared at him, feeling more hurt than usual.  Didn't he understand?  What was his problem anyway?  He was wasting valuable time!

'Don't you understand?!  My cousin was working there today!  I have to go there!  She could be hurt, or…or…' Vreya couldn't even bring herself to say it.

'So ask your friends.  Doesn't Ash have a car?  He'll take you.'

'Ash isn't here, and I need to get there quickly.'

'You better get going then.'  Zane replied flatly, turning to face her.

Vreya gritted her teeth together.  She'd never wanted to punch him more.  But calling him a jerk and all wouldn't help convince him.  She needed to stay calm.

'Please Zane.  If you help me out just this once, I'll never bother you again.  I promise.'

Zane shook his head.  He was no personal driver.  It was her problem and she would deal with it.  It was none of his business.  

'…' Vreya stared at him, and shook her head.  Katrina was probably dead, and here she was, trying to get transport.   Zane moved to leave, but something awoke within Vreya and she dared to defy him.  She obstructed him, and he looked at her, frowning.

'Move.'

'No.'

'…' Zane rolled his eyes.  'Fine.'  He'd just take the other door.  But as he turned, she grabbed hold of the sleeve of his grey jacket, scrunching the material up in her small fingers.  Zane glared at her.  She was seriously beginning to annoy him.  Why couldn't she take 'no' for an answer?  Why did she have to be different?

'Listen…' He began, but she interrupted rudely.

'No.  YOU listen!  I don't know who stuck a stick up your ass, but your attitude is seriously beginning to piss me off!  You think I like asking you for help?  I'd rather die to be honest, but in this case, since there are other issues at hand, I have no choice, just once in your life, would you quit thinking about yourself and open your eyes to the fact that there are other people on this earth too?  Last time I checked it was called humankind, and not just Zane!  Now I need to get to my cousin, and the only person who can drive a motorbike is you, so stop wasting time and just do me a favour, just this once!'

He was staring at her, looking rather startled at her speech.

Vreya managed to hold his gaze, and added 'Please.  By the way, Fleck said you'd take me, and so it's an order you can't say no to.'

Zane glared.  No one told him what to do.  No one.  

Vreya had spotted the keys to the bike on the desk.  She moved quickly, before he could realise what her intention was, and grabbed the keys.  She turned to face him, waving the keys at him.

'Give it back.'  Zane said through his teeth.  

'I won't.  Now are you going to take me, or am I going to have to go myself?'  She demanded.

Zane smirked.  'You can't drive it.'

'There's a first time for everything right?  Even if I totally trash it on my way, it's not like it's my problem, right?' She said, adopting the same attitude he did.

'It's my bike…'

'She's my cousin.  You can replace the bike.  I can't replace my cousin.'

Damn her, Zane thought.  He guessed he really didn't have a choice.  It was humiliating to accept defeat at her hands like this.  She was smarter than he had originally given her credit for.  If Fleck ever did anything like this again, Zane would make sure he stuck a stick up his ass.

'This is the last time you are touching my bike.'  Zane said dangerously.

Vreya blinked.  He was saying yes?!  Finally!  Maybe he was human after all.  He was glaring at her and looking extremely gorgeous in the process.  She managed to smile.

'Deal.  Thank you.  I appreciate this.'

Zane looked appalled by her.  He held out his hand for her to give him the keys.

'I'll keep hold of them until we get there.'  Vreya said, receiving another glare.  'Can we go now?' 

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

Part one done!  You can review separately or together, it's really one big chapter, taking place on the same day, but since so much is happening I need to break it down!  You don't have to wait for part 2 though, lol, just go to the next chapter now!  Enjoy!  And because it's such a huge chapter, it's only fair you submit a longer review ^ ~ ^ mwa ha ha!


	25. Curiosity Killed The Kat Pt II

_Okay, a direct continuation from the last chapter, hope you like it because this took ages to write.  I had to get myself in the mood and everything!  Anyway, don't read this, read the story!  ^ ~ ^_

Chapter XXV: Curiosity Killed The Kat-Part II

Ash looked at the alleyway.  He was sure it was here.  How could he have lost the address?  

'This is ridiculous.  We should know the way by now.'  Sara said.  They'd parked the car nearby, but had somehow gotten lost in the back alleys.  

Costa sighed.  'What's the point guys?  Let's just go back home.'

'After coming all this way Costa?' Ash asked.  'I'm sure it's here.  Somewhere…'

'Promising news…' Costa muttered.  

They walked on in silence for a little more.  Finally they turned a corner, into a dead end.  

'Ugh.  I hate back alleys.'  Sara declared.  'This doesn't even look familiar Ash.'

Ash ran his fingers through his hair, sighing.  'It's a dead end…'

'Do you know why they call it dead ends?'  

The voice that had spoken did not belong to the group.  It was strange voice, strangely accented.  The teenagers turned, and saw three men, dressed very strangely, with tribal marks etched on their faces, wearing black and brown, and filthy looking clothing.  They were dark skinned, looked dirty and…savage.

'Huh?  What's with that get-up?' Costa asked, frowning at the strangers who had appeared so suddenly.

The three men were carrying weapons…one an axe, another a very unfriendly looking sword, and the third a pike like weapon.  Sara knew they were trouble instantly.  Firstly from the way they were dressed, so strangely, as if they weren't from this world, and secondly because no one was allowed to carry weapons like that on the streets.

They ignored the question.  The second spoke up, and his voice was hoarse.  They all had sick, twisted looks in their eyes.

'They call it dead ends, because it's where the dead are dumped after the slaughter…in ends, nowhere, unburied.'

They seemed to find this very funny, and cackled together.  Ash, Sara and Costa exchanged glances.

'Hey man, I suggest we run.  They're either pirates from the far sea or tramps that have lost it!'  Costa whispered.

'What do they want?  Where did they come from?'  Sara asked.

Ash frowned.  It was true; they'd appeared so silently and so suddenly.  It was too strange for his liking, and he spoke up.

'What do you want?'

'Heh heh heh.  Only to wipe out humankind boy.  We've been told to start with the young humans.  The ones capable of fighting…'

'Humankind?  What are you talking about?  You're humans too!'  Costa said.  He regretted it then; they seemed furious at this.

'NO!  We are the great race known as Savages!'

'Savage?  That explains the gear then.'  Sara murmured.  

'Man, you're more messed up in the head than we are.  Get out of here…' Costa said.

'Of course…after we kill you…' one of them sneered.  'The great one will be most pleased…'

'Ash…has this got to do with…you know?'  Sara asked him.  Ash shook his head.

'Either that or they're just crazy.  It doesn't matter…we have to get out of here…'

But they were trapped and the only way out was passing the three sinister looking men with the sharp bladed weapons.  The odds did not look good for the young people at all.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Rinoa sighed.  They'd been walking for a while now, in random directions, not really achieving anything.  It seemed like another storm was brewing up in the sky.

'Hey, are we lost?' Selphie asked.  'My feet hurt!'

Irvine looked back at Squall.  'Where are we going again?'

Squall gritted his teeth together.  He hated this entire 'leader' thing.  Why did they all assume he knew what he was doing all the time?  

Rinoa sensed her knight's irritation, and placed her hand on his arm.  'Maybe we should head back, what do you think?'

Squall shrugged.  Did they have anything better to do?  He'd rather be slaying a ruby dragon than wandering around aimlessly.

Quistis said 'I think the best course of action would be…'

'Someone's in trouble.'

They looked to the person who had spoken, Seifer.  Zell sneered.  So now Seifer was trying to be a saint and help those in need?

Squall opened his mouth to speak, but stopped.  Yes, he could hear it too…shouting.  It was coming from somewhere not too far off. 

'Yo Squall, so what do we do?'  Zell asked.

But Rinoa answered for him.  She was moving off already, with Selphie and Irvine after her.  

'C'mon!  What are you waiting for!  Someone needs help!'  The raven-haired girl called back to others who hung behind.  They moved off, stopping occasionally to make sure they were getting closer to the source.  Eventually they found their way to a dead end-with three people dressed in black, holding weapons, menacing three young people.  Squall unsheathed his gunblade without a second thought.  It was plain who the evil ones here were. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Ash had been trying to think of ways out of the predicament, but with no luck.  Just as he was about to tell his two friends that he had no ideas, he noticed that a group of people his age had arrived on the scene, behind the three strange looking men.  There were seven of them, and they all carried weapons.  The person at the very front of the group, a young man dressed in black, held a very strange but nonetheless impressive sword.

'It's over humans…' the three snarled, advancing, oblivious to the fact that people had sneaked up behind them.  A young man stepped forward from the group, dressed in a long brown trench coat, with a cowboy like hat on his head.

'Just hold it right there uglies.  You like to fight rough?  Try us!'

The three savages looked surprised, and turned to look at the new comers.  The one who had spoken aimed a gun at them.

'They have weapons…' one said to the others.  The three looked uncertain for some reason.

'The master requested we seize those who wield magic, not weapons fool!' the other snarled back.

The boy in black stepped forward.  'Who is your master?'

'The great and mighty one is your greatest nightmare!'

'Oh please!  Let's just ground their ugly heads into the dirt Squall' A blond guy with a tattoo said.

Ash stared at the group.  They weren't dressed as strangely as the three people who had sneaked up on them, but their clothing still seemed…different to what everyone else here wore.  Plus they were all holding some seriously kick-ass looking weapons.  He hoped they could fight as good as they all looked.  

'Ash…where did those people get the weapons from?' Sara asked.  

'Yeah, it's weird…who are they?'  Costa wondered.  They watched in amazement then, as the young group took out the three in a matter of seconds.  It went so quickly that Ash, Sara and Costa just stared, awe-struck.  It was like…they were all professionals.  

A girl in yellow skipped up to them.  She smiled; Costa thought she was terribly cute, and smiled back at her.

'Hi!' the girl greeted.  'Name's Selphie!  You guys okay?'

'Uh…sure…thanks to you…' Costa said.  'You guys were so cool!  Where'd you get those weapons?'

'Uh…' The girl, Selphie, hesitated, looking back to the boy in black, who approached them.  He regarded the three, and then looked back to Selphie, signalling that she had spoken enough.

Sara stared at them.  She blurted out suddenly 'You're not from here are you?'

'Uh…Sara…' Ash began.

'No…remember we were told that those…Fated Children were coming?'

Squall's eyes widened.  Had he heard right?  

'Did you just say Fated Children?!' A beautiful raven-haired girl exclaimed, stepping up beside the boy in black.  Ash stared at her.  She was stunning; and for a strange reason, reminded him very much of Vreya.  

'Uh…heh heh…' Costa shot a glare at Sara.  For one not too convinced with all that was happening she chose a bad time to get enthusiastic.  

'Yes, I did.'  Sara nodded.  

'Well…that's who we are…well, that's what we're called…' the raven-haired girl said, smiling sheepishly.  

'Yeah, back at home…' The guy with the hat on added.

'…' The boy in black looked at the raven-haired girl in blue.  He seemed uncertain about giving away their identities.  Ash decided that since they had started the topic, he might as well confirm what was becoming more obvious by the second.

'Look…correct me if I'm wrong…but no one here carries weapons, whereas you guys do, and you're dressed kind of differently.  Where are you from?'

'…' The boy in black frowned lightly.  Ash noticed he had a scar running across the space between his eyes.  

'It's…complicated…'

'Another world?' Sara asked.

The blonde young woman spoke up.  'Squall, it's obvious they know why we're here.  Let's just tell them.'

Squall, the boy in black, sighed.  'Okay.  Yeah, we're not from here. But who are you?'

'We're…uh…you know what?  I think we shouldn't talk about this here…come with us…' Ash said   

Squall looked unsure.  'How do we know you're not the enemy?'

Sara laughed.  'I'm Sara, this is Ash, and that's Costa.  You don't have much to worry about…'

'Yeah, you could easily kick our asses all over town!'  Costa agreed, grinning. 

Selphie smirked.  'You bet we can!'

'Where are we going?' Squall asked.

'Back to our base.  There are some people who'd like to meet you.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane finally pulled up, and stopped directly in front of the mess that he supposed had been Cody's Restaurant.  It was quite shocking.  The place was…totally destroyed.  Vreya stared a moment, unable to move.  She feared the worst, but told herself that it was possible that her cousin could have made it out okay.  Swallowing, and with her heart racing in her chest, she got off the bike, staring in horror at the ruins of what had been a busy, popular, lively restaurant.  What had done this?  What could have made such a mess?

Slowly, she moved forward.  Dust and smoke still filled the air, and it was obvious that whatever had done this had only finished a short-while ago.  The police would be here soon, no doubt.  It was raining lightly, and the sky was a dark, ominous grey.  

Zane looked up to the sky.  He hoped it wasn't going to go crazy like a few days back.  Turning his attention back to the girl, he supposed he'd have to follow her.  Great, he was no baby sitter.  It was just his luck that he was the one who was ordered to bring Vreya here.  Sighing to himself, he got off the bike also, and moved after her, looking around warily.

Vreya pushed an ashen piece of card out her way, coughing as dust and debris flew up to meet her.  There were still some glowing remains of fire.  The feeling of dread increased violently.  Who could survive such a savage attack?

Zane followed Vreya as she moved further into the scene of the crime.  This didn't look good.  He doubted the girl's cousin would have been able to survive this.  Everything was burnt and torn to pieces.  How did they even know what had done this had gone?  What if it was still here, lurking in the shadows?  

_That's what I've got the gun for.  _He told himself.  He hoped Vreya would be quick so they could leave.  It made him uncomfortable, seeing all this.  It brought it all home really, that they were up against something big.

Vreya stopped, feeling helpless.  Where was she supposed to find Kat?  What if she couldn't?  The tears were welling in her eyes and spilling before she could stop them.  This was…terrible.  Who would do such a thing?  Why?  It was like…someone had thrown a mini bomb over the place.  The building wasn't even there anymore.  It was just a huge mess.  She glanced behind her to see that Zane was following.  Looking in front of her again, she took a deep breath and walked round a crumbled pile of bricks that must have once been a wall.  Her eyes rested on an arm, and she gasped, rushing forward.  A person lay, with the restaurant uniform on.  It wasn't Katrina, but a young man.  His face was smeared with blood, and bruises to his arms and neck.  One of the arms flesh was ripped off, exposing now drying blood, looking like it had been savagely mauled by something.  Vreya felt sick.  She stood up, feeling dizzy and horrified.  What if…what if Kat had suffered the same fate?  

_This isn't happening…it has to be a nightmare…_She thought to herself.

She backed away, feeling truly appalled, straight back into someone.

'Watch it.'  Zane's voice came to her.  She looked at him; saw how his eyes moved from her to the corpse.  He somehow managed to maintain the same blank expression, though his eyes did move away quickly.

Maybe it was better if she turned back now.  Did she really want to know the truth?  Could she take it?  Somewhere deep inside of her, Vreya still had hope that Katrina had managed to escape.  Maybe she had missed work today.  But that was ridiculous-she'd called her earlier in the day from work.  Maybe she'd left early?  That was possible.

But her hopes were crushed as she rounded another corner, and her eyes instantly rested on a small figure, lying in a foetal position, as if cradling herself.  The familiar green bow she used to tie her hair back for work…the bracelet on the gravely injured arm… 

Vreya's heart skipped a beat.  A feeling of horror and sickness washed over her.

'No!' Vreya cried, as she ran to the figure, falling down on her knees beside it.  Her hand flew to her mouth, as she took a look at her cousin's face; dirt and scratches all over the once smooth and healthy skin, the pretty features marred by blood and gashes.  Blood soaked through the top of the uniform, still not dry, marking a serious and deep injury to her chest.  One of her legs looked broken, and parts of her clothing were shredded.  

It was the most terrible thing Vreya had ever seen.  She felt a painful stab in her heart, and then all the emotions broke through at once.  Crying her cousin's name, she shook her, and with a trembling hand tried to locate a pulse, praying that a faint one would still be going.  

'Kat?!  Kat!  Kat…no…please…oh God…'

Zane watched as Vreya lifted her cousin's limp and lifeless body in her arms, cradling her, sobbing violently.  His eyes lowered, but he said nothing to comfort her.  What could he say?  This was the precise reason he distanced himself from others.  He knew all too well what the pain felt like.  How much it hurt and tore at the heart and mind.  He'd experienced it too many times.  He didn't want to go through it again.  The pitiful sight that was in front of his very eyes reinforced his belief that alone was best.

Fury, rage, horror, nausea, sorrow, pain…it all filled her at once, as she sobbed into her cousin's cold shoulder.  The rain began to fall more heavily, and Vreya cursed and wished and hoped that it was just a terrible dream.  But each time she opened her eyes her cousin's bloody face was there, in front of her, and nothing changed.  It was all her fault.  She should have warned her…

'Kat…please don't leave me…' Vreya sobbed, trembling with emotion.  She'd lost the closest thing she'd ever had to a sister, the one person who meant more to her than anyone else besides her parents.  Cruelly taken away by death, at only seventeen.  Who did she have left now?  Who could she confide in and turn to?  Vreya's grief was intense and her fury even more frightening.  She'd kill whoever did this.  Whoever was responsible, she'd tear them to pieces with her own hands.

Zane's eyes were fixed to the floor, when Vreya's voice addressed him.  

'H…how could anyone do this…?  W…why…?  How, why?' her voice was lost and small, and Zane knew exactly what the confusion felt like.  

She looked up then, eyes wide, and full of tears.  

'S…so…you were right…'

Zane gave her a look.  'What?'

'Y…I hope you're happy!  You…you said getting her into this was bad…and now she's dead…'

Zane glared at her.  'Don't you dare blame me.  It's not my fault or my business!'

'…' How could he be so cold?  Didn't he have even an ounce of pity inside of him?  

'Y…if you hadn't taken so long to agree we could have gotten here sooner!'

Zane rolled his eyes.  'Oh right.  I doubt that Vreya.  What would you have done?  Kicked the monster's ass with your little projectile weapon?  This isn't your, or my fault, and there's nothing anyone could have done to stop it.'

His words were the harsh words of reality and cut through her like a knife.  She felt furious that he was so unfeeling and calm in situations where death caused havoc to others, but he was right, as much as she hated to admit it.  He was a jerk, but he spoke sense and deep inside of her she knew there was nothing she could have done to get here in time. 

'The only thing you can do for her now is improve so that when the time comes you can payback whatever did this.'  Zane said flatly.  He was not aware that his words were actually comforting, in an indirect way.  

Vreya's eyes fell to the silver chain her cousin wore around her neck.  It had in it a small silver ring, which Vreya herself had brought for Katrina when they were young children.  Ever since she'd given it, Katrina had worn it on her finger, and when it had grown out, she'd worn it around her neck.  Vreya reached out and gently unclasped the necklace, and then fastened it round her own neck, gripping onto the small circlet tightly.  Lowering her lips she placed a kiss on Katrina's cold forehead, crying once again.

Zane looked away, sighing inwardly.  It was then that he heard it.  It was such a slight and insignificant sound at first he thought he was just imagining it or it was from the rain, which was falling quite heavily, but now it was impossible to ignore.  On an impulse his eyes lowered to look at the pendent he wore.  The eye of the griffin-like head was glowing intensely.  Zane's eyes narrowed.  Glowing…that meant…

He looked to Vreya.  She was still bent over her cousin's body, and it was obvious she hadn't heard it.  He turned his head, trying to locate the direction of the sound.  He frowned; it was difficult with the thunder that was erupting in the sky, and the splattering of raindrops on the ground.   It sounded like scurrying except it was obviously no rat that was crawling around.  Zane moved slowly, quietly, back a few paces, peering round the corner.  It took a moment for him to make out what he was seeing.  His eyes widened as he saw the shadowy figure not too far away.  It was large and bulky, and it didn't look human.  It was an animal of some sort…one Zane had never seen before, and the scurrying sound was the creature's claws scraping on the ground.  

_Crap…what the hell is that thing…?_  He thought, rather alarmed.  He realised then that it was clawing away at something…a body, and a split second later he realised that it was the thing responsible for this.  He barely managed to hide in time as the creature sniffed and turned red eyes his way.  He heard voices then.

'They're all dead here…the master will be pleased.'  One said in nasal tones.

'There weren't any magic wielders were there fool?  You know the great one wants them alive.'  Another, deeper one growled.

They sounded like animals…Zane looked to Vreya, who was looking at him, eyes wide.  She had heard it too then.

'Let's go.  I've fed on enough man-flesh for a day.'  Nasal one said.

'Wait…the Iguion senses something…' The other replied.

_Iguion?  What the hell is that?  _Zane wondered, getting the gun out of his pocket.

Vreya could hear the conversation, and listened, with a pounding heart.  These were the people responsible for this?  Who were the 'master' and 'great one'? 

'…Stop…' The voice lowered 'There's someone here…more humans, and they're alive…'

_Damn…_Zane looked to Vreya, and motioned for her to be still.  Slowly he peered round the corner.  The animal creature had gone.  Zane frowned, confused.  Where did it go?  He hadn't heard it move.

Vreya stayed deadly still, clasping Katrina's hand in her own tightly.  As Zane moved round the corner, she heard a noise behind her, and then her eyes widened as she heard a snort of breath.  Slowly she turned her head around, dreading what she would see.  It didn't sound like a dog...her heart leapt violently as her eyes met with glowing red ones.  She was so surprised by what she saw that for a second she just froze.  A creature, like…a huge lizard…green, scaly skin, savage looking yellow claws stained with blood, a snake-like tongue flicking over its dry lips.  Its tail, huge and powerful looking, swung behind it, eagerly.  It looked hungry.  It was right behind her.  

Behind the unearthly looking creature were two…Vreya couldn't think what they were.  Human, animal, she couldn't tell.  They looked so savage and wild, and carried spears.  They didn't look friendly at all, and she guessed the lizard-dragon was their pet.  It looked so crazy and unreal, like something out of a fantasy movie, she almost laughed hysterically.  Almost.  Instead she was close to tears, and so afraid that she couldn't call to Zane.

One of the…savage looking humans sneered at her.  

'Here's a pretty little wench.  Feeling left out are we?  Let's make you one of the crowd!'

'Better still, let's make you part of it.' A voice said dangerously.  Zane had crept up behind them, holding the gun up.

The savage looking humans cackled.

'What are you going to do with that boy?  What can you do against us?  Against the might of the great one and his great army?' The one with the deep voice taunted.

'We'll use this spear to pierce your little mortal hearts!' The nasal voiced one said.

Zane didn't look the slightest bit phased by this.  Vreya had never felt so confused, shocked, or terrified in her life.  She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

'Oh God…' she whispered.  If they could make it to the bike they'd be able to get out of here.  She felt too drained emotionally to express fear.  She was still in a state of shock.  Everything was moving so fast, happening so fast.

'I'll tell you what.  You horror-movie rejects can take those spears and shove it up your great one's ass.'  Zane said icily.  'But before that, I'm gonna kick your asses back to whatever ditch you crawled out of…you and your little pet.'

The two men stared at Zane as if he were insane.  Vreya stared at him in the same way.  She looked to the savage-humans and saw that they were firstly surprised that he wasn't shouting for help, and secondly furious at his insolence.  

'Foolish human scum!  I'll cut out your insolent tongue!'

'Upstart!  You won't be so sure of yourself when our lizard rips out your heart!'

'I'm scared!' Zane mocked, then narrowed his eyes.  Without warning he fired…directly at the savage-looking person closest to him.  As he did so his eyes darted to Vreya.  He didn't need to speak anything.  It was obvious he was stalling so that she could get up and away.  Their attention had turned to Zane, and shakily Vreya backed away.  She didn't want to leave her cousin like this, but if she stayed any longer she'd be joining Katrina sooner than she liked.  

The unfortunate man that Zane had fired at hissed in fury, clutching his shoulder.  Zane didn't hesitate, and turned and bolted off, round the corner, calling back to Vreya over his shoulder.

'RUN!'

Vreya's limbs finally kicked into motion.  She scrambled up and turned away, running in the opposite direction, as fast as she could.  

'After them you fools!' The deep voiced one cried.  Vreya's legs almost turned to jelly as she heard the creature's roar behind her.

_Don't look back…whatever you do, do not look back!  _She told her self again and again.  The ground shook as the dragon like monster gave chase.  The two with spears were shouting out, also giving chase.  Vreya rounded the corner just as Zane appeared from the other side.  He stopped, and called to her.

'C'mon!'

Vreya did what she had told herself not to.  She looked back.  Just in time to see that one of the strangely dressed men direct something at her…it was like a cloud of energy, a purple-black in colour.  Insanely she knew what it was.  Magic.  It looked almost normal in the circumstances she was in.  

_What am I doing?  Waiting for it to hit me?!  _She thought, and Zane yelled at her angrily.

'Vreya!'

She snapped out of it and ran again, in his direction.  As she reached him he glared at her.

'What the hell are you doing?  We have to get to the bike…'

The three were gaining.  Vreya looked back to Zane, wide-eyed.  'We…let's split up!  I'll go round the right; you go down the left-the two paths meet round the other side.  We can lose them that way…'

Zane stared at her.  That was…leaving her alone?  She wasn't all that well trained in fighting yet…was it a good idea?  Then again it just might work.  It was their best bet for losing them.  He shoved the gun into her hands.  He was capable of fighting by other means.  She needed a weapon more than he did.

'Fine.  Take it…'

Vreya had never held a gun in her life and it felt terrifying to do so.  She swallowed.  Zane peered round the corner.  

'There they are!  Get them!'

Zane cursed, and then looked to Vreya.  'I'll distract them.'

Vreya stared.  Was he crazy?  Didn't he notice that they could do magic, and they had an oversized lizard as their pet?  It was too dangerous.  'What?!  But you…'

'Just go!' he snapped and Vreya hesitated again, before running down the right path.  Zane made sure she made it alright, before stepping out from round the corner.

'Hey!  Tired already?  I'm just getting warmed up!' he taunted.  The deep-voiced one snarled to his comrade,

'YOU go after the girl.  I'll take this miserable youth down.'  His comrade nodded, and took off in the direction the girl had gone in.  The deep-voiced savage narrowed his eyes and motioned for the huge lizard to follow, as he ran after the boy.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya tore down the side streets, running faster than she thought she ever could.  She weaved in and out of alleyway after alleyway, knowing that at least one of them was chasing her, trying to lose them, without losing herself.  She knew this part of town pretty well; she just hoped she would get to the other side and find that Zane had made it also.  A fine mess she'd gotten them both into.  He was probably going to kill her when they got back, if she survived this.

Her chest was beginning to hurt from the fast, sharp intake of air and her legs likewise, from sudden strenuous activity.  She stumbled over a pile of waste bins, glancing behind her wildly.  Things had happened so quickly, she hadn't had time to get a grip on her emotions.  She didn't realise how bad a state she was in.  The shock was still very much there, but suppressed for the moment by a more powerful instinct, survival; adrenaline raged through her veins, pushing her on, forcing her to stay alert.

She heard cursing from behind her.  It was so outraged and evil, it filled Vreya with even more fear, making her run even faster.  The voice just got closer and closer…that was crazy…how could he catch her up, she'd had a head start, and the two strange men hadn't looked particularly active.

'I'm going to slit your throat she-human!' It was the nasal voiced one, screaming at her.  Vreya stopped, heart leaping violently, as she found herself staring at a wall.  It was quite high, and if she didn't get over, she was dead.  There was no time to turn back and find another path.  

Gasping for air, she took a few steps back and ran forward.  She leapt and kicked onto the sidewall, which gave her just enough momentum to grab onto the top of the wall.  She didn't even have time to marvel over how she had managed to do this.  She heard her pursuer arrive just as she scrambled over to the other side, scraping her elbow badly in the process.  She cried out from the pain, but stumbled up again, and ran on.  She was almost there, to the point where the left and right paths met.  Clutching the gun tightly in her hand she raced on, praying she would make it.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane ran, feet pounding on the floor.  Looking back would be stupid; he focused his attention on what was in front of him.  He leapt over a small fence, and raced round a corner.  He could hear the heavy thumping of the lizard creature that was chasing him.  Good, it was following him and not Vreya.  

'Give it up boy!  You cannot run forever, whereas we can caste haste over and over and never tire!' The deep-voiced one yelled after him.

Caste haste…that was probably what was making him move faster than he should be.  So magic was real?  He couldn't really consider all this now.  The objective was to get out of here and back to base alive.  In the distance Zane heard the sirens of police vehicles.  What could the police, the army, anything do against monsters like that?  What could they do?  Did they really stand a chance?

Finally he could see the corner, which would lead to where the two paths would meet, and back to where the bike was situated.  Zane and Vreya had just led them round in a circle, whether they realised was another matter.  He reached the corner and turned, hoping Vreya was there.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya turned the corner.  She had slowed; she could hardly run anymore, she felt exhausted, drained.  

'Vreya!'

She looked up.  Zane had arrived, and was motioning for her to run to the bike.  She managed to pick up speed again, enough to reach the bike relatively quickly.  Zane had already mounted, and started the engine.  Vreya took her place behind him; it as a relief to sit down, but they hadn't escaped yet.  The three pursuers arrived, and the two that could talk yelled at their dragon-like pet.

'Get them!  Don't let them escape!'

Zane swerved the bike, and without a second's hesitation, took off, speeding down the uneven and bumpy road.  Vreya clung onto him, crying silently, trying to catch up on air.  

Zane's eyes darted to the side-mirror.  Damn!  The overgrown lizard was faster than it looked.  In their haste they had dropped the safety helmets, Zane hoped that no police would stop them; that would just be a way to slow them down.  His eyes went back to the mirror, and widened as he realised it was opening its mouth.  Raging red fire escaped, and Zane swore, barely managing to take a turn to avoid the flames.  The lizard was almost as fast as Zane was going.  There was only one way they could hope to shake it off.  

'Vreya!  Shoot it!'

Was he crazy?  Vreya didn't feel like she could shoot anything; she was hardly in the right state of mind and her entire body hurt.  

'Do it!' Zane shouted above the roaring of the engine and the raging of the wind.  It was raining now, and getting pretty dark.

'I…I can't…'

Zane understood that she was probably in a bad state, but it was the only way they could hope to make it out okay.  He would have done it himself, but Vreya couldn't drive.  She had a better chance of hitting the lizard with a bullet.

'Do it dammit!  It killed your cousin!  Shoot it!'

Vreya's eyes widened at his words…yes, it had killed Kat…and now it was trying to kill her.  The grief she felt mixed with pure anger, and she managed to twist round, so that she was sitting with her back against Zane's and facing towards the lizard.

_It killed Kat…it took her away from me!  I'll make it go to hell!  _She took aim, trying to keep her hand as steady as possible.  As the creature opened its great big mouth to release another breath of fire, Vreya pulled the trigger.  A growl of pain pierced the air, informing her she had hit the target.  She fired again, again, again and again, bullet after bullet, hitting the creature each time.  It finally slowed, too injured to continue, as Vreya fired the last shot, for good measure.  Then she managed to twist back round, and her arm grew limp, dropping the gun to the floor.  Zane made no complaints, as he turned into the main road.  They were going to make it.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'So you've been here for almost a week now?' Fleck asked, looking at the newcomers.  They nodded, and he laughed.  

'Oh man.  You don't know how glad we are to see you here.'

'Yeah, why didn't you come to us sooner?' Locky asked.  

'Well actually, I think we did run into one of you…' Zell said.  He looked around.  'She doesn't seem to be here though.'

'Well, what did she look like?' Rica asked.

'Oh, I'll tell you…' Irvine grinned.  'A really hot brunette.'

Selphie elbowed him.  'Irvy!'

'C'mon Seffie, she was cute…'

'Hot brunette?  Uh, that wouldn't happen to be Vreya would it?' Tai enquired.

'She never mentioned this to me.' Jez said, less than impressed.

'Where is she?' Ash asked.  They had only arrived a short while back, and hadn't been filled in yet.

'There's been an accident at Cody's…' Lila began.

'Is Katrina alright?' Sara questioned.

'That's what Vreya went to find out.' Roxy said.

'Alone?' Costa asked, surprised.

'No.  Zane took her.' Fleck chipped in.

Costa sneered.  'How'd you persuade him to do that?'

Ash was frowning.  'Why didn't she wait for me to get here?  I could have taken her.'

'I told her to go by bike.  It's faster.' Fleck replied.

'They've been gone a while…' Lila said, looking at the clock.  'I'm getting worried…'

Bo held up his hand, listening.  'Hey…wait…that sounds like a motorbike…'

'I hope Kat's okay…' Lila said.

'Who's Kat?' Rinoa asked.

'Vreya's cousin…' Gen replied, and they moved to greet Vreya.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane pulled up in the small drive at the back of the building they used as a training ground, and finally felt safe enough to switch off the engine.  For a moment neither of them moved.  Zane had never felt so relieved in his life.  That had been too close…and now he could think about all the crazy things he'd seen.  The back door opened and a whole crowd of people stood there.  

Vreya was still, head lowered.  Her emotions were finally taking their toll, and she was crying silently, oblivious to the fact that it was raining, and that she was getting really wet.  

Zane let out his breath, as Fleck greeted him.

'You took your sweet time!  You…whoa, you look a mess…what the hell happened?'

Zane glared at him.  It was his entire fault really.  He'd nearly died back there, thanks to Fleck's stupid order.  Slowly he got off the bike, glancing at Vreya as he did so.  The girl's eyes were closed, and she was trembling.  He guessed he couldn't really complain.  Compared to her, he'd had a stroll in the park.  He finally turned away as her friends called out to her.  Zane noticed that there were some unfamiliar faces, all staring at him as he approached.

'Hey…what happened?' Fleck asked, frowning.  Zane simply gave him a look, before being stopped by Costa.  They'd seen that Vreya was in bad shape, and were angry about it.

Costa grabbed a hold of Zane's shoulder.  'Hold it pal.'

Zane's eyes lowered.  He'd had enough for one day damn it!  

'What did you do to her?'

Costa almost regretted grabbing hold of Zane.  The boy's eyes rose, and in the deep green depths Costa saw an open anger.  Pure rage glittered within, blazing like a flame, almost out of control.  His grip loosened.  He'd never seen Zane so angry.

'Get you hands off me.' Zane said, in a deadly voice, completely cold, completely threatening.  

Costa swallowed.  Damn…he removed his hand, furious.  But it was plain that Zane was even more in a 'don't mess with me mood' than usual.

'Do that again…and you're dead.'  Zane hissed at him, then stepped around him, totally ignoring the surprised eyes of the strangers.  He entered the door and disappeared a moment later.

'Whoa.  Who was that!'  Zell exclaimed.  

Rinoa was frowning.  Squall noticed this.

'Rinoa?'

'I've seen that guy Squall.  He was in one of my dreams…'

Squall thought a moment, and was about to reply when a cry filled the air.  They looked to the girl on the motorbike, the girl they had seen a few days back, the brunette.  

'Vreya…' Lila said in dismay 'there was nothing you could have done…'

Quistis looked away sadly.  'I guess Kat didn't make it.'

Selphie looked upset.  'Poor girl…'

'No!' Vreya sobbed, 'No, why is this happening to me?!'

Rinoa's eyes fixed on the girl.  There was something about her…apart from the fact she looked vaguely familiar…there was something…something Rinoa almost sensed…

'Vreya…' Sara tried to calm the girl down.

Rica shook her head.  'This is terrible.  It could take ages for her to recover from this.  Something else has happened.  It wasn't just that she found her cousin dead.  Look, she's injured too.'

Fleck walked towards Vreya.  She had gotten off the bike and was unsteadily walking in no particular direction at all.  It was obvious she was in a severe state of shock.  

Roxy tried to reach out to the girl, but Vreya slapped her hands back.  

'No!  Don't touch me!  D…don't come near me!'

'Vreya…we're your friends…!' Sara exclaimed in disbelief.  'Please calm down…'

'S…she can't be gone.  This isn't happening…why is this happening…?'

'She's out of control…we need to calm her down…' Harris suggested.  

'Yeah…go get the sleep inducer…' Fleck nodded.  There didn't seem to be any other way to calm the girl down.

Costa attempted to speak to Vreya.

'Vreya…okay, look, calm down…'

'Get away from me!' she screamed.  'All of you!  This is all your fault!'

Squall frowned.  It was terrible to witness.  Losing a loved one…he knew how that felt.  How the pain ate up at you inside.  How you felt responsible.

Fleck walked forward, and Vreya backed away, looking around face tear-stricken, eyes wide.  They were all ganging up on her…everything was ganging up on her and she couldn't take the pressure.

Zane had heard the cries from inside, and reappeared at the doorway to see what all the fuss was about.  Bo had stepped forward to help restrain Vreya, along with Harris who had come back.  

Rica looked to Zane.  He didn't look too happy.

'Zane…what happened?'

Zane was silent, watching the girl.  

'Zane?'

'We were attacked.'

Squall turned his attention to the green-eyed boy.

'Attacked?  By what?'

'How the hell should I know?!  It wasn't human...' Zane said, shaking his head.  Rica stared at him in alarm.  

Arms had grabbed hold of her and were trying to restrain her.  But Vreya didn't want to be restrained.  She screamed, struggling wildly, cursing, and telling them to get their hands off her.  

Lila backed away, hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes.  To watch this happen to such a close friend was truly horrible.

'Get off me!  Let me go!'

'Okay sweetheart, it's okay, you're just a little tired…' Fleck soothed.  Vreya was outraged.  They were talking to her like she was crazy.  They didn't understand what she was feeling.  How angry, how hurt…

'No, I hate you, leave me alone!'

'Okay darling…okay, it's okay…' Bo said, and stuck the needle into the girl's arm.  She shrieked, and Rinoa's eyes widened.  She grabbed onto Squall.

'Squall!  I thinks she's…' she began, and then it happened.  One moment, arms were holding onto Vreya.  A split-second later, she gave a furious cry, and an electric energy , bright and blue, radiated from her.  It surrounded her and pushed back all that were close to her, sending them flying onto the floor and into walls, crying out in pain and surprise.  

'Shit!' Lila screamed 'Oh my God!'

Zane's mouth opened in a shocked 'o' and for once an expression was readable on his face.  

Rinoa's eyes widened.  She was…like her…the girl blinked, and backed away, painfully aware of what she had done.  She looked at her hands, confused, afraid, and shook her head, sobbing.  

Vreya had never felt so scared in her life.  What had she done?  They were all on the floor, looking at her with fear in their eyes, confusion…Vreya blinked, feeling very dizzy and faint, horrified at herself, wishing she could die.

A moment later she swayed, and dropped to the floor, unconscious, her entire world fading away into darkness, sorrow and pain.

**_Angelheart's end of chapter ramble:_**

_O.O ooh.  That was…exciting.  Can't type anymore than that for now, please review, and thanks for reading.  Next one up soon, I hope._


	26. Find Yourself

_Right, thanks so much for all the reviews, you're all wonderful!  I reached 100!  I never thought this moment would come thanks SO much!  I'm very grateful to you all!  Okay, here's the next one-I'm going to cut down babbling at the start and let you all get on with the story-enjoy!  (warning-REALLY long!)_

**Chapter XXVI: Find Yourself**

****

Jez sat, arms folded, a frown on her face.  After Vreya had fainted so dramatically, the adults had grouped together to discuss what it might mean.  They were getting nowhere.  They'd sat for quite some time, questioning Zane, who looked like he was anxious to leave.  

'There's no other explanation.' Tai stated.  'It has to be magic.'

'That's disturbing…' Rica said in a low voice.  'We haven't taught them how to use magic yet…how could she know?'

'Are you sure that the things that attacked you used magic?' Fleck asked Zane for the tenth time.  Zane gritted his teeth together, and replied slowly

'It was a purple energy ball.  The dragon breathed fire…'  

'The magic didn't touch you?  Did it touch her?' Morgan enquired.

'No.'

'This is loony.'  Locky announced.  'Rica's got a point…the girl couldn't have used magic without knowing how to focus it.'

Bo rubbed the side of his face.  'Okay, it's obvious the magic barrier has been lifted…'

'No…we cannot assume so much.'  Morgan shot him a look.  

'But Morgan…' Harris spoke up 'Isn't this enough evidence?'

'Yeah.' Locky agreed.  'Vreya pushed us all away using magic.  She couldn't have sent us flying like that by herself.'

Bo nodded.  'I felt it man.  It was like…some huge force pushing me away.'

Jez rubbed her arm, which was still rather sore from her fall. 

Zane sighed.  This was all hopeless.  He had seen what Vreya had done, but luckily for him he hadn't been hit, like the other people who had stood back.  It was mostly the mentors, who had been hurt, as well as Lila, Sara and the other people who had been close to Vreya.  They hadn't arrived at any meaningful conclusions, and Zane needed to rest a little.  Didn't they know that he too had been attacked also?  He needed space too.  

'We cannot be sure that Earth has lifted all the barriers.'  Morgan stated.  'We must be careful.'

'I think we should talk to those other kids.' Fleck said finally.   'They could know about magic and all.'

'That's probably the best thing to do' Tai agreed.

Harris rubbed his eyes.  'This just gets crazier and crazier…she's been out for…'

'Almost three hours.' Jez muttered.  She was worried about the girl.  It had been rather alarming to see.  She'd been out of control.  Suddenly it came to her. 

'What if…these children are all supposed to be gifted in various ways aren't they?' She began.  Rica stared at her and then picked up on her idea.

'Yes…what if her power just broke through?'

'You mean as some kind of result of emotional stress?' Bo asked, confused.

'Yes…'

'But Jez, that doesn't make sense either…she can't use magic just like that…it wasn't accidental…she wanted us away from her and she got us away.'  Locky said.

Jez sighed.  Back to square one.

Fleck looked to his own charge.  Zane met his gaze evenly.  'Hey kid…I'm sorry…it's my fault I guess, for letting her go, and making you take her.'

Zane merely stared back, expressionless, glad that Fleck felt bad.  He should; it had been his decision after all.

'Didn't mean for any of you to get hurt…' Fleck added, sincerely.  'But you did a good job of getting yourself and her out of there.'

Zane's eyes lowered.  'Can I go now?'

'Yeah…sure…' Fleck nodded.   He understood that Zane needed time to think things through also.  The young man turned and left the room silently.  

'That was foolish of you Fleck.  If the boy was not so well trained we may have lost them both.'  Morgan said harshly.  

Fleck shook his head.  'I know it was stupid…I'm sorry.'

'In any case, what's happened had happened…' Tai said 'We should talk to those other kids too.'

They agreed to question the other young people as soon as Vreya woke up.  

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'You move the bishop in this direction see…' Gen said, moving his piece diagonally in demonstration.  Zell and Quistis were hunched over the chessboard, as Gen taught them the rules of the game.  Seifer watched on, curiously.  He didn't like to play silly games like Triple Triad, but this game, Chess, was new to him.

'So you have to capture other playing pieces…' Zell said, resting his chin in his hand.  

'Yeah, that's it…' Costa said.  He was also watching.  

'But the ultimate objective is to capture the king.'

'Why?  Is it the most powerful piece?' Quistis asked, looking at Gen.

'Well…not really, the queen can move more freely…so you got to be careful not to lose her…but the king is the deciding piece.'  Gen replied.  

'Oh…and the pawns just hold ground?' Quistis asked, picking up a pawn and examining it.

'Yeah, but they also lay out the style of play…don't underestimate them.'  Gen replied.

'What about that horse?' Zell asked, poking the piece.

'That's the knight piece.  It moves in L-shapes…see?' Gen moved the piece.  

'Oh okay…yes…I think I understand now.'  Quistis nodded.  'You've made it quite clear.'

Zell nodded.  'So what d'ya say you give us a round?'

Gen smiled.  'Okay, I'll go easy on you…you can start.'

Rinoa sat on the couch, beside Squall.  He was being quietly contemplative as usual, and she had done a great deal of thinking herself, about the girl, Vreya, about what had happened to her.  In many ways Rinoa saw herself in the girl.  It was the way she had looked so afraid and confused at what she had done.  Playing with a strand of dark hair, she spoke up softly.

'Squall?'

There was a pause…she had his attention.

'They can't use magic here right?  They don't know how to right?  But that girl did…and she was really high strung…her emotions…'

'So you think…' Squall began.  Rinoa turned her almond eyes to him.

'I think…I'm not sure, but I felt like that when I…you know…when my powers started…and I also lost consciousness.'

'You think she's a sorceress too?' Squall concluded.  The idea had also crossed his mind.  But how could it be possible that the girl was, in a world where no magic existed?  

'I…I think so…but do they know what that is here?  What it means?' Rinoa said thoughtfully.

'I doubt it.' Squall replied.  

'Do you think I should tell them what I think?' She asked.

'Wait until she wakes up, and if she does anything else.'  Squall advised.  Rinoa nodded.  He was right; it was too soon to assume anything at this early stage.  But there was definitely a correlation she was starting to see.  A thought came to her then.

'Hey Squall…she used magic right…does that mean we can too?  Can we summoun our guardian forces?'

Squall blinked.  He'd thought that too.  Sighing quietly, he replied in a low voice 'I'm not sure.  They don't know either.  Let's just wait and see what happens.'

Rinoa nodded.  'Yeah…no use in freaking them out I guess…we should talk to the grown ups first right?'

Squall nodded, eyes trailing over to where Selphie sat beside a miserable looking Lila.  Irvine was with her, and Roxy had her arm around Vreya's closest friend.  Ash also sat back, not looking too happy himself.  

'I can't believe it.'  Lila said, shaking her head.  Vreya's strange little trick had hurt her, and she rubbed her shoulder.  

'It's okay…it was just magic…' Selphie tried to comfort her.  That was hardly what Lila wanted to hear however.

'Magic!  Is that normal to you people?  We don't have that here.  The only magic we see is…someone pulling a rabbit out of a hat!'  She snapped.  

Selphie blinked, looking at Irvine helplessly.  He spoke up.

'Okay, calm down now.  It's okay.  There's an explanation for all this…'

'I can't believe she hurt us.'  Lila sniffed.  Ash shook his head.  What he had seen had shocked him also, but he wasn't about to jump to any conclusions.  He was more worried about Vreya than ever.  Something was definitely playing out, but he couldn't grasp what.  All he knew was that Kat's death had obviously hurt Vreya deeply.

'Whoa Lila…' he spoke up.  Her hazel eyes turned to him.  'I don't think Vreya would ever mean to hurt us.  She was out of control.'

'Yeah…she wasn't herself…' Roxy agreed.  'I'm sure she'll feel fine when she wakes up…it's just that she was so close to Kat…we all knew her well and it's really sad…'

Lila buried her face in her hands.  This was terrible.  She was more confused than ever, and very frightened.  Things were suddenly moving so fast, and she wasn't sure she could cope.  Selphie reached out and took her hand, squeezing it.

'Hey…it's okay…we're here, and you can bet we've been through even harder times…'

'Yeah, remind us to tell y'all of our adventures sometime!' Irvine smiled.  At that moment, Sara entered the room, looking tired.  She had just finished her shift of watching over Vreya for fifteen minutes.  

'Hey…' Rinoa spoke up, as Sara looked at them all.  'How is she?'

Sara shook her head.  'Still asleep; good God, I just…I don't know what's happening anymore…'

Seifer could see the stress on the beautiful young blonde woman's face.  They had no idea at all.  Unlike the people who weren't from here, they were not used to magic and all the rest.  Everything that appeared bizarre to them was normal to Seifer and the others.  Just wait until they saw the first summons of a guardian force. 

'…She's been out for too long…' Ash said, frowning.  'It's not normal…when people faint they regain consciousness quickly after it…'   

'This is too freaky…' Lila agreed.  Her voice trailed off as Zane entered the room.  Her eyes narrowed at him.  He had done something…he must have…she saw Costa's facial expression harden.  They all watched him suspiciously.

Ash regarded Zane thoughtfully.  He could see the rest of them were glaring at him, but from what he'd heard, Zane had actually saved Vreya's life back there.  Again…how many more times was Zane going to do the honours?  Ash cursed himself…it should be him who helped Vreya, not that stranger.  But every time she was in need he was never there…only Zane was.

Sara sat on the chair, and Zane's eyes turned to her.  She knew what he was asking, indirectly, and almost wanted to snub him and tell him he didn't care anyway, but decided against it.  He had brought Vreya back here safely after all.

She shook her head.  'My shift's over…I think Fleck said you'd cover after me.'  

Zane's mouth opened as if he wanted to protest, but he decided against it.  He allowed himself to look over the new people who had arrived.  They were all about his age, four guys, three girls…his eyes looked over them all and stopped suddenly on the one in light-blue sitting next to a young man in black.  He didn't even know their names, but what he felt when he looked at the stunning raven-haired girl was so sudden, that he didn't have time to stop the expression coming over his face.  She stared back at him; small, rosy lips open slightly.  

Zane frowned slightly…she looked…familiar…he hadn't noticed her before, but now he had, and she looked so familiar he could have sworn he'd seen her somewhere before…but where?  How?  It was impossible…he could almost remember, but the feeling was gone before he could work it out.  The young man who sat next to her was giving him a strange look also; Zane felt far too uncomfortable, and turned his eyes away, and abruptly left the room.

Squall looked at Rinoa, confused.  He'd seen the way the two had looked at each other.  

'Rinoa?  What's…' he began, and she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket.

'Squall…I knew it, I have seen him before…and I think he's seen me…'

Squall was puzzled.  'What?  You've dreamt of…him?'

'I think so…do you remember when I…I told you I killed someone?'

Squall stared at her.

'I…I think it was him I killed…' Rinoa's eyes were wide and full of fear.  'Squall…I…what if…'

'It was just a dream…doesn't mean anything…' he interrupted.  'Don't worry.' 

She nodded, and swallowed, but looked less than convinced.  She could only hope that what her knight was saying was true, that it had only been a pointless dream and nothing to worry about.  But she felt a tingling bad feeling inside, the same feeling she had had when she had first seen Edea at the parade, all those many months ago.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane leant back against the wall, arms folded across his chest, his head resting against the hard brick.  Great, this was just what he needed right now; even more baby-sitting.  He was tired, yet he knew he could never rest, as much as he wanted to and needed to, so much had happened to him, almost too much in the past few hours, and too fast.  Only now was he really beginning to realise how much was at stake.  It had all started so suddenly…he'd seen his first monster…as crazy as it was to think of it now he'd seen it, and it had all been very real.  He rubbed at his eyes, suppressing a yawn, hoping the fifteen minutes would pass quickly.  He'd been around her too much for one day.

His green eyes trailed across the floor and rested on the small figure curled up on the low bed, the silky hair spread out like a river of dark chocolate.  He stared at Vreya's sleeping form, many troubled thoughts running through his mind.  Yes, it was his turn to watch over the unconscious girl, and he felt edgy and nervous.  She'd been out for almost three hours now…shouldn't she have woken up already?  He hoped she wouldn't when he was here.  What in the world had happened to her?  What could have caused her to fall on the spot so suddenly, as if she died?  He was as confused as the rest of them were…he didn't care the way they all did of course, but he did want to know what had happened to her.  It had been so strange, so bizarre.

As he looked at her, he found himself suddenly thinking back to the time when she had dragged him out to the dance floor, at the charity ball.  How her eyes had been sparkling as she'd looked up at him…the strange feeling he had when she had been near to him.  He knew now that it must have been his ability to sense other 'chosen ones'.  She was such a strange girl…he had never met any girl like her, who could stand up to him the way she did.  He blinked, and walked over to her, stopping at the edge of the bed, gazing down at her face, cautiously.  It looked pale and slight, and a soft frown was on her features.  

'What are you?' he wondered out loud, looking at her in confusion.  What had she done, and how had she managed?

He saw that the blanket had slipped down a little and he sighed, and reached out and rearranged it tidily over her.  Whatever she'd done had stunned them all.  She didn't know magic…how had she done it?  The intensity of the force had been very powerful; that had been plain from the way everyone unfortunate enough to get caught had fallen back so violently.  Zane sighed and walked back to the chair by the door, slumping down.  He ran his fingers through his hair, muttering to himself how disorganised everything was, how unclear.  He hated not having a sense of clarity…he hated disorganisation.  

It was probably due to her emotional stress…losing a cousin and all…we're all supposed to have certain abilities…maybe…that was just hers…but how can that be?   What was it, how can she have done that?  It must have hurt like hell…sparks of electricity…and her eyes went all blank and unseeing…he thought, trying to make sense of it, but in vain.

He twirled his sword idly, resting his chin in his hand.  He stared fixatedly at a spot on the floor, thinking of the lizard-dragon that had attacked them, it and its ugly owners.  They had talked of a master…who was it, Zane thought to himself.  It frustrated him that he had so many questions that know one had answers to that he couldn't figure out for himself.  Could it be the same thing they were up against?  Wasn't that most likely to be the case?  Who else would they work for?  He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache come on, probably from thinking too much.  After all the craziness he'd seen today he deserved a vacation.  

_How much longer do I have to baby sit…?  _Zane thought in exasperation, checking his watch.  He'd been here for only five minutes, and was eager to get out and go home for the day.  Nothing was happening and he was bored.

As if on cue he heard a soft moan, and looked up instantly.  Vreya stirred, and slowly came round, opening her eyes.  Zane watched cautiously, eyes on her like an eagle, watching her every move intently, assessing whether or not it was aggressive.  Great, just his luck she would wake up when he was here…what if she was still in berserk fling-everyone-around-the-place mode?  It seemed to him that fate was toying with him, having him around whenever the girl was in the same room.  

_Great…just great…why can't she have woken up when her boyfriend comes?  _He thought gloomily.  He should have asked Ash to swap shifts.  

Vreya groggily rubbed her eyes, her vision taking a moment before it cleared completely.  She winced as a sharp pain shot through her throbbing head; she had one hell of a headache.  Her eyes rested on a figure sitting on the chair opposite from her.  Zane was watching her with an intent look on his face…never had his features looked so chiselled and sculpture perfect than they did then, appearing to be set in stone.

She sat up slowly, and took in a breath.  But it was shallow and she felt breathless; her chest hurt, and she could hear the slow rush of blood in her ears.  The room spun a moment, but she shook her head, wincing from the sharp stab in her head, and all became still once again.

_How long have I been asleep for…?  What happened…?  My head…it hurts so much…_Vreya looked at Zane and took a moment to find her voice.  It trembled slightly as she spoke to him.

'W…what happened to me…?'

The young man stared at her frostily.  He paused before replying.

'You fainted'

'…I…I…' Vreya felt very drained and weak.  Now that she'd woken up properly it all came back to her.  The creature that had attacked them…the two people with it…the ruined remains of the restaurant, the bodies, the blood…Katrina…and then getting back to base.  She'd been so hysterical…that was all she remembered…the anger, the fury, the patronised feeling as they had all tried to calm her down, telling her it would be alright when it wouldn't be.  She knew better…she wasn't stupid…they hadn't lost anyone, only she had, good God, why her?  She and Kat had been so close, who could do this, and why?  Why target that place? 

Kat…how am I going to get through without you?  You were like a sister to me…you were always there…it was only the other day I wished you'd disappear…but I…didn't mean it…I didn't mean it…oh Kat… 

She drew her legs in to her and wrapped her arms around them, resting her head in her arms.  The tears were falling before she knew it, flowing freely and endlessly.  A sob racked through her body, making her entire self shudder from the intensity.  As far as she was concerned much of her life was over.  It usually took so much to break Vreya; she was much stronger than anyone could have thought, from first looking at her, but they'd struck her right at her core by killing a family member.  She had never told her cousin how much she appreciated her and how she meant to her…now it was too late…far too late.

Zane swallowed, feeling very uncomfortable.  Did she have to be like that now?  When people usually cried he'd just roll his eyes exasperatedly and tell them to get a grip.  But he found he could do no such thing to this girl …in many ways he knew how she felt…it had happened to him, and he knew the feeling of being alone, of not having anyone understand what you were going through.  People said they did, but they had no idea of the hell you lived in.  Something deep inside of him stirred then as he watched Vreya cry…the memory of feeling abandoned and lost, and having little hope to go on…a strange sort of compassion filled him and he was surprised at himself for all that he felt because of her at that moment.

'Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall…Humpty Dumpty had a great fall…' he heard her sing softly to herself, rocking back and forth on the bed.

_God…this is not fair…_Zane thought, staring at her in horror.  He didn't want to see this…he couldn't stay here and watch her break apart.  He was always uncomfortable when it came to emotions, and now he really wanted to leave the room more than ever.  But he still had a little over ten minutes left.

'Vreya' he called to her, trying to snap her back to sanity.   

She paid him no attention and continued to sing to herself, like a little child.

'…All the king's horses and all the king's men…' a sob escaped her lips and she trembled a moment, before finishing in a choked voice '…couldn't put…Humpty…back together…again…' 

_Damn…_Zane cursed to himself.  She was still very unstable.  Maybe he should just go and tell the rest she had woken up.  But was it a good idea to leave her alone like this?

Vreya wept freely, not caring if she looked weak, or pathetic, or anything in front of Zane.  She was so upset…she felt so much pain, she wanted it all to end yet part of her burned with a fury, a rage; she wanted vengeance, whoever had done this, had sent the monsters to Earth and set them loose would pay…she would tear their bastard heart out and rip them to pieces.  She wiped at her eyes and raised her head, looking towards Zane again.  His eyes were lowered, and he sat very still.  They rose, sensing her gaze on him, and met with hers.  For a moment they simply stared at each other, her eyes full of much pain and sorrow, and his full of some held back emotion.  He broke the contact, his eyes slipping down to the floor again.  He said nothing, and she was grateful.  Zane, at least, she could rely on not to ramble on about how sorry he was and express his sympathy for her.  At least he would not make her feel so patronised.  

She let out a shaky breath, and swung her legs over the side of the bed.  Could she stand…?  God, she was trembling so much…she felt sick and unsteady and her head felt as though someone had stuck a thousand needles in it.

Zane stood up as he saw her move, keeping his distance, uncertain.  She was no longer raging on, but she was still shaking and crying, and he couldn't be sure that her crazy phase had passed.  He didn't want to be flung around the room.  The others were still recovering from the last time.

Vreya stood up slowly, swallowing.  She looked up at Zane again, who was gripping his sword tightly in his right hand.  For once he was not wearing his gloves.  

Zane regarded her warily.  He didn't think she should be up, she needed to rest more, it was plain how unsteady she still was…she was in no state to walk around and help out.  He wasn't supposed to let her leave the room if she did wake up.  Morgan had ordered her to be kept in this room for the time being.

'You shouldn't be up' he said at length.

She looked very tired and in a great deal of distress, but managed to speak.

'I…need…to…' she began, and then frowned, and broke off, looking confused.

'Rest' Zane said flatly, hoping she would just listen, but knowing she wouldn't.  She never listened to him.

She looked at him, suddenly angry.  So much for him not treating her like a child…what made him think he knew what she wanted?!

Zane cursed himself…he shouldn't have said that…

'No.' She shook her head.  'I need to kill someone'

Zane blinked, his deep green eyes widening, looking rather alarmed, emotion readable on his usually neutral face.  What the hell did she mean?  He felt very edgy as she approached him, hands clenched into fists by her sides.  He stood in front of the door that lead outside to the next level up, blocking her way.

'…' He stared at her, and she looked at him with wide, tearful eyes.

'Please get out of my way.'

He shook his head.  He wasn't sure what she was thinking, or planning, but he wasn't about to just let her walk about like this.

'Go and lie down again'

'I don't need to lie down' Vreya replied, feeling very claustrophobic in the room.  She needed to get out…she needed to do something…anything to get her mind of this nightmare.

'I think…' he began slowly, in a quiet voice so not to anger her any further, but she cut in, snapping at him.

'I don't care what you think!  Do you think I don't know what's good for me?!  It's my body and I am NOT tired!'

 Zane stared, feeling very uncomfortable.  She needed to cool off…she was still too worked up.

'Move'

Again Zane shook his head.

She looked up at him, a frown settling neatly on her pretty face.

'Zane!  What is your problem?' 

'You're not yourself.'

Vreya's eyes rested on his again.  It made him uncomfortable how she always made him look at her directly when she spoke to him.  He didn't need reminders about how attractive she was.  Now she blinked, her face scrunching up into a rather charming frown, but then it disappeared, and she laughed a little.

'Heh…heh heh…' she laughed weakly.  Zane stared at her.  This was definitely not good.  First she was crying, then angry, now laughing?  The girl was losing it.  

'What's so funny?' he demanded.

'Y…you said I'm not myself.'  The smile was gone, and her dark eyes flashed angrily again.  'You know me well then?  Not fair, when I hardly know anything about you.  Don't tell me that…I know myself better than anyone else here, got it?'

'You're not going anywhere.'  He replied.

'Why not?' she said through her teeth.  Of course he was being difficult because he was always this way.

'You're not in a good state of mind.'  He replied curtly.

Her eyes widened, angrily.  Why was he being like this?!  Since when did he care?!  Since when could he judge here like this?  Who did he think he was?

'I'm fine!' she said, feeling anything but.  'Now move out my way'

He shook his head.  Didn't she get it?  Why did she always have to argue?

'What the hell is this, a prison?'

The green eyes stared at her blankly, infuriatingly distant.  Couldn't he see the pain she was going through?  Why was he making it difficult for her…more difficult than it had to be?

'Go sit down.' he replied calmly.

She felt anger build up slowly.  She tried to fight it down, but she had no patience left.  She hated the world…she hated Earth, she wished the planet would just die for all she cared, but then again the threat had unleashed all the monsters.  Vreya didn't care about saving the planet now…she wanted only to find this 'threat' and kill him or her, or it.  Then the world could burn for all she cared…she suddenly hated everything in it, the corrupted people, the greediness of humans, the pain and suffering caused by humans to each other by each other, to themselves and the planet…she hated it all, everyone, everything…she hated all her friends, and she hated Zane especially.

'Please step aside' she said through her teeth 'You have no right to just stand in my way.'

'Orders.' Came the reply.

'Do you always do what mummy says?' She glared.  Zane didn't reply.  She was too worked up.  This was most definitely not like her.  It was true he hadn't known her long, but he was sure she wasn't usually this angry.  He seriously hoped she wouldn't execute that crazy move again…

When he didn't respond, she stepped forward, but the second she did so Zane lifted his sword swiftly and pointed it straight at her.  Though he would never admit it, he felt a tinge of fear…who knew what she would do if she got too close and he didn't move.  He wasn't going to take any chances.  He saw her in a totally new light now, no longer the helpless defenceless girl, but someone who could hurt people.  Could hurt him.  

Vreya stopped, surprised.

'What…are you doing?!' she said, looking confused.

'Stay back'

'I'm not your enemy!' she said, close to tears again.  She didn't remember what had happened that had caused her to faint, and Zane suddenly realised this.  So she didn't remember flinging everyone about the room?

'You can't leave.' Zane said again.

'God…this is crazy!' she tried to step around him, but he only matched her step, still holding the sword threateningly at her.  

She glared at him.

'Get back' he instructed.  He was irritated too…he wasn't in the mood for her and her stubbornness.

'No!  Where is everyone?  I want to talk to Morgan…'

'He'll be down soon.'

Vreya stared at him.  Why wasn't he letting her leave?  Why was he holding the sword up at her like that, and looking at her like that?

'Why can't I go to him?  I want to go…'

'No'

'Why!?'  Why couldn't she leave?  What was wrong?

'You can't leave this room'

'You are pissing me off…' she said through gritted teeth, her fists curled up into tight balls.

'You're pissing me off' he retorted, glaring back at her.  If humans could growl Vreya came very close to doing so.  

'I AM FINE' she said slowly, trying to keep a grip.  If he didn't move she would seriously hit him…she really felt so weak in terms of her patience levels and control to act sensibly.  Even if he could swat her away as easily as if she were a fly, she was still going to punch him.

'No' he replied, eyes on hers 'Just go rest.  Don't make me force you back.'

She knew very well he would do it…Zane never said things he didn't mean, and he was physically much stronger than she was.  He would force her back…unless she forced him to move.  But how-he was such a smart person and could read things quickly.

'Zane' she said angrily 'why are you being an ass?  Why can't I leave?  I want to talk to Morgan, what part of it don't you understand?'

Zane said sarcastically 'The ass and talk part'

'Why are you being so difficult?' she snapped 'Move out of my way NOW, or I'll…' she broke off, and his eyes narrowed intimidatingly.

'Or you'll what?' he sneered 'Get back Vreya, don't come any closer'

Vreya began shaking with rage.  He was seriously testing her patience now.

'You…' she hissed, furious.  He was just like the rest of them, holding her back, denying her.  She felt so frustrated…such bitter feelings inside…so much bitterness and anger and hate, still simmering from the shock of her cousin's death.  Zane didn't realise what a dangerous situation he was in.

'Get back!' he said, poking his blade forward at her.  She didn't move; instead she stepped forward, and as he moved to block her she dodged and tried to push him.  But he was fast and pushed her back.

_This is not good…c'mon, where's that idiot Ash?  _Zane thought.  If he would just get here so he could tell the others…

'Move out of my way!' Vreya yelled, enraged.  She rushed at him and he had to move his sword quickly so he wouldn't accidentally impale her.   He caught hold of her flying fist, his hand closing around it tightly, stopping her feeble attempt at a punch easily.  She tried to swing at him with her other arm but she was too wild in her movement, and he caught her wrist fast.  Skin to skin contact.  No sooner had he done so, she let out a cry of fury, and then it happened again, and there was nothing he could have done to anticipate it.

Zane's eyes widened in shock as a sudden bolt of pain shot up his arm, like an electric current.  But he couldn't let go…his eyes met with hers and he saw in them a wild light, totally untamed, a fury out of control, a look of such hate and anger it threw his mind totally off balance.  His heart beat was suddenly irregular and he gasped breathlessly; the pain was crippling, his entire right arm felt like it was on fire…it was even worse than…than anything he had ever felt before, he felt like he was being electrocuted.  

Vreya felt only anger and bitterness.  She looked into his beautiful, deep emerald eyes, and saw pain.  Good, let him know how it felt…it was satisfying to see someone share in her pain…the smug feeling mixed with her blind rage lasted only a split-second, as she realised that she was the one hurting him.  Something inside of her snapped, and she felt horrified at herself.

Oh my God…what's happening…what am I doing?! 

A sudden blind panic filled her and she cried out in fear.  He wasn't letting go, as if he couldn't…desperate to end his pain she jerked her wrist out of his hand, and as she did so he was sent flying across the room, slamming into the wall to her far left.  He landed with a dull thud, lying sprawled on his stomach.

Vreya stared at him in horror.  He was still, and she began to shake, staring at her hands in terror.  What had she done?  How had it happened?!  She hadn't meant to hurt him…how had she…she hadn't meant to send him across the room like that…how was she doing this?   

_I hurt him…I really hurt him…oh…my…God…_she thought, stunned, her heart racing.  She felt even sicker, and her head was hurting worse than ever.

Zane winced, and managed to gather himself slowly, standing up.  Good thing he was used to taking blows…otherwise he would have been out for sure.  But he had never felt anything like this.  He looked up at Vreya, strands of hair falling messily into his eyes, his heart racing, still feeling the electricity of her strange attack.  His right arm was hurting very much, and he winced, at the aching in his chest, as he struggled to regulate his breathing.  Vreya backed away in horror, afraid of the look in his eyes, afraid of hurting him again, afraid of her own self.  She had never felt like this before…it scared her beyond anything.  

Zane opened his mouth, and it took him a moment to speak.  His voice was low, and rather breathless.

'What…did you…do?'

Vreya was staring at her hands, as if they had betrayed her.  She'd hurt him…and she had felt satisfaction at the look of pain she'd seen.

'What…am I?' her voice trembled and she was shaking violently.  What had she done?  The electricity that had passed out of her very fingers…

_I…am I…evil…?  _She wondered eyes rising to look at Zane, who was clutching onto his right arm, staring at her, with a look that made the tears begin to fall again.  It was evident he had no answers and was freaked out by her.

'Zane…I…' she began, voice barely above a whisper.  He just stared at her, looking as horrified as she felt.  She hadn't meant to hurt him…why had she done it?  

She backed away some more, unconsciously moving to the door.  Zane realised this, but he was hurt, and couldn't stop her.

'Wait…' he began, but she shook her head, sobbing.

'I'm sorry…I…'

'It's okay…' Zane managed, even when it wasn't.  He was angry and uncertain, but he didn't want to provoke her into doing anything drastic.  He took a step forward.

'No!' she cried, terror in her eyes, fear of hurting him again.  'Stay back…stay away from me!' 

Zane winced as she stumbled back again, and then moved suddenly and darted for the door.  

'No!' he called after her, but she was gone, and he winced again, and fell to his knees, suffering the pain in silence, and alone, as he had always done in his life. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya ran up the small set of stairs, and past many doors.  As she passed one, she heard Ash's voice.  

'Vreya?  Is that you?  Vreya!'

She didn't know where she was going, only one thing was for certain in her mind…she needed to get out, away, away before she could hurt anyone else…she wasn't in control anymore…she was dangerous…she had hurt Zane…the way he'd looked at her told her all she needed to know…she was some kind of freak…something had happened to her and she couldn't stay anymore.

She ignored the voices that called after her.  She could hear people moving to catch her up, and yelling; gasping, and with tears streaming down her cheeks, she cast a wild glance back.  As she turned her head back round, she collided into someone, and would have fallen, were it not for the strong hands, which gripped onto her arms firmly, steadying her.  

'Hey.' An unfamiliar, quiet, yet smooth voice said, somewhat surprised.  She whipped her head round, and her eyes met with deep blue ones.  A young man held her; he was very handsome, with fine chiselled features, and dark brown hair that fell messily over his intense eyes.  He was dressed in black…he looked awfully familiar…then she vaguely remembered that she had bumped into him on the street, with Kat, the previous week…

_…With Kat…oh God, what's happening to me…?_

Squall stared down at the beautiful young woman, whom he now knew was called Vreya.  Her eyes were wide, and tearful, she looked very distressed and afraid.  She clutched onto him a moment, looking behind her.

'Are you…okay?' he asked, still holding onto her.  He felt strangely worried…and stranger still, she reminded him of Rinoa in a way.  The beautiful warm brown eyes turned back to him, and she said in a trembling voice.

'I…no…I…let go…don't…touch me…don't…please…'

Her words were jumbled.  Squall frowned.  She was confused…afraid…if Rinoa was right, then he knew what she was afraid of.

'Let go…lemme go…lego…' she said breathlessly, and when he didn't, she tried to wretch herself away.  He was strong however, and the voices were coming closer.

'Vreya!' a voice called…Lila's.  No, they couldn't see her like this…she was…she wasn't herself…Zane had been right…she was dangerous now…she was so muddled…

'Please!' she sobbed at the young man.  'Please, let go…please…Squall…'  

Squall's eyes widened.  He hadn't told her his name, and they hadn't been introduced…how could she know?

'How do you know my name?' he asked, puzzled.  The girl blinked up at him, and realised that she had indeed just called him by his name…how in the world did she know…?  Even more fear filled her, and she cried

'I don't know!  I'm sorry…' she stepped on his foot, hard.  He cursed, letting her go, not expecting her to do such a thing.  Vreya pushed past him and raced down the hall.  He looked after her, baffled.  Where was she going?  What was wrong?  She seemed out of control.  Ash arrived a moment later, as did a few other of her friends and his own.  

'Where is she?' Lila demanded.  Squall motioned at the direction she had gone in.  They moved off again, in chase.

Vreya climbed up some more stairs, and then a ladder.  Pulling herself to the first floor, she ran across the floor, the heels of her shoes clattering loudly on the wooden planks.  She ran to where the front door was, and flung it open, running out into the night.  She was fast, and was gone when the rest reached the door, leaving no clues as to which direction she had taken.  

'Damn it…what's happened?' Costa managed, rather breathless.  Ash shook his head.  He would go and question Zane now.  

'I'm gonna go find Zane, and tell the others…you split up and look for her.'  He said.  He looked to Selphie, Zell and Irvine who had followed the commotion.

'Will you help?' he asked them.

'Yeah, 'course!' Selphie nodded.  'We'll split with your crowd so we don't get lost too!'  

'Thanks.' Ash nodded, and they moved off outside, as he hurried back to where Vreya had been asleep.  He found Zane on the floor, clutching his arm, with Fleck by his side.  Ash blinked, talking a moment to catch his breath.  Finally he managed,

'What happened?'

Zane looked up at him.  He said angrily 'Where is she?'

'She took off outside…they've split and gone to look for her…what the hell happened?'  

Zane shook his head.  Fleck spoke up.  'I think she did it again.'

'Did it?' Ash repeated, confused.

'You know, magic mode?  Zane tells me she just hurt him, threw him across the room too.'

Zane glared up at Ash.  'You were late.  If you had gotten here on time, this wouldn't have happened!'

'You're the one who made her angry!  What did you say?  You were a jerk again weren't you?' Ash argued back.

'Shut up!  She wanted to leave and she's not supposed to!'

'Why didn't you call us?  Trying to be the hero again?'

'Shut your mouth!  Leave her alone when she's going crazy?' Zane snapped back angrily. 

'It's touching to know you care so much…' Ash said through his teeth.  The guy was so obnoxious…

Fleck interrupted.  'Guys…this fight is very amusing, but you'll have to continue it at another time.  Zane, you come with me and we'll do something for your arm.'

'I'm fine' Zane said through his teeth, glaring daggers at Ash.

'Don't be stupid, you're hurt-Ash you help look for her.  This arguing and blaming each other isn't going to help.  She has to be found.  We have to know what's wrong with her.'  Fleck said.

A voice spoke up quietly from the doorway.  The raven-haired young woman stepped forward, looking anxious.  'I think I know what's wrong…'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya ran down the streets.  It was cold, pitch-black, and she was sure she was lost.  She had never felt so alone, so confused, and so utterly afraid.  Afraid of her own self.  She tripped, and fell to the floor, and stayed there a moment, crying, thinking of everything that had happened…it made no sense, she was so scared, so scared, and had no one to turn to…they were all scared of her, they would all blame her and look at her with a funny look in their eyes…she wasn't normal…she didn't know what was happening.  She wanted to go home, but what if she freaked out there, what if she hurt her parents?  Oh God, what was wrong with her…what was going on?  She stood up shakily, and wiped at her eyes.  Where was she?  She had been running for so long, her chest ached, her legs hurt, she had a bad headache; she wished it wasn't really happening to her, that it was all a crazy, horrible dream, and she'd wake up with Kat alive, and none of this saving the world nonsense to worry about.  

I'm no hero…I'm a freak!  I make electricity come out of my hands and throw people about the room…I'm a freak…a freak…the word echoed in her mind, over and over, taunting her.  She was so tired; she walked forward, in no particular direction.  She needed to be anywhere away from everyone, everything.  So she couldn't accidentally hurt them.  

A terrifying thought was stirring in her mind…what if she hadn't accidentally done what she had done?  What if she had meant to hurt Zane?  He had made her angry…what if…what if she'd done it intentionally?  God…what was she turning into?  

Sobbing, she trudged on, forward, until finally she rounded a corner, and saw what appeared to be an abandoned building.  She hoped it was abandoned.  And even if trouble was inside, she didn't care.  She just wanted to disappear into nothing, be far away, very far away.  She opened the broken wooden door, and stepped inside.  It was very dark, and she felt afraid, but pushed it back.  She walked slowly across the door, her eyes gradually adjusting.  It was freezing here…even colder than outside.  She found a ladder, and tested if it was strong.  It appeared to hold her weight and she climbed up.  The building seemed to be some kind of abandoned house, large and empty.  She couldn't see or hear anyone or anything.  Pulling herself up to the next level, she walked across, and arrived at a narrow passage.  Hesitation filled her, and she considered leaving the building.  After all it could be dangerous.  But then so was she wasn't she?  She took a breath, and entered the narrow passage.  She found herself in a relatively large room, wooden floorboards and plain wallpaper. 

Her eyes had adjusted and she saw an old-fashioned looking oil lamp.  She frowned.  That was strange…and beside it…a box of matches, with a small broken match…maybe homeless people came here occasionally, she had no idea.  But light would make her feel better, and she reached out and lit the lamp awkwardly.  A soft golden glow spread about the room.  Vreya took the remainder of the fire from the matchstick to the fireplace, hoping it would light up.  It did, to her surprise.  When she was done, she sat back by the fire, hugging herself.  She guessed it was a stroke of luck that she had stumbled across this place.  They wouldn't find her here…nothing would be able to find her here, except spiders and other insects.  She rested her head in her arms, breathing out slowly, watching as cold air escaped out of her mouth.  She shivered…how cold it was, even when she had lit the fire.  She swallowed, trying to console herself; she was her only comfort now.  She just hoped the others wouldn't worry themselves too much.  Maybe she was better off alone.  She thought of Zane, how he wasn't close to anyone…how nothing hurt him…maybe she was better off alone like that…then she wouldn't feel so much pain, the way she did now.  Vreya came from a very content and happy background…she wasn't used to dealing with tragedies and sadness…isolation was her greatest fear, and yet here she was alone. 

As she stared at the oil-lamp, watching the flame flicker, something almost…sparkled; from the corner of her eye she could see something glimmering.  Vreya turned her head sharply, and looked at where she thought she had seen it.  Nothing was there.  She shook her head.  She was losing it, seriously.  Now her mind was playing tricks on her…and nestled her head on her arm again, and closed her eyes tiredly.  She felt calmer, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid.  She was trying not to think about it, about anything.  She opened her eyes again, as she sensed a change in light…the fire in the lamp flickered, and then suddenly died out.  Vreya stared at it, surprised.  It hadn't lasted all that long at all, and she had no more matches, unless she re-lit it from the fireplace.  She reached out, and touched it, to feel if it was hot.  It was freezing.  Vreya frowned, and picked it up.  As she moved to the fireplace, her eyes rested on something that she could have sworn had not been there.  Especially not near to such heat.  

A small…icicle; she stared at it stupidly, and then watched in disbelief, as a drop of water fell from it, and onto the floor, spreading a thin sheet of sparkling frost all over the floor and wall.  The air grew even colder, and Vreya backed away in fear.  The ice was slippery, and she lost her footing, falling to the floor.  Strangely she did not feel pain, and looked about at the transformed room.  It looked eerily beautiful, sparkling a silvery pastel blue.  She began to shiver, from cold and from fear.  What was happening?  Was she really seeing this, or was she imagining it?  How could this be?  The fireplace was now just as dead as it had been when she had first stepped into the room.  Instead small icicles framed it.  Vreya raised her hand, to touch it, to feel if it was real.  It was sharp, and very real.  No sooner had she touched it, but a glimmer of blue light caught her eye, and she looked ahead of her, heart pounding.  Blue shimmering light, as soft as fairy dust, materialised, and swirled strangely.  Vreya backed away slowly; the cold was hurting her fingers now, as well as the rest of her body.  She glanced behind her, to see that larger icicles sealed off the entrance to the room, blocking any hopes of escape.  She looked back at the light…without warning it dived down to the floor, and exploded into shimmering blue crystal dust.  

As the cold mist cleared, Vreya found herself looking at the graceful, slender figure of a woman.  She was tall and slim and had pale skin…so pale, that it looked almost…pale blue…she wore strange clothing, light brown cloth to cover her decency, and on her arms she had cuffs of white fur.  Her hair was glorious and long, a silky golden sheen, with silver and blue braids.  She was most exotic to look at and very beautiful.  Her eyes were closed and a strange triangular mark was painted on one smooth cheek.  She wore earrings that looked like small icicles, and her lips were a healthy pink, in stark contrast to her strange complexion.  Icicles surrounded her, and shards of crystal dust floated in the air.  Vreya stared at her, in awe.  She was unearthly lovely, elegant and had appeared so suddenly…as if out of nowhere…as if by magic.  Vreya found herself thinking of the Ice-Queen from a fairy-tale she had loved as a child.  She was afraid that if she moved the apparition would disappear.  It was freezing now, and as Vreya shifted on her knees, the eyes opened and rose, looking directly at her.  Deep, knowing, intense eyes, a shade of azure Vreya had never seen before.  She froze, her breath caught in her throat.  What was she?  How had she appeared so suddenly?  Vreya felt strangely light; the headache had gone, and now she felt only numbness…she was dreaming, she had to be.  Beautiful women didn't just materialise out of blue light.  

The woman moved then, stepping forward, as if she were weightless.  Vreya shrunk back despite herself.  She was afraid, uncertain.  The woman stopped, and pursed her lips, displeased.  Vreya didn't want to displease her.  She looked to be in her twenties, and yet was much older.  The lovely eyes narrowed.  Vreya felt very plain and small compared to this woman.

'Why do you cringe girl, when you know I will not hurt you?' The voice was lovely and smooth, like velvet, light as a fresh winter breeze.  

Vreya blinked, feeling so cold that she was going very numb.  She dared to speak to the goddess that stood before her.

'Are you…real?'

The frown was gone, and an amused look touched her face.  'I have startled you I see.'

'N…no…you…what are you?'

'Human.  Just like you.  Except I have crossed to the other side, whereas you still walk amongst the living here.'

Vreya was confused.  Was this woman a ghost then?  No…she had to be something else…

'Who are you?' Vreya managed.

The woman blinked.  'I am Krysta.  Spirit of ice, an elemental.'

Spirit of ice?  Elemental?  Vreya was baffled.  She frowned, even thought she could hardly feel her face anymore.

'I don't…'

'You are confused.  As you should be; I believe your friends would call me a guardian force.'

Vreya stared, still muddled.  Why was this woman here?  What did she want? 

'Why are you…how did you…appear…?' Vreya asked, feeling very foolish and ignorant.  The woman, Krysta, replied smoothly:

'I appear as and when I please.  Usually in the midst of battle, however, this is a different case.  I have been instructed to come to you.'

'By who?' Vreya asked.

'By my mother.'  Krysta replied simply.  Vreya wondered what she meant, but decided against asking.  Instead she said

'Why ?'

'Why?' Krysta repeated.

'Why are you here?'

The eyes trailed over Vreya.  'No.  Why are you here girl?'

The question caught Vreya off guard.  Why was she here?  Because…she was scared…she was confused…because she could hurt people…because something was wrong with her.

'What makes you think there is something wrong with you?' The ice-spirit asked.  Vreya blinked, alarmed.  Had she just read her mind?  

'I…I hurt him…' Vreya whispered, feeling tearful again.  'I don't know…what's happening to me…'

Something about the way Krysta was looking at her told Vreya that she knew exactly what was happening to her.  Somehow Vreya knew that it was impossible to hide anything from those eyes.

'I know that you have been hurt.  He has hurt you, even now when he does not know of you, he is already one step ahead.'  

He?  Vreya opened her mouth to ask whom she meant, but Krysta was speaking on.

'But running from you destiny is just what he would want you to do.  This is not your place girl.  Your place is amongst those that you call friends.'

'I'm scared.'

'No one knows what the future will bring.  Why do you run?'  Krysta questioned her. 

'…I…I hurt people…'

'No.  You have yet to find yourself.'  Krysta replied.

'What…do you mean?'  Vreya asked, confused.  

'In time you shall come to know my meaning.  You must not blame yourself.'

'But…what's happening to me?' Vreya asked, afraid of the answer.

'You are growing girl.'  Krysta replied, as if it were completely normal.

'I don't understand…'

'You must go back.  The battle is lost before it has begun, if you abandon them.'

'No…I can't go back…you don't understand.'  Vreya said, turning her face away, thinking of the pain she had seen in Zane's eyes.  

'…' Krysta waited.

'I'm a freak…' Vreya muttered, and shook her head, burying her face in her hands.  Krysta regarded the young girl.  She was lost and confused, and needed to find her way.  She needed guidance.  And so Krysta, the earth elemental, spirit of ice, decided that she would consent to junction to the girl.  She stepped forward, approaching the girl, who had made herself small, and was no doubt lost in tears.  

'No…' Krysta breathed, more gently 'you are more than what you think.  It is beginning girl…you can feel it…it starts from here…' she reached out and placed a slender hand lightly over Vreya's chest, where her heart was situated.  

'…And it will end here…look inside yourself Vreya…and call for me when in need…for I will manipulate my element and consent to shield you with my own life-force…'

Vreya face rose, and she looked at the exotically beautiful woman, with wide eyes.  Krysta reached out and placed a surprisingly warm hand to Vreya's cheek, and warmth flooded through Vreya, replacing the numb feeling of coldness.  The ice-spirit then bent over and placed a kiss on Vreya's head.  Vreya closed her eyes, and when she opened them, Krysta had dematerialised, and all that remained was the shimmering light from before.  It floated in front of Vreya for a moment, and without warning shot in her direction.  It collided right in the centre of her chest, and penetrated through.  Vreya's eyes widened in pain, and the room spun, as she fell back to the floor, falling unconscious for the second time that day.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'It's freezing…' Gen said, pulling his coat closer to him.  Zell nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets.  Lila walked after them, worry all over her face.

'Yeah…you usually have weather like this?' Zell asked.

'No…it's cold for this time of year…it should be spring…' Lila replied moodily.  

'Hey, don't worry…we'll find your friend…' Zell attempted to cheer her up.  When she glared at him, he mocked a pout, then pulled a goofy face at her.  She smiled a little at his silliness.

'Oh I see I see, is that a smile?  Oh see, see!' Zell laughed.

Lila laughed a little.  'You're silly…'

Gen interrupted.  'Hey, look at that…'

Zell and Lila looked to where Gen was pointing.  It was a broken wooden door, of what looked like to be an abandoned house.

'She wouldn't go in there.'  Lila said.

I suggest you look in there…Quezacotl whispered in Zell's mind.  Zell nodded and said 'Nah, c'mon, let's check.  She'd want to be alone, so maybe, just maybe…'

'I don't know…we might find trouble instead of Vreya…' Gen said reluctantly.

'Hey, I'm on it, you don't need to worry…'

'How could you forget Gen, we have the mighty Zell with us…' Lila rolled her eyes, as the three entered the building.  Inside, Lila shivered.

'Brrr.  It's freezing…even colder than outside…'

'Weird…' Gen agreed.  He turned to them.  'Okay, let's split.'

'Is that a good idea?' Lila asked, not looking pleased.

'It's great man.  Me and Gen'll take the top, you keep a look out here.'  Zell suggested.

Lila shrugged.  'Okay then.  I can always run out if there's trouble I guess.  Go on.  Call me if you find anything.'

The boys nodded.  'I'll take the right.'  Zell told Gen and they split.  Zell climbed up the ladder, to the second floor.  The floorboards creaked beneath his feet, as he walked forward, keeping his eyes open.  He reached what appeared to be a dead end, and was about to turn back, when his GF spoke up again.

Look closely human!  Turn back!  

Zell frowned, and looked back, peering at the dark corner.  As he stared, he realised that there was indeed a small space…a narrow passage.  Tiny sparkling dust was coming from the other side.  Zell walked forward curiously, and walked through.  On the other side, he found a large, empty room, with a simple oil-lamp lit.  It was the only light in the room.  The entire room was even more colder than downstairs.  It glimmered here and there, of the same strange crystal dust.  And there on the floor lay a small figure.  Zell walked forward, and fell to his knees beside it, turning it over.  His eyes rested on the familiar face of the girl they were looking for, Vreya.  Her eyes were closed.

Zell shook her gently.  'Hey…hey, can you hear me?'  

She stirred, and slowly her eyes opened, focusing on him.  She blinked, and said 

'Who are you?'

'Just one of the crowd…you okay?  Name's Zell.  I was out lookin' for you with your friends.' 

Vreya blinked again, and Zell helped her sit up.  He sat back and regarded her.

'You okay?'

The girl looked at him.  She nodded.  'Yeah.  Sorry if I caused any trouble.'

'Nah, don't worry…you went through hell and all…' He said awkwardly.  He didn't know her, but she seemed a lot calmer now.  He got up and moved to the passage.

'Let me call your friends…' he said, and disappeared for a moment.  She heard him calling and rubbed her head.

Krysta…she thought of the strange woman she had met.  To her shock, she heard a voice in her mind respond.

I am here child…

What?  Where? Vreya thought back.

In your mind…I am now junctioned to you…

Is that why I just passed out?  Vreya thought back.

Yes…call me when you are in need…Krysta's voice replied, and then Lila's voice came to her.

'Vreya?!'

Vreya looked towards the entrance and saw that Zell had returned with Lila and Gen; Lila hurried over to Vreya, and then hesitated, as if afraid to come closer.  Vreya knew what she was afraid of.  It hurt her, but she remembered what the ice-elemental had said to her. 

'It's okay…' Vreya said softly, and when her eyes rose, Lila was relieved to see that her old friend was back.  Her eyes seemed even clearer than before.  She was a lot calmer.  Lila dropped to her knees, and grabbed hold of Vreya's shoulders.

'God, are you all right?  Are you hurt?  What happened?  Why did you just leave?  We were so worried…'

Vreya stared back at her and shook her head.  'I was…confused…but I'm okay now…I think.  I'm okay…' Her eyes lowered as she thought again of her cousin, and pain etched across her face.  Lila hugged her tightly.

'I'm so glad you're okay now…'

'Lila…did I hurt you?  I'm sorry…I don't know what happened…' Vreya said, burying her face in her friend's shoulder.

'It's okay…don't worry…they're going to find an explanation, and it'll be okay…I'm just glad it's you.'  She pulled back and smiled tearfully at Vreya.  'Almost thought I'd lost you, you know…that'd ruin more than a decade's worth of records…'

Vreya smiled, and looked to Gen, who offered his hand to help her up.  She gladly accepted it, and nodded at him.

'You sure you're okay now?  We're sorry about Kat…'

'Yeah…' Lila said sadly.  'But we're going to get even right?  When the time comes you can do the honours right?'

Vreya nodded, grateful that she had such good and supportive friends.  

'So, you're coming back with us right?  Because if not Zell's going to drag you back…' Gen smiled.  Zell grinned.

'Yeah man, I'll chase you back if I have to…'

Vreya smiled tiredly.  'That's not necessary…let's get going.'

They moved to leave the building and return to base. 

--------------- ◊ --------------

Zane stared in disbelief.  

A…sorceress?  That girl?  What?  There's no such thing…there can't be…

Rinoa had just told them that it was possible that Vreya was a sorceress, like she was, that she could use magic without having to 'junction' it.  He couldn't believe it…it wasn't possible.  Fleck and the other mentors seemed just as surprised.  Ash had stayed to listen, and hadn't spoken a word the entire while.  Zane guessed that for once the guy was agreeing on his viewpoint that this was totally ridiculous.

'It's just that when it happened to me…when I found out I had sorceress powers, I also used magic without being junctioned, and was under emotional stress.'  Rinoa said.

Morgan said 'Extraordinary.  If this is indeed true the girl is very important.'

'You believe it?' Fleck said, looking unsure.  

'Why not?' Locky asked.  'Magic exists, why not sorceresses?'  

'Believe it.'  Squall nodded.  'If she is a sorceress, she needs a knight.'

'Yes, I am aware of the sorceress-knight relationship…' Morgan nodded. 

'Whoa, time out, we're assuming too much, maybe she isn't one!' Bo exclaimed.  

Morgan's eyes were on Zane.  The boy sensed this, and his eyes rose, meeting with the older man's.  He held them a moment, then looked away, and shook his head.

'Don't believe it.'  He said flatly.

Ash said 'Maybe she isn't one…maybe it was just an accident…'

 'Perhaps…but it seems most unlikely now that Rinoa has told us of the correlations between her situation and Vreya's.'

'Even if she is…how can it be?' Rica asked.  'There's no mention of a sorceress in the prophecies…'

Tai said slowly  'There's only one person who we have to make sure makes it to the end…and it's the 'One'.  So whoever it is obviously has a great magic ability.'

'Sorceresses have greater natural magic ability than normal people.'  Squall put in.  

'It's not necessarily that Tai…could be any of them.  Could be Ash or Lila or Costa just as much as it could be Zane or Sara or any other one of them.'  Fleck said.  

'I believe that it is possible that Vreya may be a sorceress.'  Morgan stated.

The others looked at him in surprise.  Bo scratched his chin.  'I dunno…'

'So what's with the knight thing? I don't know about it…' Rica said, looking to Morgan.

'Yes, a sorceress requires a knight, if she is to resist the dark side of her powers.'  

'Dark side?' Tai repeated, puzzled.

'As in hurting people close to her and becoming possessed…' Rinoa explained.  'I…I was possessed once…I didn't have Squall as my knight then…and I flung people across rooms too.'

Zane looked at her, thinking of how Vreya had hurt him, and how blind she'd looked when she had done it…as if she wasn't aware…he remembered how horrified she had been when she had realised, how she had jerked her hand away from his, trying to break contact.  

'What does a knight do?' Bo asked, clueless on the subject.

'Protects his sorceress.  Always by her side, they share a bond, it gives her inner peace from any whispers.'  Rinoa replied.  Squall nodded.

'Whispers?' Zane said, in exasperation.

'Yeah…voices that could drive her mad if she listens to them…' Rinoa replied.  'She'll need one, and quick.  She's confused…I could talk to her about it if you want.'

'I think that would be a good idea, once we're sure…' Fleck said, not wanting to freak the girl out anymore than she already was.  

'Well, there is one way I could finalise the issue…did you experience any tremors in the ground over the past week?'  Squall asked.

Ash stared at him.  'Yeah…'

'Well, when that happened, and we felt it, Rinoa felt pain.'

'Sorceresses are more sensitive to elements and changes to them.'  Rinoa added what Edea had told her.

'…Oh my God…Vreya was in pain…' Bo said slowly.  

Rinoa folded her arms.  'There you go.'

Morgan closed his eyes briefly.  'Then it is most likely true…the child is a sorceress.'

'What?  How?' Ash asked.  

'It is likely that she has inherited powers from a previous generation that were sealed away when the threat was banished from the earth many centuries ago.'  Morgan replied.  

'Poor kid…' Rica began, but Rinoa stopped her.

'No.  There's nothing wrong with being a sorceress.  I only use my powers for good.'  

Squall nodded.  'Don't believe it's a curse.  Used the right way it's a gift.  She'll be a great help once she learns to harness her powers.  But she needs a knight, and soon.'

Morgan nodded.  'Yes…a knight willing to stand by her side, and fight to the end.'

'Sounds like bravado to me…' Rica said.  'Where are you going to find such a brave and righteous guy willing to do the job?'

Morgan looked thoughtful a moment, then his eyes moved to Zane.  The boy caught his look, and stared back.  

Ash looked at Zane also.  What?  He wasn't suggesting what he thought he was suggesting?  He laughed despite himself.  

They all looked at Ash.  'You're not saying…what I think you are…'

Rinoa looked at Ash in surprise.  'Why is it funny?  A sorceress and knight just have to agree to work together…'

'Yeah…they don't have to be…romantically involved or anything…do they?' Locky asked, amusement in his eyes.  

'No.' Squall replied.  

'But…' Ash began, and stopped as Zane's eyes met his.  

'I'm sure Ash'll do a great job protecting his little girlfriend.'  He said scornfully.  His eyes narrowed as he looked back to Morgan.  

'Because no one else is willing.'  

'Zane…you brought her back here safely and if it is true you know that you're the best one…' Fleck began but Zane cut him off, glaring.

'The best one not to do the job.  I want nothing to do with her.'

Rinoa stared at him, confused.  Why wouldn't he want to be knight to Vreya?  She was a very pretty girl, and obviously well liked.  

'Zane…' Morgan began.  The boy shook his head, and pointed to Ash.  Zane wasn't prepared to share any 'bond' with any girl…especially not Vreya.  

'Ask him.  Enough favours.'  With that he turned and left the room.  

'Great…' Locky said 'That went well…'

'He'll get round it…either that or she goes evil…' Fleck sighed, looking to Ash, who was rather flushed at Zane's words.

'Don't worry about him Ash.  He tends to be an ass, as you know…and you know, the only reason we'd suggest him, apart from the fact he has such a charming personality…'

Rinoa giggled a little.  Zane reminded her a little of Squall…or how Squall had been.  

'Is that he's the best cover we could give her I guess…' Fleck shrugged.  'But who says that if she is really a sorceress, that she'd agree to him anyway?'

The conversation was interrupted by Jez's voice calling down.  

'Hey!  She's back!'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Roxy hugged Vreya tightly, refusing to let go.  

'Ow…gee, Roxy, breathing is becoming a little bit of an issue here…' Vreya said.  She was glad to see them all again, but she still felt very aware of what she had done.  

'If I let you go, are you gonna run off again?'

'No…no more running…' Vreya said.  Krysta had really helped her sort herself out.  Of course she was still very much saddened by Kat's death, but she realised that falling into despair was no option.  Fighting on was all she could do.  

Costa let out a sigh of relief.  'You nearly gave us a heart attack Bonita…don't do that again…'

Selphie clapped her hands.  'This calls for a PAH-TAY!'

Quistis shot her a glance.  'When and if we do survive what's to come, we can celebrate…' she said in her sensible tones.  

Selphie pouted, and Irvine grinned, putting his arm round her.  Fleck entered the room, along with Squall, Rinoa, Ash, Bo, Morgan, and everyone else.  

'Vreya…' Fleck called to her.  Vreya turned her eyes on him.  She felt terrible, and began

'Fleck…I'm sorry…'

'It's okay kiddo.  As long as you're okay…' he reached out and ruffled her hair.  'Oh…we're sorry by the way…'

'Thanks…' Vreya said softly, and then a raven-haired young woman approached her, taking her hand, and smiling beautifully.  Vreya looked at her, and immediately like her.  

'Hi…my name's Rinoa…pleased to finally meet you!'

Vreya managed to smile back.  'I'm sorry…we met last week and I was rude…'

'It's fine…' Rinoa replied.  'Vreya right?'

Vreya nodded, and Rinoa introduced the rest of her group.  As she finished, Vreya noticed that Zane wasn't in the room.  How was she going to face up to him again?  He'd probably hate her forever now.  

Look to the door…Krysta's voice whispered to her.  Vreya's eyes trailed to the door, just as Zane appeared at it.  He glanced in, and almost immediately caught her eye.  He paused a moment, and the two looked at each other.  He broke contact, looking away, saying nothing, betraying no emotion, and was gone a moment later.  Vreya's eyes lowered sadly, as she realised just how much work she really had to do.  But Krysta was right…first she had to find herself…only then could real progress be made. 

**Angelheart's end of chapter ramble:**

Too…long!  My apologies, couldn't split the chapter again…won't do this again, promise!  Hope you liked it…yeah my first GF!  I couldn't think of another name for her, I know that name is in FF8 anyway!  Anyway, watch this space!


	27. Say You're Sorry

Greetings once again loyal readers!  Thanks for the reviews you're all wonderful! (welcome Noc!)  I wouldn't even be writing this if you weren't there to encourage me…group hug!  Aw!  ^ ~ ^ Mwa ha ha, I'll stop terrorising you all now.  Read on!

Chapter XXVII: Say You're Sorry 

'That's one helluva sword you got there.'  Tai remarked, nodding at Seifer's Hyperion.  He sat on a couch in one of the base's smaller leisure rooms, along with Locky and Harris.

Seifer glanced at the man who sat opposite him, and then looked back to his weapon.  He supposed people here didn't have anything like it.  From what he had seen they had only ordinary swords, and from what he'd overheard they preferred to fight with guns and explosives. 

'It's a gunblade.'

'That's what it's called?  Looks strange.'

'Looks heavy!' Locky added, eying the blade, impressed.  

'I think it rocks.  Why hasn't it been invented here yet?  A gun and a sword in one-what more could you want out of a weapon?' Harris exclaimed.

Seifer didn't respond.  Tai watched him, curiously.  He had noticed the young blond man didn't tend to socialise with his other friends, and almost always had a bad-tempered scowl on his face.  In an attempt to carry on conversation, he spoke up again.

'So…must have taken a while to get to grips with.'

Seifer shrugged.  

'You have to train a lot?' Locky also attempted to get Seifer to speak up.

Seifer sighed.  Did people here always talk so much?  

'Same with any other weapon-practise makes perfect.'  Seifer replied matter-of-factly.

'How long did it take you to learn how to use that thing?' Harris asked. 

'Don't know.'  Seifer muttered.  'Ten years?'

'Whoa.  That's one heck of an achievement then.'  Locky complimented, and stood up.  

_Yeah…_Seifer thought remorsefully.  _Achievement…about the only stinking thing I've actually achieved in my life, that's something to be proud of damn it!  The only thing I actually earned from working hard and taking seriously.  The only thing I got to be proud of…_

Locky's voice cut into his thoughts.

'Well, I'll be off then.'

'Where you going?' Harris looked up at the tall young man.

Locky pulled a face.  'Actually I'm going to the supermarket to stock up on our supply of food!  With these lot staying here now they're bound to get hungry!'  He nodded to Seifer as he said 'they', referring to him and the rest of the Fated Children.

'Yeah,' Harris laughed 'they need to keep up their strength.  Can't have them dying of something as little as hunger can we?'

Tai smiled and shook his head, as Locky left the room, chuckling to himself.  'Just make sure you get back in time for Sara!'

'Oh I wouldn't miss her for the world!' Locky's voice called back, and then he was gone.  Tai rolled his eyes, as Harris grinned.

'Got the hots for her hasn't he?'

'You never know if it's real or a game with him.'  Tai replied, and looked back to the silent Seifer.  'Hey…Seifer right?'

'What?'

'Why don't you come to the main room?  All your friends are there.'

_Friends?  _Seifer almost laughed.  What an idiot.  But then, of course, he didn't know did he?  None of them knew about his past.  He preferred it to stay that way.  Seifer didn't like to discuss personal things, especially when it came to Squall and the others.  He shook his head nonchalantly.  

'Nah.  I'll stay here.'

'Huh?' Harris said, confused.  Why wasn't he with the others, and especially now, when Vreya and her friends would be coming back from school soon?  

Tai shot him a silencing look.  Glancing back to Seifer, he said 'You're sure?'

Seifer nodded.  'Yeah.  Go ahead.'

Tai nodded.  'Okay…but you know where to find us.'  With that he got up, and Harris followed, leaving Seifer alone, to his own thoughts.

In the small corridor, Harris looked at his friend, confused.  'Why'd you leave?'

'He wants to be alone Harris…it's pretty obvious we're just intruding on his personal time.' Tai replied.

'I don't get it.  They're his friends right?'

'I would think so…but then we haven't really seen them together have we?  Haven't seen him laugh with them or anything…'

'Strange…' Harris said thoughtfully, and the two walked up the stairs together.

-------------◊-------------

Vreya could see the teacher's lips move, but she couldn't hear anything she was saying.  Her mind was drifting over everything that had happened to her, after the day she had been saved from her encounter with the street-gang.  It had been from there on that things had really started to happen.  It had been from that day onwards that things had started to get really strange.

It was funny in a way.  School was so worthless and unimportant compared to everything she'd been told, everything she'd experienced already.  Was education really necessary at all?  When she considered getting a high grade, and then the monster she had seen two days back, the one that had no doubt been responsible for her cousin's slaughter, passing exams just didn't seem important.  There was no point.  Life and death were the only things that really mattered.

_Kat…_sadness washed over her again, just thinking of her late cousin.  She had always been so cheerful and supportive, she'd never harmed anyone, and she hadn't had a mean bone in her body.  She hadn't deserved such a gruesome death.  Bad, oppressive people, they deserved a fate like that, but not somebody as good and sweet as Katrina had been.

_Tell me girl, what gives you the right to judge who deserves life and who does not?  _A voice, light and breezy, enquired in her mind.

Vreya blinked, startled.  She had almost forgotten about Krysta's presence in her mind.  She had taken the day off school yesterday, to be with her family.  It had grieved Katrina's parents immensely, to learn of the nature of their daughter's death.  They had gone along to the scene of the crime to confirm what Vreya had already known.  It had been terrible to witness; Vreya's aunt had screamed and collapsed to the floor, crying in a way that had broken Vreya's heart.  Her uncle had not been able to hold back his own tears.  Vreya's mother had held her sister and cried with her, and her father had watched on with a similarly grieved expression.  Tears stung Vreya's eyes just remembering the horrible scene.  No parent deserved to bury his or her child…the funeral would be held next week, once everything was arranged.  

_She shouldn't have died like that…it's not fair…it's just not fair…_Vreya replied.  Krysta's voice was as calm as ever as she responded.  Vreya was still coming to grips with having another voice in her head, other than her own.  It was a very odd sensation.

Life does not tend to be fair.  But you have no right to judge it.  It is not for you to decide who lives and who does not.

Vreya's eyes were blurred with tears, as she stared blankly at the textbook in front of her.

Why did this happen?  Why did they attack her restaurant?  I can't do this without her…I miss her so much…

_Everything happens for a purpose Vreya.  Nothing is meaningless.  She would not want you to wallow in your despair.  She would want you to be strong…will you let him win, before you have yet to encounter him? _Krysta's voice whispered, and Vreya blinked.  There the spirit went again…referring to the mysterious 'he'.  

_Krysta, who is he…?_ She thought to her new guardian.  There was silence to her question, and somehow Vreya knew that she would not answer.  She realised then that someone was tugging on her arm.  Vreya turned her eyes to the person who sat beside her.

'Hey…you okay?'

Lila's hazel eyes were full of concern.  Vreya nodded, making sure that the teacher was still teaching.

'Are you sure?' Lila whispered.  'You should have taken the day off…'

'No…' Vreya replied.  'Kat wouldn't want me to…' She thought of what Krysta had just told her.  '…Wallow in despair.'

Lila stared a moment, and then nodded.  'Okay.  But you know you can excuse yourself at any time right?'

Vreya nodded.  Lila squeezed her hand compassionately, before turning her attention back to the board.  In her opinion, the wound was far to fresh for Vreya to be exposing it to the air; she'd noticed how Vreya tended to stare off into space, with a glazed look in her eyes, as if she wasn't hearing a thing the teacher was saying.  But Lila decided not to say anything.  It was only natural that Vreya would feel detached, after all the strange things that had been happening lately.  That was not to say Lila didn't worry.  She worried all the time about Vreya, about what was happening to her.  She worried and wondered. 

Vreya's eyes moved to the clock.  Fifteen minutes left, and then Jez had told her she'd pick her and her friends up from school.  Vreya hated to leave her parents, but they were mostly occupied with helping her aunt with starting the funeral arrangements.  She had told her father, who had dropped her off in the morning, that she would be staying at Gen's to complete the project.  Her father had not been happy.  Now that they had learned that a killer was on the loose they were reluctant to let their daughter stay out after dark, and Vreya wasn't sure how much longer they were going to buy her excuses.  But she had promised to call them, and told them Ash would be bringing her home.    

'Vreya?' Her teacher's voice came to her, and she had a sympathetic look in her eyes.  'Are you alright there?'

Vreya didn't like the special attention she was getting.  Many people had heard about the tragedy already and approached Vreya with condolences for her personal loss.  Of course they didn't understand though.  They didn't know what she was going through.  Vreya took a deep breath and nodded.

'I'm fine.  Thank you.' She said politely.  The teacher nodded, and moved on to set homework.  Vreya watched her.  The woman was relatively young, and new.  She had her entire life sorted, more or less.  Vreya envied her in many ways.  She seemed happy and confident, everything Vreya appeared to be.  But unlike the teacher, beneath Vreya's carefree exterior, a worlds worth of troubles were slowly building up, and she wondered just how much she would be able to take, and just how far she was willing to go, to save people, and to save her own self from something she was yet to understand.  

-------------◊-------------

'So…' Irvine began, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  'What you've just told us is…whoever this uh 'threat' is, is looking for…'

'A scripture…' Quistis finished.  They had just heard the reasons behind why they were on another planet.

'Where is this scripture?' Squall asked.  From what he had just heard, it was very important, and wherever it was they needed to get their hands on it, and quickly.  

'Ah.  You see that's the part we don't know…' Bo began.

'Only the 'One' can find it.  Whoever it is, is the only one who will be permitted to touch it.'  Fleck replied.

'Oooh…you still have a lot of work to do then…' Selphie commented.

Zell nodded his agreement.  'Yo, I had a thought.  Do you know how to work magic here?'

'Uh…' Bo smiled sheepishly.  'No…'

'Well…do your little trainees have weapons?' Irvine enquired.

'Yeah, because we brought no spares y'know!' Zell added.

Rinoa gave the two young men a look and said 'If not, we could work something out…'

'No…they have weapons…they're learning how to use them now.'  Fleck replied.  

'So…not skilled in weapon use or magic use…' Squall raised a brow.  That was hardly impressive.  

'What about…GF's?' Quistis asked.  

'I'm sorry?' Fleck looked confused, and the look was mirrored in Bo's face.

'Guardian Forces…you know…like…they control various elements…?' Irvine prodded.

'…' Bo looked to Fleck and shrugged.  'Uh…'

But Fleck interrupted suddenly.  'Oh!  Control the elements?  You mean elementals?'

'Huh?' Zell exclaimed.

'Elementals…like of fire or ice kind…yeah, we do have them…at least it's written in the prophecies that we will be aided by them…ones belonging to Earth that is…' Fleck replied, nodding.    

'You haven't got them yet either?' Squall said, blinking in disbelief.  Rinoa looked to her knight.

'It's obvious that they're not used to magic and using weapons here…'

'Yeah, it's not the norm, but obviously where you come from…' Fleck said.  'You have weapons, elementals, magic, the works!'

'Most of the kids we've got are untrained in fighting…with the exception of Zane that is, the rest of them are just average teens.'  Bo added.

'Well, guess we're here to help…' Irvine sighed.

'Yah!  We can teach them to use magic and GF's!' Selphie nodded enthusiastically.  'They should get the hang of it pretty quick…'

Squall didn't agree.  It took quite some time to be able to focus the mind properly in order to summon a sacred spirit, or even call upon magic.  But perhaps he was being too doubtful.  The people he'd met may well surprise him yet, he reasoned to himself. 

There was a clattering noise above them, and Fleck grinned.  'Looks like school's out!  You kids hungry?  Locky and Jez should be back from shopping…' 

Rinoa smiled.  'We really appreciate this…we don't want to be trouble…letting us stay here is enough…'

Bo smiled at her in amusement.  'Hey, it's perfectly fine!  We buy food, give ya all shelter, all we ask in return is you help our little tykes kick ass!'

Selphie grinned.  'Oh yeah!  It's been too long since we done that!'  

Squall rubbed his forehead stressfully.  In his opinion, another problem had come up a little too soon…

'…Where's Seifer?' Quistis said suddenly.  Zell snorted in contempt.

'Wouldn't be surprised if he's gone looking for the enemy and asking if he needs any help wiping us all out.'

Quistis pursed her lips at Zell.  The young man grumbled.  'Well it's true!'

'Uh…what are you guys talking about?' Fleck asked, confused.  Why did they talk about Seifer in such a way?

'Nothing!' Selphie said brightly, glaring at Zell.

'Forget that now man…' Irvine muttered to Zell, who folded his arms, unhappily.  

'What did I tell you Zell?  This isn't the time or place to bring that up.  We're sure to need his help too…' Quistis chastised.

Squall's eyes narrowed.  Quistis was being awfully supportive of Seifer.

'Oh yeah?' Zell was getting carried away with his emotions again.  'Well we done just fine without him last time!'

'Zell…please don't.' Rinoa pleaded.

'I say we forget him.  He's a damned waste of time!' Zell said furiously.

Bo and Fleck were just looking at the group, dumbfounded.  

'Zell…' Squall finally spoke up deciding enough was enough.

'I don't know about you all, but his siding with the…'

'Zell!' Squall said, his tone rising, and hardening.  Zell blinked, and looked to Squall, who shot him a silencing look.  No one dared defy such a look, and Zell swore under his breath, finally falling silent.  

There was an uncomfortable silence, and the two adults sensed that whatever issues lay between the group and Seifer were not going to be talked about openly.  

'Okay…' Fleck blinked.  'That was…interesting…you can tell us your story sometime…we'll leave you for now…'

Bo nodded, and the two turned, and left the room.  Quistis let out a hiss of breath, glaring at Zell.

'Fool!  What are you trying to do?' she demanded.

'Yeah Zell, let it rest will ya.  Seifer's not exactly our favourite person either, but we shouldn't make them hate him too!' Irvine scolded.

Zell glowered, hurt that they weren't siding with him.  It seemed Seifer had won again.  He was saved any more chastisement as he heard feet coming down the stairs.  Costa appeared at the doorway, followed by Roxy, Gen and Sara.  They all carried shopping bags.

'Whoo!  Is that F-O-O-D?  Oooh gimmie!' Selphie exclaimed.  Costa grinned.

'Down Tiger, it'll need to be put in the microwave first!'

'A what?' Quistis frowned.  

'Microwave…you know…warm food in it…makes a bell noise once the food's done…' Costa said.

'Uh…we don't have anything like that…' Irvine said.

'No microwave ovens?!  You haven't lived!' Roxy exclaimed, smiling.  'Oooh, this is heav-ieee.'

Irvine got up in one fluid motion, and went over to Roxy.  'Let me take those for you!'

Roxy looked at him, surprised, and then giggled a little.  He was pretty cute…

'Why thank you!' she said, letting him take the load.  

'Always happy to help a damsel in distress!' Irvine gave her a brilliant smile.  Sara rolled her eyes, glancing over to the group.

'Please…don't tell me he's the lady-killer in your group?'

'He kills ladies, but not in the way he'd like to think!' Quistis replied.  Sara laughed at this, and moved off to the kitchen, after Irvine.  Roxy slumped down next to Selphie, in Irvine's place.

'Whoa, that math lesson was borrrrring!' she drawled.

'Hey, Quistis here is an Instructor, she may get offended!' Zell remarked, recovering from his previous embarrassment.  

'Instructor?  As in teacher?' Roxy's eyes widened, as she looked at the attractive blonde.  'Wow!  But you're our age…or do you just look really young?  Which facial do you use?  Let me in on the secret!'

Selphie giggled.  She was beginning to see a lot of herself in Roxy.  'Tee-hee!  Nope, she's our age…'

Quistis rolled her eyes.  'I am a teacher.  I suppose the system is different to you're here…'

'As are most other things…' Roxy agreed.  Gen's voice called out to her.

'Roxy!  Get over here!  You're making the guest do all the work!'

'Oh…' Roxy pouted.  Selphie smiled, and grabbed her hand.

'Hey, c'mon, I'll help!'

Roxy shook her head.  'Woo!  No, no, it's okay…'

'Too late, c'mon!' Selphie jumped up, pulling her new friend with her, and they moved off to the kitchen, chattering together.

'Friend number I-lost-count for Selphie…' Zell said, shaking his head.

Sara appeared in the room again, just as Lila came through the other door, carrying more bags.

'They've spent so much on us…' Rinoa said, feeling guilty.  

'We are a large group.' Squall reminded her.  She pulled a face.

'I still feel bad!'

Quistis got up.  She felt like she could help too.  'Here, I'll take those for you…' she took a load off Lila, who thanked her.  

'Ummm…Lila?' Rinoa called, hoping she'd remembered the name right.  The brunette looked up at her.

'Yeah?'

'Is Vreya around?'

'Oh yeah, she's upstairs…we just got here now…she'll be down soon.'

Rinoa nodded.  'Thanks.'

'Everything okay?' Lila questioned, wondering why Rinoa was asking for her friend specifically.  

'Oh…yeah…it's okay.  Thanks.'  Rinoa nodded, and when Lila had gone, she looked to Squall.  'I should talk to her shouldn't I?'

Squall nodded.  'Yeah.  We're going to tell them about the GF and magic today.  You should tell her before then.'

'I'm still not sure; it's just that it's most likely…how will she react?' Rinoa said, clasping her necklace in her hand, the way she did when she was anxious or uncertain.  

_It's okay…she'll listen to you _Squall's voice in her mind gave her reassurance.  She could only hope that he was right and it would work out okay.

-------------◊-------------

Vreya handed the last bag to Ash, and he carried it down the stairs.  He had insisted that she would do no carrying, and Vreya felt bad.  She hoped her own friends weren't giving her 'special' treatment.  It only made her feel worse.  

She walked along after everyone else, but slower, with her eyes lowered.  She was in relatively low spirits, and not really in the mood to do much.  

_Oh…got to tell them about Krysta…_Vreya remembered.

_Yes.  You have yet to introduce me and I am getting tired of waiting.  _Krysta replied.  She chose sudden moments to communicate with Vreya, always surprising the girl.

Vreya smiled slightly.  _Sorry about that…guess I'm a rude host…_

Silence met her, and Vreya added sincerely _Krysta…I'm glad that you…agreed to join to me._

_Junction to you.  _The ice-elemental corrected.  

_Right…junction…I'm glad.  _Vreya said again.  It was strange, but Krysta's presence in her mind was comforting.  She could have very well gone mad by now if Krysta hadn't come to her.

Vreya decided not to follow the rest into the kitchen, but take a trip to the training room.  A little practice would help to clear her mind.  She hoped it'd be empty; she preferred to be alone.

She walked across the narrow passage, and through one of the small leisure rooms.  She expected it to be empty, but was surprised as she saw a figure sitting alone, on one of the couches.  It was one of the new people who had come from another realm.  It took a moment for Vreya to remember his name.  

_Si?  Say…Si…what was it?  _Too many new names, and while Vreya had the right beginning she couldn't remember the rest.

_I believe his name was Seifer.  _Krysta put in helpfully, sparing Vreya any blushes.  Vreya mentally thanked her, and spoke up.

'Hey…'

The young man, who had been sitting with his head in his hands, looked up, rather startled, as if he hadn't heard her.  He was most certainly handsome, and had a scar identical to Squall's.  His narrow green eyes regarded her, and then looked away.  He said nothing.

Vreya frowned slightly.  'Are you okay?  Why are you alone?'

'Don't let it surprise you.'  Seifer muttered.  Vreya stared, confused.  She decided not to ask, and went on.  

'It's Seifer right?  Uh…we've brought some food upstairs…you must be hungry.'

Seifer looked back at the girl.  She was a very beautiful young woman, slender and small, with dark colourings contrasting with her milky skin.  She reminded him of Rinoa, though the two didn't look very much alike.  Her personality seemed to be similar to Rinoa's however…she was concerned, even when she didn't know him.  How very…innocent.  

'Thanks.  Maybe later.'  Seifer was surprised at the tone of his voice.  But then he asked himself why.  She didn't know him the way the others did, she didn't see him in the same light, why should he act the same way to her?

Vreya nodded, gazing at him, rather troubled.  Why wasn't he with his friends?  Then again, neither was she, and she had little right to question him about such things.

'Well, whenever you're ready…we'll be in the main room.' Vreya nodded and left him to himself.  She continued down the hallways, until she reached a small ladder.__

She climbed down the rungs of the ladder, and dropped down to the lowest floor in what they now all referred to as the Base.  Landing gracefully she stood up and began to walk to the large training room.  It was so large it was sometimes overwhelming.  The room seemed too big for the building.  Vreya turned to enter the room, and stopped at the doorway as she heard a noise; the sound of fists hammering into a punching bag.  Her stomach turned in on itself, and her heart leapt.  Vreya involuntarily placed a hand to her chest.  Her body's reaction surprised her.  Her heart was pounding, and she almost turned away instantly.  

_What do you fear?  _Krysta questioned.  Vreya blinked, eyes on the figure that rammed one punch after another.  She'd been stupid to come here…of course he'd be here…he liked to be alone, and this room was the only one guaranteed to be empty at this time.  

_I…I can't face him…_Vreya thought.  She was scared, afraid of what he'd say, of what he'd do.  No doubt he was exercising the arm that she had hurt.  

_You must apologise.  _Krysta's voice told her, and then the spirit left her alone.  Vreya felt the familiar absence in her mind.  She took a breath, standing awkwardly at the doorway.  

Zane punched the bag as hard as he could.  His arm was much better now, almost back to its normal self.  His muscles no longer hurt, thought they had tired quicker than before; nothing training couldn't fix.  Just as he drew a fist back to hit again, he paused, sensing something, and then swiftly reached out and pushed the bag aside, so he could get a clear view of the entrance to the room.

A slender figure stood there silently.  Zane had no idea how long she could have been standing there for, but he hoped not too long.  

His stomach turned in on itself, surprising him with the reaction.  It was ridiculous…he was…he wasn't afraid of her surely?  She wasn't out of control anymore…he knew what she was capable of now…how pathetic for his body to react in such a way.  

_Let me guess…_last time it had been the freaky possessed chick act.  _This time the tearful please forgive me act…_he thought, letting the punching bag fall in between their views of each other.

Vreya bit her lower lip nervously.  She wouldn't have a better chance than now.  They were alone, and it was now or never.  He'd seen her already…there was no turning back now.  Taking another deep breath, she walked into the room slowly.  Zane rammed a few more punches, and then stopped, sighing to himself.  She was just going to talk again wasn't she?  Try and get him to talk.  Couldn't she see he was busy?  Finally, as he heard her coming nearer, he pushed the bag aside again, holding it back with his forearm.  The sleeves of his dark top were rolled up to the elbows for training, and she could clearly see the smooth, hard muscles underneath the exposed skin.  She realised she was admiring his build, and felt the heat rise to her cheeks, as somewhere deep inside of her mind she heard a soft laugh.  She realised Krysta was laughing at her, and she felt indignant and surprised that the elemental had opened contact again.

Please Krysta…I thought you'd gone…! 

_Yes, of course…but remember you are here to apologise, and not to admire his body.  Though I must applaud you on your choice… _The ice-spirit replied in mild amusement, tactfully leaving before Vreya could demand what she meant.

Vreya gulped nervously, as Zane's eyes finally rested on her face, and he demanded, even more curtly than usual,

'Yes?'

His cold tone had never stung her so much.  But she refused to be put off.  She had to set things right between them.  Even if things had never been too 'right' between them in the first place, she couldn't let him think so badly of her.  After all, this young man had saved her life more than once, and she hadn't even known him very long.

'…Hi…' Vreya said, thinking how very lame she sounded, and feeling terribly embarrassed.  'Ummm…how are you?'

He raised a brow at her.

_God…he's so gorgeous…_Vreya marvelled once again.  But he was, especially when he gave her such an expression.  He was so handsome, no one really compared to him in her eyes…people like Squall and Ash and even Seifer came close…but Zane had something completely unique to him.

'How are you?' he retorted.  Vreya cringed a little.  Ouch.  He had the ability to hit the nail right on the head, and look totally calm about it.  But then, she deserved that.  He hadn't suddenly turned all nice.  He wasn't asking her how she was in a nice friendly way…she knew what he meant and he knew she knew it.  

'Okay…I deserved that.' Vreya said quietly.  His eyes were still on her, making her uncomfortable.  'I…I wanted to apologise.'

Zane stared at her a moment, and then let the bag fall between them, turning away from her.  Vreya steadied it and peered round at him.  He was unwrapping the leather knuckle guards he used for training.  She held her breath, expecting a 'get lost' or something along those lines, but his reply surprised her.  He was always so unpredictable.

'Why?'

'What?' Vreya said stupidly.

He glanced over his shoulder at her.  'You've been wanting to do that the day I knocked you out.'

Vreya's mouth opened in shock, and she stared at him.  He turned away again.  As what he had just said sunk in, Vreya found herself smiling, and then giggling to herself slightly, in disbelief.  It was just…so typical of him to say…it was…_so Zane…_the sarcasm, everything about the way he had just said it.  No one said it so matter-of-factly, and as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

'No…' Vreya managed, in between her grinning.  She hadn't smiled all day, and here was the most unlikeliest of people to make her smile, doing just that.

'…You're lying…' Zane said in exasperation, irritated at her amusement.  Vreya sighed.  He really was much too smart to try and trick.  

'Okay…I've wanted to punch you on numerous occasions, but not…' her smile disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, replaced by a frown.  'Not really hurt you.'  She said, voice lowering, eyes lowering.

Zane looked at her again.  Well, at least she was being honest about it.

Her eyes rose, catching his.  'I'm really sorry.  I just…I didn't mean to…I'd never hurt anyone like that…I mean…not…' she hesitated, and added bravely 'Not a friend.'

His eyes narrowed at her.  'We're not friends.'  He stated plainly.  He wanted her to be clear on that.  A hurt look passed over her face, but was quickly gone.  He was furious at her, and at himself.  Had he lowered his guard so much that she considered him a friend now?  Didn't she understand that it was just business?  They'd have to work together to get through whatever lay ahead, but that didn't mean she had to get all friendly on him.  He wasn't interested.  How could she think he would be?

Vreya swallowed.  The comment had been deadly serious.  She went on regardless, feeling terribly miserable 'I wouldn't want to hurt you anyway.  I'm sorry…I just…you've saved my life more than once, and that's not the way to repay you.  I was seriously messed up…you were right…'

Zane regarded her curiously.  She was admitting she was wrong and he was right?  

'I…I was out of control…I don't know what's happening to me…' her eyes rose, and met with his.  Zane stared back, silent.  She looked afraid, confused.  She'd been through a lot in a short space of time.  So Rinoa hadn't talked to her about what she might be yet?  Well Zane wasn't going to be the one to break the news to her. 

'I took my anger out on you and that's not fair…I guess I was…I…' she paused, eyes lowering again, tears stinging at them.  

'I'm…scared…'

I'm scared…I'm so scared… 

Moonlight…brilliant white feathers…haunted eyes…

_…Don't be…I'm here for you…_

Zane's eyes widened slightly at her words.  Something tugged at him from deep within.  The voice…a dream…it couldn't be…could it?  But he was speaking before he knew it, uncertainly, feeling very awkward.  

'Don't…be…'

Vreya's eyes rose, and locked onto his.  His voice: something about those words tugged at her memory…she suddenly felt very strange, and was not exactly sure why.  

_She needs a knight…_Squall had said…Zane could see what a state the girl was in, and how much she probably did need one.  He realised that he had held eye contact for far too long, and cursed, breaking it, turning his face away.  It was frustrating…the way she could drag him into conversation all the time…he spoke more to her than he did to anyone else in a year, and it had to stop.  It was madness.  She was-she wasn't normal.  He had to stop letting himself get reeled in.  He added hastily, making sure his tone was flat once again

'It'll work itself out.'

Vreya was as stunned as he was at his words of comfort.  Just how little did she really know him?  She didn't understand him at all…he was always changing…so unsettled, like a storm.  Frowning lightly, she decided to ask him what had been bothering her for quite some time. 

'Zane, can I ask you…' she began, and dread filled him.  He had gotten himself into this.  Somehow he always found himself in awkward situations, as a result of actions and words he hadn't needed to do or say.

A voice interrupted, much to Zane's relief, and Vreya's disappointment.  She'd felt that for once she had actually had his full attention, something not many other people were capable of acquiring or keeping and something she herself hadn't had since she'd danced with him back at the charity ball.

'Vreya?  You down there?'

Ash had broken whatever spell had suddenly weaved itself around the two and brought them on similar wavelengths, and Vreya cursed her luck, as Zane looked to the door, in somewhat alarm.  It was obvious he didn't want to be caught alone with her. 

_I don't need her boyfriend on my case again…_Zane thought to himself, glancing briefly at her again, before, turning and making a hurried and abrupt exit from the room.  Vreya's hand rose, and she opened her mouth to call after him, but whatever had just come between them was gone, and she let him and it go.  Sighing, she turned as Ash and Costa appeared at the doorway.

'Vreya…where did you go?' Ash asked, concern in his eyes.  'Are you alright?'

Zane, who had exited through another door, left it open slightly, not sure what caused him to linger and listen.  

'I'm fine…'

'What are you doing down here?' Costa asked.  'We're all having something to eat upstairs…'

'Oh I…I came to…I wanted to…practise…to get my mind of things…' Vreya replied, awkwardly, avoiding their eyes.  

Ash stared at her, growing suspicious.  He noticed leather straps on the floor, and knew to whom they belonged to. 

'Is that it?' he asked gently, looking Vreya right in the eye.  The beautiful warm brown depths met with his briefly, and she was unable to lie to him.  She sighed.

'I came down here to practise…and…I ran into Zane.'

'Hah.  Did the ass make a run when he heard I was coming?' Costa said scornfully.

Vreya gave him a disapproving look.  Just why did Costa hate Zane so much?  He was a jerk, yes, but couldn't Costa just tolerate him the way everyone else did?

'Didn't try to hit on you did he?' Costa asked.  Vreya frowned at him, and she and Ash spoke up in protest together.

'Costa!'

'Right.  Sorry.  You were saying…'

'I wanted to apologise for…you know.'  She said uncomfortably.  Ash nodded in understanding, but Costa spoke up again.

'Why Vreya?'

'Why what?' Vreya replied, confused.

'Why bother apologising to someone like him?  He's not worth it.  He's far too rude to give a damn and know about apologising.  He's an ass-hole.  Don't trouble yourself over shit.'

Ash was silent, though he agreed with Costa entirely.

It was all Zane could do not to appear from his hiding place and beat Costa to a pulp.  He gritted his teeth together, and waited for Vreya's reply.  He half expected her to say 'you're right, he's a waste of time' but her reply surprised him.  

'Costa.  What is your problem?' Vreya began, scrunching her eyes and nose up the way she did when she was extremely irritated.  

'Huh?' Costa said, surprised.  Vreya was sticking up for Zane?  He understood this was an emotional time for her and all, but he hadn't expected a reaction like that.  

'You're always insulting him.  Fair enough, you don't need to like him, and he is a jerk a lot of the time, but you don't know him, and it's not fair to judge him!'

'What?' Costa squeaked, in disbelief.  What was she saying?  Zane was a jerk all of the time.  But Vreya poked a finger into his chest angrily.

'I'm not sure what your problem is, but for your information, I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him.  He saved my life _again_ back at the restaurant.  _He_ distracted the dragon, and he gave the gun to _me_.  So cut him some slack and get off his case.  You don't like him then ignore him.  Just don't make trouble, because maybe the time will come when he saves your ass.  If you're not grateful then, at least be grateful for me.'

Ash gazed at Vreya, mildly surprised, and just a little bit jealous.  Great…now she was fighting Zane's battles for him.

Her eyes turned to him and she said 'I'm hungry.  Can we go and eat now?'

'Uh…sure…' Ash nodded, giving a gob smacked Costa a warning look.  The young man trailed after them, spluttering.

'Dragon?  What dragon?  You never said anything about a dragon!'

'Exactly.' Zane heard Vreya's voice trail off  'Would you have the guts to taunt a dragon?'

He silently closed the door, and rested back against the wall, staring into nothingness.

_She stuck up for me?  I don't need her to stick up for me…_he thought angrily.  But he didn't feel as furious about it as he'd have liked.  No one ever…bothered to apologise to him, always just assuming that he didn't give a damn.  Contrary to what Zane liked to believe and have others believe, he did have feelings.  He was only human after all.  No one ever dared to get so close and on personal ground.  The silly girl who had forced him to dance with her was rather amazing in that sense.  She did things no one else dared, bothered, or cared to take the time to do.  She could have ignored the loner standing in the corner of the ballroom, but she hadn't.  She could have chosen not to apologise, and it wouldn't have made much of a difference to him, or so he believed.  She hadn't needed to stick up for him; no one ever stood up for anything Zane did or said, and yet she had.

He was confused.  Why did he find her so puzzling?  He liked to think he was a relatively good judge of character, quick to sum up what a person was like, but he was having trouble figuring this girl out.  He treated her no differently to the way he treated anyone else.  Why was she always trying to make the effort to be nice?  What did she get from him except a frosty glare or a sentence worth of speech at most?  Why?  Why didn't she have the same attitude the rest had to him, cold, indifferent and cautious?  Why didn't she ignore him the way he ignored her, the way everyone else ignored him?  Why didn't she realise he wanted to be alone?  He didn't want companionship, friendship, why couldn't she see that, why when he was always pushing her away?  It took much more effort out of him, he wasn't used to anyone coming back for more; he was used to making people stay away.  People usually did, after a silencing glare or a few harsh words.  They kept away for good.  Usually.  But she was always trying again and again and he wasn't sure what game she was playing, or what she was trying to achieve. Zane didn't know how to deal with this strange and complex new species of human personality.  Normal people stayed away…  

But Vreya, as it was becoming increasingly and alarmingly clearer to him, was anything but normal. 

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

Well, a slightly shorter (and much more boring) one for you all there.  Tell me how you think it's going.  I still need these little development chapters.  Do I need to focus on anything more or are you all happy with it so far?  It'll be one heck of an achievement when I finish this I can tell you.  Next one will be up sooner than you can say want more!


	28. Successor Of Witches

_Project is moving on nicely I think!  Once again can I thank you all for your feedback, it really helps, and long reviews make my day, lol.  Welcome Cloud!  Good to know new readers are joining these shores too!  Hope you stick with it-read on!_ Chapter XXVIII: Successor Of Witches

His eyes widened at the news.  Feedback had just reached him that two humans had been allowed to escape from the wreckage remains of a building.  Fury raged within him.  He wanted them all dead, every single one, down to the last infant howling in its cradle.  He had asked for warriors, not softhearted imbeciles!

Did they not understand-could they not see it was all part of a strategic plan to draw out the Chosen from the prophecy?  He was not ordering random locations to be destroyed…it was all in order, and all humans had to be killed in the specific area.  He had clearly stated that none were to be spared.  Despite the fact that the two savage fools had been armed with weaponry and a mighty beast the two humans had still managed to escape.

'How could you let them escape!' he hissed, glaring at the two responsible, who were on their knees before him, cowering in fear.

'If it…pleases your Greatness…they were not…like the others…'

The spy who had betrayed the fact they had failed their mission, chose then to speak up.

'My Liege, I must agree that their survival instincts were more powerful than average humans.'

Lorne shot the man who had dared to speak an intimidating look.  'I did not ask for your opinion.'

The man lowered his head in response.  Lorne sighed in exasperation.  They hadn't even gotten to the difficult parts of the plan yet and his so-called 'warriors' were making mistakes already?  How pathetic!  He had made a mistake in bringing the fickle fools with him. 

'You said there were two.'

'Yes my lord…a young male and a female.'  The spy replied.  

'If I may say so my lord…the…boy was surprisingly insolent in the face of such danger…' one of the failures stuttered.  Lorne's eyes narrowed at him, and a suspicion began to form in his mind.

'…And how did they manage to escape from a fire breathing lizard and two wretched creatures armed with weapons and dark magic!' he demanded.  The two winced.  The second spoke up after a pause.  

'The boy had a gun my lord…they…s…split and lost us by mounting a strange moving cycle…'

'It was fast your Greatness…we caste haste on the Iguion but the girl shot at it…' the first added, trying to justify their failure.

Such bravery in the face of a form of danger that humans did not expect to face was remarkable and suspicious.  

'There is no excuse…failure is not an option!' Lorne yelled angrily.  'I have been waiting centuries for this chance…I will not have imbeciles spoil it for me!'

'Please…forgive us my lord…' they begged, pitifully.  

'If it pleases you to know your Excellence, from what I saw, a friend or relation of the girl was amongst the dead.  The girl was crying over the body.' The spy informed him.  

Angry eyes turned to him, narrowing again.  He wanted the two young people found.  In order to have any chance that meant sparing the two who had failed to dispose of them.  He looked to the two, and rolled his eyes.  

'Get up you fools.  I want the two found.  I don't care how you find them, or when, just make sure they are found!  Do you understand?  Bring them to me, alive.'

'But my lord…how…how can we know where to look…' the first stammered, and was elbowed by the second.  Was he trying to get them killed?

'You will find a way.  Because if you fail again, you know what I will do to you.' Lorne replied in a dangerous voice.  The two swallowed, and nodded frantically.  

'Now get out of my sight!'

They nodded again, praising him.  'Oh you are most merciful Highness, we will not disappoint you again, thank you your Excellence…'

'We'll find them…yes, oh most merciful one…'

They were practically thrown from the room, grovelling.  Lorne turned his face away in disgust.  They were truly pathetic.  He knew he was going to regret letting them live.  But for all he knew, the two who had shown remarkable braveness could have been two of the Chosen.  He called to the spy who still stood in the room.  Lorne had sent out a large number of people to look about under cover, who had already chosen to serve him rather than die.  This man, called Darren, was one of them.

'Take this, and split it into fragments.' Lorne unclenched his hand, and let a dark piece of rock fall into the man's hand.  

'May I ask what this is?'

'Earth stone.  It will detect Chosen Ones.  Distribute it amongst your spies.  In the presence of a Chosen One, it will emit light.'

'Yes my lord.'

'Leave.'

Darren nodded, and then hesitated.  'Oh…if your Excellence would allow me to add…we have found something most peculiar, in an abandoned field…it may be of interest to you…'

Lorne cast a sidelong glance at the brown-haired man.  'Well?'

Darren nodded, and called to the guards who stood stationed about the large room; one of the many large rooms of the impenetrable fortress that would serve as Lorne's headquarters.  Made from dark magic itself, he had summoned on its appearance from the earth itself.  His servants had been in awe of how quickly and suddenly such a magnificent and terrifying castle had come into existence.  They did not know the full of extent of his powers.

The guards opened the huge black double doors, and a woman appeared; she had long auburn hair and deep green eyes.  Lorne knew she was one of the spies also.  A young woman named Dolores.  She walked up to where he stood, and fell to her knees before him, too afraid to look at him directly.  She held a keepsake in her hands, and held it up to him.

'If it pleases your lordship, open the box.'

Lorne regarded it, and raised his hand.  The lid of the small silver box opened by magic command, and he found himself looking at a strange, softly glowing, small silver object.  He stared at it curiously.  What in the world was it?  He reached out, and it glowed to his touch.  As he took it in his hand, he realised it was a delicate item, encased in clear crystal, and within what emitted the brilliant white light, as bright as the moon.  It was shaped like a tear.  He could feel warmth, even though he wore leather gloves over his hands.

_What strange trinket is this?  _He wondered.  He'd never seen anything like it.  He looked to Darren who stood silently.

'Where did you find this?'

'In an abandoned field-it was almost completely hidden by grass and mud my lord.  But its light was distinctive and we thought it was best to show it to you.'

Lorne looked at the strange crystal.  A thought occurred to him suddenly.  He ordered the woman to stand.  She did so, still not looking at him.

Without warning Lorne unsheathed the small, sharp dagger that was clipped to his belt, and took hold of the woman's wrist.  She did look up then, in alarm.  He jerked her closer to him and without blinking he cut across her wrist with the blade.  She cried out, automatically trying to pull away, terror in her eyes.  

'Wait.' He instructed, and then brought the small item to her bleeding wound, holding it directly above it.  The small silver object glowed softly, and Lorne watched, transfixed, as soft white light, almost a mist, began to radiate from within the crystal.  It spread over the wound, gently wrapping around the woman's wrist.  Lorne looked away slightly as the light intensified, before finally dying out, returning to its original soft shimmer.  When he looked back, the blood had cleared up, and the wound was completely gone.  The woman, Dolores, gaped at her smooth skin, which only a moment earlier had been gravely injured.  It had somehow miraculously healed…the light had healed it.  She looked to the handsome raven-haired young man, who was looking just as surprised.

_Extraordinary…the light…it somehow healed her wound…_Lorne thought, and his eyes rose, and rested on the woman's.  She looked confused, alarmed, and afraid.  But he felt a small smile settle on his lips; perhaps he should give the fools who served him more credit.  They had found something that was obviously special.  

'This will do nicely…' he said softly, and released the woman's arm.  Unclasping the silver chain he wore around his neck, he pierced the top tip of the diamond shaped crystal and slipped it in the chain, refastened it and smiled at Darren.  The man stared at the crystal Lorne now wore as a pendent.  Remarkable…they had found something truly amazing, something that could heal wounds.  

Darren looked at his master, and slowly smiled back.  Yes, he had done well.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya stared out the window.  It was a terribly dull afternoon; the sky was a dark, depressing grey.  She sighed, resting her head against the cold glass.  Dark, gloomy and chilly, a perfect combination, she thought.  Her eyes moved to the clock on the wall.  It was almost five-thirty.  The sun would be setting soon anyway.  She closed her eyes, feeling tired.  Not much sleep again the previous night, but what else was new?  She let her mind wander, trying her best to relax.  

_The others will be coming soon…should just relax until then…some time to myself…_she thought, feeling herself drifting off slowly and deeply.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Irvine?'

Irvine looked up at the call of his name.  Rinoa stood, hands on her slender hips.  'Yeah?'

'Have you seen Vreya by any chance?'

'…Nope.'

Rinoa sighed.  Great…she really wanted and needed to talk to the girl.  She had meant to the previous day, but after the meal they'd had, that Sara had so deliciously cooked up, time had seemed to race on and before she'd realised the young people had made off for home.  

'I think I saw her go downstairs.' Quistis said, looking up from the magazine she was flipping through.  Rinoa nodded.

'Thanks…'

'You want to tell her your sorceress story?' Selphie asked, raising her head from where it rested on Irvine's shoulder.  She suppressed a small yawn.  Rinoa nodded, told them she was heading downstairs and disappeared through the door.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

There was light.  For the first time there was light, and she loved it.  It surrounded her, she felt as though she were up in the clouds.  Floating…drifting, with no worries, not a care in the world weighing down on her shoulders.

This is nice…I wanna be here…this is where I wanna be… 

A voice called out to her, and she smiled.  

_And this is who I wanna be with…_she thought happily, turning at the sound of the young man's voice.  She thought she recognised the voice…she had certainly heard it before.  It was smooth and gentle and cool.  But even if she didn't really know him, her dream self told her she did, and that she was happy he was here with her; he made her feel safe and secure.  She felt reassured at the sound of that voice.

'There you are.' He said, and she turned.  She watched as her dream self smiled a wider smile, and she walked forward, so light, feeling so free.

'I told you I'd be here…' she said.

'I knew you would be.' The voice said softly, and hands reached out and took a firm hold of her arms, drawing her close in an embrace.  Vreya smiled, wrapping her own arms around him contentedly, enjoying the time she had in his arms.  His embrace was so secure, so warm and loving.

She felt so light, so very free.  Loved, cherished, respected.  She closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest.  His arms snaked around her, resting against her lower back.  She hadn't felt this contented in a long time.  She was safe here…safe.  Nothing could get at her here, no pain, nothing.  She was safe.

'Safe?' the voice whispered.  It was so quiet and soft, right beside her ear, so seductive and wonderful it took a moment for her to realise something was wrong.  It wasn't the same voice…it wasn't his voice…or perhaps it had always been this voice, and she had chosen to ignore it.  

Vreya was no longer watching her dream self.  She had become her dream self.  She opened her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.  The voice…it was…it was not his voice…fear crept up inside her and whispers of alarm in her mind.  

She swallowed, and slowly pulled back, her eyes rising to the face of the person that held her, in dread.  Hoping she was wrong, that she was hearing things.

The amethyst eyes were intense, flecked with silver.  He was beautiful, so exotically so that she was dumbstruck.  She tried to speak but her voice betrayed her.  He stared back down at her, and a smile touched his divine lips.  She stared back, helpless, horrified.

'Safe?' he repeated, a hint of scorn in his dark velvety voice.  'You will never be safe.  That is your fate.'

Vreya blinked, finally realising that she had to get away.  She tried to pull back, but his hands were gripping her by the arms like an iron vice, making it impossible for her to move freely.  His hold was strong and firm, and she began to panic.  

Her perfect dream had just become a nightmare.  The light was gone.  It was darkness and blackness everywhere.

'There is no use struggling.' The voice told her.  'You cannot escape.  You cannot hide from me…'

She was shaken then, and pulled closer to him.  So close her body was pressed against his.  A gasp of fear escaped her lips, as she tried in vain to get him to let her go.  He had tricked her, masquerading as someone she cared about.

'Tell me your name.' He demanded.  'Tell me who you are!' 

'N…no!' Vreya managed to say, and she was shaken again.  

'Tell me who you are!' Strands of raven hair fell into his eyes, streaked over pale, youthful skin.

She shook her head, trying to thrash at him.  Then to her horror someone was saying her name, calling to her.  No, he would know her name!

'Vreya…Vreya!'

The amethyst eyes narrowed.  Vreya closed her own, trying to block him out.  'You cannot run forever…'

'Wake up!'

'You cannot hide from me…'

'Vreya!'

Vreya finally got control and opened her eyes.  Raven hair streaked across milky skin…she started, reeling away from the touch.  It took a moment to realise where she was, and that the person with raven-hair did not have strange purple eyes.  Rinoa was looking at her with concern.  She reached out, placing a hand on Vreya's shoulder.  

'Vreya…it's me, Rinoa.  Did you have a bad dream?  I was looking for you, and then I heard you crying out in your sleep…I'm sorry to wake you up, but you didn't look happy…'

Vreya drew in a breath.  No, she was glad Rinoa had woken her up.  She had just saved her in the nick of time.  

'No I…it's okay…'

'What did you dream about?' Rinoa asked, sitting beside her on the windowsill.  Vreya blinked, realising she must have fallen asleep by the window without realising.  It was raining outside, and much darker than it had been.

'I…don't know…' Vreya replied, rubbing at her eyes stressfully.  Didn't she deserve a break?  Rinoa watched the girl.  She looked very unhappy and troubled.  

_Well…I guess there's no better time than now…I hope she listens…_Rinoa thought, taking a deep breath.

'Bad dreams…I had those too.  I still do every now and again.'

Vreya looked at the girl.  'What do you mean?' 

'Okay…I want to talk to you about something…some pretty crazy things have been happening to you right?'

Vreya listened, growing curious.  What did the girl have to say about it?

'I think…maybe I know what's happening to you.  Why to you that is.  I think I know what you're going through.'

Vreya stared, confused.  

'Because…I think…it's the same thing I experienced, before I knew…' she broke off.  She had the girl's full attention.

Vreya felt dread and was not sure why.  She paused, before asking 'before you knew what?'

Rinoa took a deep breath, and turned to look at Vreya.  She reached out and rested a hand on Vreya's arm.

'Will you listen to what I have to say and promise not to freak out?'

'What are you talking about?' Vreya asked, feeling rather 'freaked out' already.  

'I think I know what's wrong with you.'

'Oh.' Vreya said, and then muttered.  'I know already.  I'm crazy.'

Rinoa shook her head, looking serious.  'No…no you're not…I'm going to tell you…just listen to me okay?  When I finish, you can tell me what you think.  Okay?'

Vreya looked at the girl, and said slowly 'Okay…okay, you probably do know more about all this magic stuff anyway…tell me what's wrong with me.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'According to this journal and much of legend, all realms are supposedly in possession of their own elemental spirits.  However, they are in dormant sleep, constantly, until the time of need when they will awaken and reveal themselves to man.'  Fleck announced, reading from a thick, old book.  

'Right…so we have our own elementals too?' Bo questioned.

'According to legend.'  Fleck nodded.

'So…why haven't they appeared yet?' Harris asked.  

'They come in the time of need.'  Morgan replied.

'I'd say there's no time like the present!' Locky commented.  

'Yeah, I must agree.  We would need them round about now.'  Tai agreed.

'Do they appear before or after all the magical barriers are lifted?' Rica asked.

'Doesn't say does it?  Those books are useless.'  Jez said flatly.

'Aw, c'mon Jez, you're too cynical.' Fleck told her.  'It does have some good information at times.'

'Hah.' Jez responded.  Bo shook his head.

'So those kids all have their own.'

'They do?' Harris asked.

'Yeah, Zell told me.' Bo nodded.  'But they said they used to have a really strong one that they lost, which is bad.'

'Why don't we ask them show us these Guardian forces?' Rica asked.

'Squall told me his GF's told him they couldn't appear yet.'  Tai replied.

'That means not all the seals are broken.' Morgan stated.

'But Zane and Vreya saw magic being used.' Locky exclaimed.  'It doesn't make sense.'

'No, it doesn't.' Tai agreed.

'I believe that Earth will only allow elementals from other realms to appear after she has awoken her own.' Morgan put in.

'And how do we get these elementals?  How many are there?' Rica asked.

'Well fire, earth, wind, water, ice and lightening and holy light are the main ones I would think.  That's what it says here.  But there's nothing specific.'  Fleck said, resting his chin in his hand.  Jez sighed.  

'Only six?  One of each or what?' Harris asked.

'It doesn't say, but I should think so.  I mean, Squall and the others only have one of each element with them…well no; they have two fire ones actually.  But it does say that there three legendary guardians that are supposed to protect our realm.'

'The daddy guardians-which elements are they?' Bo asked. Leaning over to look at the page Fleck was reading from.

'They don't have any element.  There is one other that doesn't have an element, but it says here that one just 'silences the use of magic.'  Whatever that means…' Fleck replied.

'So what about the three?' Locky asked.  The topic was certainly interesting whether it was true or not.

'It doesn't mention names…just that one has the power of rebirth, the other is a legendary beast that will only junction to a worthy warrior, and the third is the most powerful of them all and has the ability to…'

'What?' Harris asked, leaning forward.

'Uh…it doesn't say…it's kind of smudged off here…damn it…but it says at the end he's a protector of Earth's secret.'

'Earth's secret?' Tai repeated.  'What do you suppose that means?'

'I have a theory.' Morgan announced.  They looked to him.  'I believe that this final guardian protects the very same knowledge that the Threat seeks.'

'The scripture thing?' Harris asked.  'Really?'

'That sounds likely.  What other secrets does Earth have that she wouldn't want us to know about?' Tai remarked.

'So we have to get a hold of him.  At least we know he's a he.' Bo said.  'But how do we get the others?'

'From what Squall said, he and the others had to either fight or draw their guardians.'  Fleck replied.

'Fight the guardians?' Jez said.  'That's ridiculous.'

'Apparently not-some have to be won over…you have to prove your worth.  Some join willingly, and if you draw one being held by an enemy they automatically repay the debt by junctioning to you.' Fleck said.

'Draw?  What does that mean?' Locky asked.

'It means just as it sounds…you extract the elemental from an enemy.' Morgan replied.

'I guess the other kids can teach our lot how to do that…' Rica said.  

'But what if they're too strong and they have to fight them?' Jez exclaimed.  

'Oh, Squall said they nearly died acquiring this legendary guardian when they had to fight him.  It was a huge dragon which controls blue flame and can overcome enemy defences.' Locky said.

'Uh…and that's good news?' Harris asked.  'If the most powerful one is guarding the secret thing, then it's likely they'll have to prove their worth.'

'Indeed.' Morgan agreed.

'Not good…' Bo said.  'Do they have to fight all the big ones?'

'No…it's not specific like I said, but it does outline the idea that one of the three can't be junctioned at all.  Or summoned…no, in fact it is specific…all three can't be summoned.  They appear at will and junction to whom they please.' Fleck frowned.

'Stuck up guardians.  Great.' Bo commented.

'It says…one of them…won't come at all…only at the ending, to give a new life to one lost.'  Fleck said.

'I am confused.' Harris said.

'No…it is quite simple.' Morgan replied. 'I believe that one of the guardians is the legendary bird which appears once every five hundred years, setting fire to the ashes from which it will rise again.'

'That'd be…the legend of the phoenix…' Tai said slowly.  Morgan nodded.

'You think the phoenix is really real?' Rica asked, looking doubtful.  

'Why not?' Bo spoke up.  'All this magic and guardian stuff, the phoenix being real doesn't sound so crazy to me.'  

'But it's a bird out of Arabian legend…' Rica said, looking to Bo.  

'Well, the Arabs are obviously smarter than we are.' Fleck said.  'Morgan, you're right.  What else has the power of rebirth?  But I don't get it…why would it come at the end?  What end does it refer to?'

'No one can know the answer to that.' Morgan replied.  'But I suspect it will appear only when it is absolutely needed.  It is a creature of extraordinary beauty according to legend, and so I suspect it is vain, and will only make itself known to us in a spectacular fashion and when we need it the most.'

'But how do we know its been five hundred years?' Jez questioned.

'…' Locky said slowly 'because…the Threat was expelled from Earth…approximately five hundred years back…'

'Oh that's convenient!' Bo grinned.  'Good old Phoenix bird.  It'd be amazing to see it.'

'Considering I am right in my thoughts and that it really does exist.' Morgan reminded him not to be too sure.

Bo laughed.  'I am pretty sure that you're right; you're the brains around here after all.  But forget the guardians, we should try and locate the elementals first right?  That should be easier.'

'I don't know…I feel like this could take even longer than it took to find all the Chosen kids…' Fleck said doubtfully, and a thoughtful silence, and an air of doubt followed his words.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya stared at Rinoa, mouth open slightly, in a state of disbelief.  Rinoa had just about told her everything she knew about what could be wrong with her.  

The raven-haired young woman looked to Vreya.  The girl looked shocked, and rather alarmed at what she had been told.  She had been quiet most of the way through, with the occasional questions.  But she hadn't freaked out, as Rinoa had feared; Rinoa hoped she hadn't spoken too soon.

'Vreya?  You okay?'

Vreya closed her mouth, and then opened it again.  Words failed her, and she closed it again.  On the second attempt she managed to speak.

'You think…I'm like you?'

'I think so.  We've both had similar feelings right?  You don't know how to use magic, and you still did right?'

_Oh my God…Krysta? _Vreya called to the ice-spirit.

_Well?  Does this not sound like logic to you?_ Krysta replied.  

_I don't know…it's scary…aren't sorceresses…bad?  I…how can such a thing exist? _Vreya thought, afraid.

Rinoa seemed to know what she was thinking.  'Vreya…sorceresses aren't bad.  I've accepted that I'm one, and your power can be used for good.  As long as you have a knight, you'll be fine.  Your spirit is guarded from the darker side of the powers.'

For a moment Vreya thought of amethyst eyes and raven dark hair.  

_The darker side…_

She shook off the thought and said

'But I don't have a knight.  I don't even have a boyfriend who would agree to be one.' 

Rinoa shook her head.  'He doesn't need to be your boyfriend.  Squall and mine's relationship is…well, a special case.  As long as he's roughly about your age and is a good fighter.  I talked to Fleck about what I thought…'

'Who else knows?' Vreya asked.  

'Well, the grown-ups…and Ash, and Zane.'

_Ash knows…and…Zane knows?  _Vreya bit her lower lip anxiously.  She was taking this awfully calmly.  It surprised her.  Maybe something like this seemed normal after what she had seen a few days back.  

'And they agreed that it's likely you're a sorceress.'

'Did they?' Vreya asked weakly.  It was good to know she was the last person to know what was going on.

Rinoa saw the look on Vreya's face.  She reached out and took the girl's hand, comfortingly.  'You don't have to be afraid Vreya.  There's nothing wrong with you.  You're going to be a great help.  You can't get depressed over it…you gotta believe in yourself, and accept it.'

'Maybe it's easy for you to say Rinoa…' Vreya replied.  'You've been around magic your entire life…in this world magic doesn't exist.  I've spent seventeen years thinking that was a fact.  Then to suddenly know that everything you've been told about most things is a lie…it…it gets to you and you start to question everything else, and what's really important and what isn't.'

Rinoa nodded.  'I do understand Vreya.  Even if magic does exist where I come from, I only began to use it when I met Squall and the others.  They showed me how to caste spells.  It was still a shock for me too.  I used to think maybe I was evil too, but I know it's not the case now.  You're only evil if you don't have a knight because you can become possessed by evil.'

The thought of becoming possessed was frightening.  Vreya still didn't really understand what it meant to be a sorceress.

'But aren't sorceresses like…witches?'  She didn't want to be branded a witch.  People used to burn women they thought were witches at the stake.

'No…witches aren't the same.  There is a difference: from what someone told me, witches only have specific powers, and need to recite spells in order for them to work.  Sorceresses can call upon magic at will, and have many abilities.'

Vreya considered.  Well, it was probably better being a sorceress then, if not for the danger of being evil.  She shook her head and laughed a little at the situation.

'I…this is kind of crazy.  Things are happening so fast…'

Rinoa smiled sympathetically.  'It's okay to feel scared at first.  But as soon as you get a knight, it'll be okay.'

'And just who is good enough to be a knight?' Vreya asked.  'You're lucky.  I bet Squall is so perfect.  He sure looks the part.'

Rinoa smiled.  'Squall is great…but you know…you do have an option…'

Vreya detected the sly tone in her voice, and regarded her.  'What's that?'

'Well…I think…and so do the grown ups…that…Zane is pretty tough from what I've heard…'

Vreya stared at Rinoa, and frowned a little.  As the idea registered, she burst into slightly hysterical, but genuine laughter.  Rinoa gave her a look.

'The fact that the person has to be willing rules Zane out.  He's only willing to be in a bad mood all the time.'

'Fleck did ask him.'

'What did he say?' Vreya asked, knowing very well what the answer was.

'Zane wasn't too happy.' Rinoa admitted.  Vreya sighed, but Rinoa said: 'don't give up on him though…I'm sure that he'll do it when he realises there's no one better for the job.'

Vreya shook her head.  'You don't know him.'

'Well…how well do you know him?' Rinoa asked back.

'Good point, but I really don't think so.  He…hates me.  Just like he hates everyone else.'

Rinoa replied 'I always used to think Squall hated me.  You know, he was very much like Zane before he finally changed.'

'What changed him?' Vreya asked.

'Well, I did.' Rinoa replied.  'I never gave up on him.  I knew how alone he felt in that shell of his…he was always scared to get close to people, but I never gave up.  We had a lot of arguments and I was always annoying him, but I got him to talk and eventually I knew I'd succeeded.'

'How?' 

'…Want to know?  He jumped out after me when I was floating in space.'

Vreya stared at her.  'What?  You've been in space?'

'Yeah…our space…I was lost in space and he put on a space suit and rescued me.  I was low on oxygen and so was he, but we made it back to Ragnarok thanks to him.'

'Ragnarok?' Vreya repeated.

'Oh.  Our shuttle at home…it's like a plane.'

Vreya couldn't believe it.  She didn't know how Rinoa could have ended up lost in space, but the fact that Squall had actually jumped out after her to rescue her even when he had known he was low on oxygen…it was wonderful.

'Oh.' Vreya sighed.  'That is so romantic…'

Rinoa giggled.  'Yeah.  And the funny thing was he was like all 'whatever' after it.  I was like so amazed he was mad enough to do it, but he was like 'I did what I had to do'.  I'll never forget that.'

'Well, he's really cute.' Vreya replied.  Rinoa thanked her.

'My point is, don't give up on Zane before you even know him.  He might change over time, just don't judge him.  He's probably been judged his entire life, before people really know him at all.'

Vreya was silent.  He had danced with her, saved her life twice and argued with her more times than she cared to remember.

Though Rinoa was trying to do her best to reassure her, Vreya doubted Squall had been as difficult as Zane.  The guy never even cracked a smile.

Rinoa watched Vreya.  'You like him don't you?'

'…' Vreya hesitated. 'No, not in that way…I mean, I'd like to get to know him as a friend.  I just…' she caught the smile on Rinoa's face and said indignantly 'No, I don't like him!  He's…obnoxious and I was fooled at the dance…'

'You've gotten him to dance?' Rinoa exclaimed.  'Perfect!  You know our situations are so alike I'm thinking you're me in this world and I'm you in my world!'

'What?' Vreya said, puzzled.

'That's how Squall and I hit it off…I got him to dance with me.  He was really rude and tried to make me go away but I got him to dance.  We met the next day when he was given his first contract with me as his client…'

'What does he work as?'

'He's a mercenary.  But a good one.' Rinoa smiled.  'He's a SeeD, which is basically a Special Forces unit that go around the world and help people out.'

Vreya nodded.  'Well, I guess I'm going to have to wait a while before I get a knight.  Can't I just choose anyone?'

'I don't recommend it.  I mean…you have to be able to communicate on the same level.' 

That's definitely ruled Zane out…the only time we communicate on the same level is when we're arguing…Vreya thought.  There was no way he'd agree to be her personal bodyguard.  He'd say 'I'm no babysitter.' 

I believe you are mistaken.  Think back to yesterday.  Krysta whispered.

'What?' Vreya asked out loud before she knew it.  Rinoa thought she was talking to her.

'Oh I mean…' she began, not aware that Vreya was busy listening to Krysta.

What do you mean Krysta?  Vreya asked.

You have the ability to make people listen.  Krysta replied.  That was all she said.  Vreya sighed.  Did the woman always have to speak in riddles?

'Vreya?' Rinoa was looking at her strangely.  Vreya realised her mistake.

'Oh…sorry, I wasn't talking to you…'

Rinoa stared at her.

Vreya realised how she sounded, and laughed a little.  Oh of course, she still needed to tell them about Krysta.

'I was talking to Krysta.'

'Who?'

'Umm, I was going to tell the others today…when I ran out of here a few days back…something crazy happened to me…' Vreya replied.

She could feel Krysta's disapproval at being classed as part of something 'crazy'.  Vreya apologised, and went on:

'I met an ice-spirit…she talked me back into being calm…and she said she'd help me whenever I needed her.  She talks to me in my head and…Rinoa?  Do you think I'm crazy?'

Rinoa was staring at her, a look of surprise on her beautiful face.  'You've already got a GF?'

'A what?'

'A guardian force, and you never told us?  An ice-spirit?  She junctioned herself to you?'

'Yeah…something like that…' Vreya frowned.  What was the big deal?

'Oh that's great!  She's like Shiva then…can you call her out?' Rinoa asked excitedly.  'I didn't know you had them here too!'

I will not come.  Krysta warned Vreya.  Vreya shook her head at Rinoa.

'She doesn't want to come out now.'

Rinoa blinked.  'Oh…maybe she can't…hey, but you still have to tell everyone else!  Come on!' She grabbed hold of Vreya's hand and pulled her up, and the two left the room together.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

When the two girls arrived at the training room, everyone else was already there.  Lila called out to her.

'Hey, where were you?'

'Yeah, you've missed a bit of this really interesting talk on guardian forces…' Sara said sarcastically.  

'Sara here doesn't think they're real…' Roxy exclaimed.  'Zell's been trying to convince her.'

'It's too bad I can't summon Quezacotl!' Zell said.  

'Oh please.  That pigeon or whatever is all in your mind.' Sara told him. 

Do not summon me in her presence.  Quezacotl informed Zell.  She insults me.

Aw, she doesn't understand Quezi…you're not going to zap her to fry her are you?  Zell asked.

Quezacotl did not reply.  But being referred to as a common pigeon vexed the mighty thunder spirit excessively.  

Fleck was talking on, and asking questions on the way, which were mainly being answered by Squall, Quistis and an enthusiastic Selphie.  Rinoa walked forward just as Fleck got to ask Squall about how to find guardian forces. 

'Excuse me…Fleck…' she said excitedly.  'I've got something to tell you…'

Squall gave Rinoa a look.

What's up Rinoa?

Squall…Vreya has an ice-spirit already junctioned to her…she says she met her a few days back.  Rinoa replied mentally.  She sensed his surprise.

Did you tell her about her being a sorceress?

Yeah…she's gonna be okay…you can persuade Zane to be her knight…Rinoa said in amusement, and he shook his head in response.

Yeah right…whatever…

'Yeah?' Fleck asked, and Rinoa spoke up.  She'd caught most people's attention.

'Vreya already has an ice-spirit junctioned to her!'

Fleck blinked.  'What?'

'You're kidding…' Locky exclaimed.  

'No, I'm serious!  Ask her!  She's had it for the past few days!  She told me that it appeared to her and helped calm her down.'

'Why has she not told us of this?' Morgan asked.

'She's had a lot on her mind…' Rinoa defended Vreya.  At that moment the girl herself walked up to the crowd that stood around the adults.  

'Vreya…' Fleck said 'Is this true?'

'Ummm…yeah…I'm sorry I never told you earlier…'

'Wow…are you sure you weren't imagining it?' Harris asked.

Vreya put her hands on her hips.  'I'm not crazy.'

'Okay…' Harris held up his hands.  'No offence, but you were emotionally charged up.' 

Zane stood, arms folded, leaning back against the wall, just behind the adults.  He'd heard everything up to this point, and now looked to Vreya, curiously.  He wondered if Rinoa had told her about the chances of her being a sorceress.

'What's going on?' Costa asked, joining the group.

'Vreya's got an elemental junctioned to her.' Selphie replied, looking very happy about it.

'Oh very funny…' Lila said, joining also.  Vreya looked to her, surprised.

'Lila…it's true…she's in my head.'

'Okay, now you do sound crazy…' Costa said.  Ash and Sara had also gathered around.

'What's crazy?' Sara asked.

'Vreya says she's got a guardian force.' Lila replied.

Sara rolled her eyes.  'Oh right.  So did you just wake up one day and start to hear voices in your head?'

Vreya frowned.  Why didn't they believe it?

'Sara…' Ash shot her a look.  'If Vreya says she's met one then I believe her and so should you.'

Oh you would, lover boy…Zane thought in disgust.  

Lila gave Ash a strange look.  'Are you serious?'

'It's true…' Vreya insisted.

'So…can we see it?' Jez asked her charge, looking very doubtful.

'Ummm…'

Morgan added 'I should hope that if it appeared to you it can appear to us…'

'It's true…I really did meet her…she came to me…her name's Krysta and she…'

A voice interrupted.  'Prove it.'

Vreya turned her head, to look at the person who had spoken.  Zane stood, eyes on her, arms folded, challenging her to prove herself.

Costa looked back at Vreya.  'For once I agree with what he's saying…show us.'

Vreya frowned.  Prove it?  But what if Krysta didn't want to come?

'Are you sure Vreya?' Bo asked her.  'Sure it was an elemental?'

'What's your problem?  She froze up the entire room with ice…' Vreya exclaimed.

Squall was seeing that the girl was having a hard time, and consulted his own ice-spirit.

Shiva…

Yes Squall.  I know what you would say.  She does not lie.  I sense a likeness to my own.  

Squall nodded.  'She does have a spirit junctioned to her.' He told Tai.

'Huh?'

'My own one just confirmed it.'

'Well…you know, it'd help if we could see it for ourselves…some of us are still doubtful about all this…' Harris said.

'Come on, if she's really there, show us!' Sara said.  Vreya shook her head.

'I'll try, but she might not come.'

'She's a shy spirit?' Lila raised a brow.

'Knock it off.' Rinoa said.  'Just let her concentrate!'

Vreya was thankful, and focused.

Krysta…Vreya called to the ice-spirit.  There was no response.  She tried again, and silence met her again.

'Well?' Sara sang.

'She's not answering…'

'She got stage fright…' Costa sniggered.

Vreya was angry with Krysta and on her behalf.  She had seen the spirit in all her glory.  Why did she not come?

Krysta!  Please talk to me…

Silence.

Vreya tried again, and again.  Finally as she was going to give in, the familiar voice rang in her mind.

You are persistent.  Apply this quality when trying to obtain a knight.

Vreya smiled.  Lila saw the smile on her face and wondered what she was grinning about.

Please, they want to see you.  Vreya told her.

They are insolent.  Krysta responded.

I know…but they'll change when they see you.  

I am not for display.  Krysta said haughtily.

Vreya pleaded with her.  Please…just this once…they don't believe me.

Foolish.

Please…prove them wrong.

There was a silence, and as Vreya tried to communicate again, she realised that Krysta had gone once more.  Vreya cursed.  It wasn't fair.  They would never believe it until they saw it.  Fleck and the others were looking disappointed.

Zane looked away, smirking a little.  So much for her proving it…but even as he thought this, he felt the cold against his cheek, and he frowned. 

'Do not underestimate the power of the elements…' a voice whispered, and everyone heard it.  It was impossible not to hear.  It was as cool and clear as running water.  Vreya looked about and joy filled her as she saw small tendrils of mist begin to form about the room.  

'What the hell…' Locky began.  The room had suddenly become colder, much colder.  Then to everyone's amazement icicles began to materialise before everyone's eyes, as if by magic.  Blue shimmering light, as soft as fairy dust, materialised, and swirled strangely.

Zane started, moving away from the wall, watching in disbelief, as a light sheet of sparkling frost covered the entire room, climbing up the walls, covering the floor. 

The blue shimmering light danced around, and then without warning it dived down to the floor, and exploded into shimmering blue crystal dust.

Various people cried out, expressing surprise and alarm.

'What the hell is it?' Costa exclaimed.  They were all looking awe-struck; all except for those who knew what guardian forces were and had known their presence.  

The cold mist cleared, and there she stood, in all her magnificence and beauty.  With all her grace and elegance.  Vreya smiled relieved.  She allowed herself the satisfaction of seeing everyone else's stunned expressions.  

'Oh…Lord…' Sara breathed.  The woman was beautiful, lovely, and yet so strange.  Ash gaped, and Lila was staring, gob smacked.

Rinoa smiled at Vreya, who smiled back.

'So it is true…' Morgan whispered.  'The legend is reality.'

Krysta stood, haughtily, hands on her slender hips.  Irvine whistled.  She was as beautiful as Shiva.  

'Wow…' Roxy exclaimed.  'She is so pretty…'

'So, is that enough proof for you?' Vreya asked, looking to Zane, who was staring at Krysta.  He looked…awe-struck.  No different to anyone else.  

Zane blinked, as he realised that not only was Vreya looking his way, but her new friend was too.  The woman with the pale blue skin and gloriously long braided hair was looking at him also.  A small smile was on her lips.  Zane couldn't look at such exotic beauty and keep a straight face.  So he looked at Vreya, and made sure she saw his exasperation.

'Big deal.'

Vreya's eyes widened, and she was about to reply when she heard a soft laugh.  Krysta was looking at Zane, and laughing at him.  Zane looked very uncomfortable at this.  

'Silly little boy.' She said softly, her voice lovely and smooth and as light as a fresh winter breeze.  

Zane wasn't sure how to respond to an ice-spirit.  Something told him however, not to be rude.

'How much longer will you fool yourself?' she enquired.  Vreya stared at the ice-spirit, confused.  What was she talking about?  Everyone was looking from Krysta to Zane in confusion.  

Zane was shocked to hear the voice inside his head. 

I can see your mind child.  I see all that you fear and all that you desire…

What the hell are you…how are you talking to me?  Zane asked, outraged.  Get out of my mind!

Vreya looked to Krysta, and then to Zane.  From the look on his face, she realised that Krysta was probably speaking to him now.  

She tried to call out to the ice-elemental, to ask her to leave him alone, but somehow the connection was blocked.  

Hold your insolence!  Your time will come.  Look to your true self boy.  Look to your heart.  It is not so frozen, as you would like.  Look to your heart and make your choice.  The voice told him.

Zane was confused.  Her words puzzled him.  But he felt something snap before he could ask her what she meant, and he knew that she would no longer address him in his mind. 

Krysta turned to the others.  Tilting her head back slightly, she looked to Morgan.

'You have a question.'

Morgan nodded.  'If it is true, that there are others like you, how can we find them?'

'Many of them will find you.  Some you will have to face.'

'How come you're already here?' Fleck asked.

Krysta gracefully gestured to Vreya.  'I will protect this girl.  I have made my choice.'

'Sorry to have doubted you…you're really real…' Locky exclaimed.

Krysta's eyes narrowed.  'There will be others.  Do not underestimate the power of the elements.'  She stepped back, as if she were about to leave.  

'Wait…' Rica said 'What about the guardians?  The three guardians…how do we find them?'

'One shall come to he worthy of his service.  One shall come when all hope fails.  And one…' her eyes moved to Vreya briefly, before lowering.

'One awaits you…'

Vreya frowned.  There was a confused silence, before Krysta looked back up. 

'I take my leave now.  Call me when in need.' She told Vreya, who nodded.

'Thank you…'

'Wait…do you know if…' Fleck began, wondering if she could help answer the many questions they all had, but the woman was dematerialising even as she spoke.

'I will speak no more…trust to the heart.'

A moment later she had dematerialised completely and all that remained were shimmering soft shards of ice falling slowly to the ground where she had stood.  As soon as she had gone, the frost that had covered the room faded before disappearing also, leaving nothing but cold air in its wake.

**Angelheart's end of chapter ramble:**

Well, a good place to stop.  Some things won't make sense now, but they will later, I promise.  Okay, I'm gonna add a few more surprises here and there, to make up for the lack of events in the last few chapters.  Things all build up on each other right?  Anyway, read and review and I'll be back ASAP.  Thanks.  


	29. Toil And Trouble

Thank you for the reviews.  I finally got over the writer's block and give you this chapter-enjoy!

Chapter XXIX: Toil And Trouble 

The girl was grinning maliciously; taking pleasure from what she was about to witness.  The dream was always the same and he could never change it.  It always turned into a nightmare.  

He spoke her name, not liking what he saw in her dark eyes.  Eyes that were tinged red.  He reached out, trying to push her away.  Didn't she realise the danger she was in?

'Get away!' he yelled, and then it happened, what always happened.  The nightmare always felt increasingly more real every time he witnessed it, which was in most nights.

She merely smiled sweetly the face of an angel, on a possessed demon.  Raven hair streaked across her pale face.  A strong hand gripped onto his shoulder, an iron-like grip.  It tightened painfully, and he was turned around quickly and roughly.  No sooner had his eyes raised to meet with strange purple ones, pain exploded in his body, as he felt a sharp sword impale him.

No-I've failed her…again… 

The girl in blue was laughing behind him, and he could hear screaming.  The eyes were cold and cruel, and a sneer touched the stranger's face.  Death and pain…there were no such things as hope and glory.  It was all a story to deceive people.  No such thing as hope or happiness.

No such thing as love…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Rinoa stretched her arms out.  The dawning of a new day-she looked about to see that Quistis was up already, and, from the look on Selphie's face, the Instructor had probably beaten her to the bathroom again.  Rinoa smiled.  She normally needed to be yelled at to wake up, but strangely, in this world, she was always up relatively bright and early.

'Damn.' Selphie complained.  'Quisty beat me to it again.  She could just call on Levi you know.'

Rinoa giggled.  Zell was still sprawled on the floor, and so were Irvine and Seifer.  Rinoa noticed Squall was already up, a neat pile of blankets arranged in his area of the room.  

'Where's Squall?' she asked, looking to the pouting Selphie.

'Oh, he's gone to help Fleck with something.  Be back soon…oooooh, Quisty hurry up!' 

Rinoa huffed.  She was going last again.  

_Maybe I should as Squall to wake me up early…_she thought to herself.  Her eyes trailed along the floor idly, stopping at Seifer.  She stared at him for a moment.  How peaceful he looked sleeping.  A twinge of wistfulness filled her.  Memories of over a year back, when she had first met him.

'We're gonna liberate Timber together Rin.  Those assholes won't know what hit 'em' 'Yeah!  That's it!  We'll show them won't we!  We can do this!' 

Fragments of one of the last real conversations they'd had floated around in her mind, reminding her of happier times.

Rinoa gazed at him sadly.  Instead of helping her like he promised, he had worked in line with an evil sorceress in an attempt to not only wipe out Timber, but the world.  She felt partly responsible for Seifer's actions.  Unlike Squall and the others, she couldn't hate him with all of her heart, despite the fact he had almost killed her by sacrificing her to Adel.  

After all, Seifer had broken out of Balamb Garden and gone to Timber's TV station to try and help her resistance group, the Forest Owls.  He had done it for her.  He had been furious to learn that only three 'rookie' SeeDs had been dispatched to liberate Timber, and that he hadn't been one of them.  She knew very well why he'd done it.  Perhaps things would have turned out fine if Zell hadn't let slip the fact they were all from Garden.  Perhaps then Seifer wouldn't have had to go on the run.  But he had, and the sorceress had taken advantage of his desperate situation, and manipulated him.  Rinoa was by no means making excuses for Seifer-he had gone with the sorceress of his own free will.  He had done many bad things, many inexcusable things, but he had been very much influenced.  It could have worked out differently.  So many things could have worked out differently.

They could have liberated Timber together.  Rinoa was pretty sure she had had feelings for Seifer.  Maybe she did still have a soft spot for him.  Maybe that was why she was thinking about it now, so wistfully.  The smart, confident Seifer she had known was completely different to the Seifer she saw when he was with his fellow students.  He'd been different to her.  He had been fun and exciting to be with.  She had been pretty sure she was in love, and it had seemed obvious Seifer enjoyed her company, but he'd never taken the step of actually asking her out.  She had been much to shy to ask him of his feelings.  In the end it had been Squall and his friends who had helped to liberate Timber.  

_Squall…I wouldn't have it any other way.  I'm glad I found him…_she thought, finally looking away from Seifer and scolding herself for thinking too deeply about the past and what could have been.  What had been done had been done and could not be undone.  Seifer's was a sad case, and she wished it had worked out differently between them.  On the other hand if it had she would not have had Squall now.  She decided not to think about it anymore.  She just wished that Seifer too could find the inner peace she had. 

Her eyes trailed along further, resting on the lone figure that slept in the corner of the room.  Zane had stayed over for the night too, as a result of not being bothered to go home.  The others had all left pretty late last night.  Rinoa worried a little for them.  They had parents, unlike most of her group, parents who cared and worried for them.  How much longer could they keep up the act?

She noticed that Zane was frowning, as if he were having a nightmare.  Rinoa felt bad.  It couldn't be…the same vision she kept having.  The terrible one where she would help to kill a boy, a boy who she dearly hoped wasn't the one she was looking at now.  But from her memory, she could only vaguely recall that his name had sounded familiar when she had first heard it, and there was something about that face that was strangely familiar.

Selphie was looking at him too.  She glanced at Rinoa, a smile on her face.

'Hey Rin, don't you think that guy and Vreya are like how Squall and you were?'

Rinoa nodded, smiling back.  'Yeah.'

'He likes her.  I bet he does.  Guys are sooo like that.'

'So like that?' Rinoa repeated.  

'Yah!  Y'know…fighting with a girl they think is seriously cute!'

'Oh…' Rinoa smiled.  'Well that's not always the case…'

'Yeah, but duh!  Don't you see how he looks at her?'

'…' Rinoa realised Selphie was on another one of her 'cases'.  Just like she had been with her and Squall.  Selphie loved to gossip about potential relationships.  She was never giving Zell a break about why he didn't ask 'pig-tail girl' out.

'It's tough, he hides it well, but if you look reeeeeaaaaallly closely…' Selphie said, pointing to an invisible spot in the air in front of her and squinting with one eye.

Rinoa covered her mouth with a hand and giggled.  Selphie was so funny.

'What?' Selphie's green eyes widened at Rinoa.  'Tell!'

'N…nothing Selphie…it's just…he may not like her…I mean…I think he does too, but he could not…'

'No way-Vreya is hot!  Even Quisty thinks so.  I'm telling you those two are diggin' on each other!  She's a sorceress like you too, so she'll just work her magic and she'll have him smiling in no time!'

'I don't know…Zane seems worse than Squall was…' Rinoa replied.

'No way!  You didn't really know the really moody Squall.  Oh boy, are you lucky!' Selphie pulled a face.

Rinoa smiled in response.  Selphie added 'But Squall never frowned in his sleep.'

Rinoa got up, and carefully padded over to the boy.  She guessed he had school, and it was nearly after seven-thirty.  Time to wake him up.

'Rin! What you doing?' Selphie hissed.

'Waking him up-he's got school right?'

'Uh…I think you should let one of the guys wake him up…' Selphie whispered back loudly.  Rinoa shook her head.  Zane wasn't going to eat her.  She leant down, and shook him a lightly.

'Hey…wake up…'

The boy didn't respond, apparently in an even deeper sleep than Rinoa had thought.  She shook him harder.

'Hey Zane!  Wake up…Zane…'

He finally stirred, and at another call of his name, his eyes opened slowly.  Deep green depths peered up at her, groggily.

'I thought I'd wake you up…you have school today right?' Rinoa asked.  

Zane blinked, eyes finally focusing on the girl that leant over him, the girl who had woken him up from his nightmare.  He realised who it was, still not fully back to reality, and his eyes widened, and he sat up quickly, almost too quickly, jerking away from her touch, feeling slightly dizzy as a result of getting up too fast.  

Rinoa snatched her hand back, frowning a little.  What was wrong with him?  He was looking at her with a- _scared_ expression on his face, a strange distrustful look.  

_It's her…God, it's her, it's definitely the same girl…_he thought, heart pounding.  The raven-hair, the beautiful, angelic face- yes, Rinoa was the girl who helped kill him in his dream, and he was not happy with the fact at all.  He certainly didn't want anything to do with her.

'D-don't touch me…' he managed to say, and stood up.  Rinoa got up too, confused, a little hurt by his reaction.

'What's wrong?' she asked him, trying to read his eyes.  But his eyes were not open to her as Squall's, nor did he seem to be willing to let his guard down for a moment.  Rinoa felt pity for him.  How terrible it was to have to keep your defences up from the moment you opened your eyes in the morning, to the moment you closed them at night.  How terribly sad and exhausting…how lonely and straining that must be.  

He shook his head, backed away awkwardly, and then left the room hurriedly.  Selphie stared after him, gaping.  She looked back to Rinoa, bright green eyes wide.

'What's with him?' she asked, but Rinoa didn't reply.  She stared at where he had exited the room, and felt worried.  Worried about him, about why he would look at her in that way.  Worried about herself, and her dream of him, and worried of what she was capable of doing under the wrong influences.  

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya rounded the corner, holding her class notes and books tightly against her chest.  She didn't usually walk with her eyes lowered, and paid for it as a result.  She collided into someone, dropping everything she was holding.  She cursed at herself for being so clumsy.

_For goodness sake, wake up…_a voice snapped at her-Krysta.

As Vreya knelt down to gather her things a pair of hands reached down and scooped up a few of her papers.  Vreya turned her face up to thank the person gratefully, and froze.  Heaven stood over her, an unreadable look on her face.  Vreya finished collecting her things, and got back to her feet, cautiously. 

Heaven stared back at her, noting unhappily to herself that the girl looked pretty well groomed for one who was supposed to be mourning.  

Vreya swallowed.  She didn't need any bother now.  She said monotonously 'Give me back my papers.'

'What's the matter Vreya?' the girl asked, pulling a mock innocent look 'you're usually so polite. Not even a thank you for helping Heaven?  Not even a please?  Aw.  That is tragic…'

Vreya stared at her.  The little…witch…she gritted her teeth together, waiting.  Heaven never helped her out…she wanted something.

'Oh well.' Heaven sighed.  'Guess it's my fault…'

'What do you want?' Vreya said, trying to control her voice.  Where were the girl's two little sidekicks?  

'Want?  Oh…well…I heard about your cousin actually.'

Vreya stared.

'It's terribly sad…' Heaven sighed, sounding so convincing that Vreya actually believed the girl was offering her condolences.

'…'

'Katrina was a nice girl from what I heard.  Popular at school?' Heaven looked up at Vreya.  'It's quite sad…'

'…Thank…' Vreya was about to thank her, when the girl's sorry look was replaced by a cruel smile.  Vreya's words caught in her throat, as Heaven dropped her act and said nastily

'Obviously not a loser like you…it is sad you know.  Those who are missed die, and those who the world couldn't give a toss about hang around like fleas.  But then again I couldn't blame her…she obviously couldn't take having such a loser for a cousin and decided to end it all.  You should do a smart thing for a change and follow her example.  Your mother wouldn't miss shit like you.  The less of you there are the better for everyone.  Oh, here are your papers…' she added, smirking, and throwing them up into the air.  Vreya's mouth dropped open, and rage filled her.

_Vreya…_Krysta warned, but Heaven had struck at Vreya's core, and the young girl wasn't about to let her get away with it.  Suddenly she didn't care about causing trouble or getting detention.  It didn't matter anyway.  Nothing mattered.  As Heaven began to walk off, celebrating her little victory, Vreya gathered her papers quickly.  A girl from one of her classes greeted her, and Vreya stuffed her things into the girl's arms.

'Hold that.' She instructed, in such an authoritative tone the girl complied.

Vreya walked after Heaven, and on reaching her, she grabbed the girl's shoulder and turned her round roughly.  Heaven was surprised that someone should grab her, and looked even more surprised at seeing who it was.  She was rather taller than Vreya, but it didn't matter at all to the brunette.  It was time to give the bully a piece of her mind.  No one insulted her so badly and got away with it. 

'You bitch!' Vreya yelled at her, hurt that she had no respect for the fact that Vreya had lost a loved one.

'…' Heaven looked at her in disbelief.  Her eyes narrowed quickly.  'What did you call me?'

'Bitch!  You stupid insignificant insensitive…what do you get out of being so mean?'

Vreya's ranting had attracted some attention.  People were stopping and watching as two of the most popular girls in the school let it loose.  

Vreya poked the girl in her arm, as hard as she could.  'You think you're so great don't you?!  You think you're all that matters…that people will just let you walk all over them!  Well I won't!  I've had enough of you!'

Heaven couldn't believe what she was hearing.  'Fuck you bitch.  You better shut up or you'll regret it!'

'No!  You think you matter?  You think your stupid little insults matter to me?  They're nothing!  You're nothing!  You're insignificant, and if **you** go missing, the world really wouldn't care!  Because you don't matter…and I do matter, and it makes me angry to know that helping people is going to mean helping people like you!  You aren't a person…you're a monster…you can go to hell for all I care!'

Heaven glared, outraged.  But Vreya was going on…Heaven hadn't expected the girl to say such things, but she was and the entire school was seeing her humiliate Heaven.

Sara, Gen and Lila had noticed the crowd gathering around and walked over to see what was happening.  To their horror theu saw that it was Vreya who was involved in a slanging session.  

'What's she doing?' Sara said in disbelief.

'I don't know…I think Heaven said something spiteful…'

'…' Sara looked around anxiously.  To her horror she saw that the head was coming in their direction, urging people to get to lessons.  Just their luck…she grabbed Gen's arm.

'Break it up, quickly!  The Head's coming…'

'I think that whore is getting what she deserves.' Lila folded her arms, and then realised what Sara had just said.  'What?' she looked around.  The principle had noticed the crowd and was coming over.  

'Oh no!  Vreya!' Lila pushed forward, trying to get to her friend, followed closely by Sara.  Gen had rushed off to the principle.  He tried to buy time.

'Uh…excuse me Sir…but I wanted to ask you about…'

'Gen-Ray…what is going on there…is that…that's Vreya LillyMoore!'

'Uh…' Gen watched helplessly as the head walked past him, just in time to hear the latest round of insults.

_Uh oh…_he thought.  This was bad for Vreya…

'At least my mum doesn't sleep around!  At least my mother isn't a whore!  At least my father didn't abandon me at birth; at least I have cousins who aren't drug addicts!  At least I have people who really love me!  Which is more than I can say for you!  You think you're so important, well you're not!  In the end it doesn't matter, I am sick to death of you and stupid little gang.  You die and your mother won't miss you, because she has countless other little bastards!  So go to hell!'  Vreya got a little carried away and pushed Heaven back.  She would have hit her again, but hands grabbed at her and she was restrained.

'Vreya, what are you doing?' Sara's voice came to her.

'Get a grip!' Lila's voice added.

'You bitch!' Vreya screamed at the girl, tears in her eyes.  'My cousin was murdered!'

Heaven looked very shaken.  Her own friends had arrived, as well as members of the football team that she cheerled for.  They were trying to comfort her, and one, a black haired boy called Bruce, ran a finger across his throat at Vreya, indicating that she was going to pay.  Bruce had a crush on Heaven and always looked out for her.  Lila gulped, catching him gesture.  But Vreya looked unfazed.  Lila prayed that Ash would be able to sort this out.

'WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!' The principle's voice boomed.  Heaven's friends pointed the finger at Vreya who caught her breath, her heart skipping a beat.  She had been so foolish…to let Heaven get to her…to lose it…she should have known better…

_Foolish girl…_Krysta's voice was full of disapproval.  Vreya felt terrible.  She should have been more mature than that.

'It was her Sir!' Heaven put on a tearful voice.  'You heard her!  She…oh God, you won't let her get away with that will you Sir?  She hit me!'

'Bitch.' Lila hissed under her breath.  

'I most certainly will not tolerate such behaviour.  You have disappointed me Vreya…I did not expect this of you.  All right, the rest of you clear off.  Heaven, Vreya, to my office now.  I will notify your tutors that you are with me.'

'Sir!' Lila pleaded on behalf of her best friend.  'You know Vreya would never act like this if she wasn't provoked…you provoked her!' She shouted at Heaven who glared at her.

'Lila…' Vreya grabbed hold of her hand.  'I took it too far, get out of here!'

'Huh?  Do you want to be suspended?' Lila replied.

'Don't get yourself into this!' Vreya snapped back. 

'You weren't even here bitch!' Constance spoke up.

'And neither were you slut!' Lila cussed back.

'Lila, Heaven, to my office!  I will not tolerate such behaviour, do you understand!  Now get to class the rest of you!'  

The crowd slowly cleared off, and the principle approached the four who had stayed behind.  

'Now, to my office…but before that, what is the meaning of this?  Vreya?'  He looked to who he thought was the most sensible of the group.  The girl looked away, clinging onto Katrina's ring, tears welling in her eyes again.  Her parents would be so disappointed…she was in a lot of trouble now.

'She taunted me Sir.  She taunted me about Kat.'

'Is this true?' He looked to Heaven, who put a hand dramatically to her chest.

'Oh!  Sir, why would I do such a disrespectful thing?  I was just expressing my sympathy…'

'You lying snake!' Lila hissed at her.  Constance glared.

'Sir, they're the trouble makers…'

'All right, enough.  To my office now!'  The principle instructed, as he marched them down the hall in silence. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'C'mon, one more game!' Zell pleaded.  Quistis frowned.  What was the point if she kept losing?  Zell was proving quite the master of the chess game, as he was beating everyone.  

'I don't see the point Zell.'

'Aw c'mon Instructor, please!  You were good!'

'Evil Zell preying on helpless victims.' Irvine commented.  Selphie was enjoying a slush-ice, grinning happily.

'Yum, you guys, these drinks are delicious!'

Seifer sat in the corner, scowling to himself, as usual.  Squall and Rinoa were with a few of the mentors, talking about magic and sorceresses.

'AW COME ON QUISTIS!' Zell pleaded.  It's so fun!  This game will make us a fortune when we get back baby!' he grinned goofily.

'No thank you.' Quistis said politely, sitting beside Selphie.  Zell huffed, and looked to Irvine, who tipped his hat over his face in response.  Selphie shook her head at Zell's pleading look.

'Nope.  You've beaten me three times already-that's two times too many!'

'Aw will no one play me!?'

'I will.'

Quistis blinked, looking to Seifer in surprise.  They all looked to Seifer in surprise-Seifer who never played any silly games.

'What?' Zell exclaimed, scornfully.

'If that's what it takes to shut your whining up, then bring it on.' Seifer said, getting up from his seat in the corner.

'Heh, very funny!  Like I'm gonna play you.' Zell said disdainfully.

'…' Seifer sneered at him.  'What's the matter chicken-wuss?  Scared you'll lose!'

Zell glared up at him.  'As if!  Fine!  I'm gonna kick your ass!'

Seifer smirked and sat down opposite him.  He'd watched the game being played a few times.  It seemed like a good game, not a useless one like the ones they had back at home.  It required strategy and thought…things he liked.  He couldn't believe no one was beating Zell.  Squall probably could, if he ever agreed to give it a go.  But Quistis losing to Zell was a surprise.

'You better not cheat…' Zell shook a fist at him.  'Once a cheater always a cheater!'

'No.  I'll referee this match.' Quistis stood behind Seifer, arms folded.  Seifer glanced back at her in surprise at her support, and she nodded at him.

'Go on Seifer.  Let's see what you if you can beat him.'

Seifer looked back to Zell, and sneered at him.  'I will beat him.  Bring it on.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'What're you doing?' Rica asked Jez, as she entered the main leisure room.

'Nothing really.' Jez replied.  The woman sat on the couch, flicking the channels of the television idly.  Rica glanced at the time.

It was almost one-thirty in the afternoon.  Just a few more hours and the young people would come back from school.  

'Where are the others?' Jez asked.

Rica sighed, sitting down beside the woman.  'Discussing magic with Squall and Rinoa.'

Jez nodded, flicking the channel to the news.  She watched as Rica went on

'What do you think of Vreya being a sorceress?  You know that you're going to play a big role in keeping her head above water.'

Jez shrugged.  'She has Rinoa.'

'But she needs adult guidance too.'

'We'll see.' Jez said, and then added 'She needs space.'

'Maybe you're right.  But she needs a knight too.'

'Still no one willing?'

Rica shook her head.  'No.  Zane is perfect, but he says he wants nothing to do with it.'

'What if we force him?'

'What?' Rica looked to the copper-haired woman.

'Force him to cooperate.' Jez replied.

'How would we do that?' Rica asked.  

'Well, it's simple isn't it?  We…' she stopped, eyes widening.  Rica frowned.

'What?'

Jez turned up the volume.  'Look!'

Rica looked to the small television screen and listened to the newsreader.

'…Breaking news live from Central Street, news just coming in of a fire blazing out of control…let's go to Julian Oliver for the latest on that story…Julian, what is happening?'

The picture switched to a twenty-something year old man, looking rather frightened.  'Thank you Andrew, yes, alarming pictures for viewers to see, police still haven't arrived at the scene oddly enough, a fire has broken out just behind me, I spoke to someone earlier and they say that there was a tremor in the ground which then erupted, and fire broke out of the earth, now we're not sure because of all the smoke and flames about, but there seems to be some kind of animal in those flames…certainly a few people I've seen claim to have seen a large figure…one man I spoke to said he actually saw it and shot at it, he described it as something 'unworldly' and threatening…as you can hear there is gun fire behind me, I wonder if we can zoom in for a close-up…'

The camera zoomed up to the flames, and Rica exclaimed: 'What is that?'

The reporter was going on: 'I don't know if you can see, but there is a figure there, lots of chaos going on here, we don't know what it is, or how it ended up in there, we don't know much else, but the fire service should be here soon, and police to try and calm people down, this is certainly a remarkable and strange case, we'll have more on this story as we get it.' 

Jez hit stop on the record button.  She played the clip again going up closer to the television to look at the outline of what the reporter had claimed was an animal.

'What is it?' Rica asked again.  Jez shook her head.

'I think we should get the others to see this.  Call them down.'

'What do you think it is?' Rica asked.

'I…perhaps a fire elemental?'

'Why would it just appear for everyone to see?'

'I don't know.' Jez replied.  'Get the others down here quickly!'

Rica nodded and left to gather the others.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Quistis smiled slightly as Seifer placed his knight on the square.

'Check mate.'

Zell blinked, looking shocked.  'What!'  He exclaimed in disbelief.  He had more pieces than Seifer, but somehow Seifer had gotten his king trapped.  He looked up at the blond teen who sat back, smirking smugly.

'You cheated!'

'Heh heh.  Instructor?' Seifer cocked a brow at Quistis, who smiled at Zell.

'Sorry Zell.  But I've been monitoring this and I'm afraid all his moves were within the rules.'

'What?  No way!  I can't lose to him!'

'Hey cool, maybe you'll stop asking us to play now!' Irvine said, grinning.

'Hey Zell, how does it feel to lose!' Selphie giggled.  

'Grr, you cheater!' Zell glared at Seifer.

'What's the matter?  Can't take losing?' Seifer mocked him.

'Ah shut up!  I'm not going to lose!' Zell desperately looked for options, but it wasn't long before he realised he really had none.

'Damn!'

Seifer laughed.  'Ha ha!  Looks like you're not so great after all!'

'You were lucky!  I'll beat ya next time-damned cheater!'

'Now Zell don't be a sore loser.' Quistis smiled.  'Congratulate Seifer on a fair win.'

'Oh…w…whatever!' Zell snapped and got up, frowning.  Selphie grinned.

'Thanks for beating him!  Now he'll leave us alone!'

'Ah shut up!' Zell snapped at her.  'Whose side are you on anyway?'

'I didn't know people took sides in little games…' Irvine commented.  'But he did beat you which means he's good.'

'Yup!' Selphie stuck out her tongue at Zell.  'LOSER!'

Seifer wasn't sure how to react to praise, so he said nothing.  His eyes rose however, and rested on Quistis, who smiled a little at him.  Seifer wasn't used to her smiling like that.  Quistis was a very beautiful woman, and when she smiled she looked nothing short of stunning.  He'd always acknowledged what all Trepies did-that Quistis was attractive to look at, but he had never known her personally.  She'd always been a teacher to him.  Sure he'd known her when he was a child, but he barely remembered that far back.  Most of the time they had ever exchanged words was in heated argument about his behaviour and attitude, or when she made some kind of sly remark that would irritate him.  But she was acting differently now.  Not so much like his superior, but rather as someone on a similar level to him.  She seemed much younger to him at that moment.  As an Instructor it was pretty easy to forget that despite her status Quistis was a young woman, and more importantly, one his age.  

Her arms were draped casually across one another, not quite folding.

'Congratulations on your win.'

'It's just a game.' Seifer replied.  What was the big deal?

'There's nothing wrong with friendly competition.'  Quistis remarked.  

'Friendly!' Zell exclaimed.  'Just because-now wait Instructor…just because…it was a challenge!' 

'It was a game.' Quistis replied firmly.

Seifer smirked.  Friendly with that chicken-wuss?  What a joke.  He'd rather befriend a dog, and he hated dogs.

A voice cut into his thoughts-a sweet, giddy voice.

'Hey guys!  Come and look at this!'  Rinoa appeared at the doorway, and gestured to them.  

'What is it?' Quistis asked, turning her attention to the girl in blue.  

'Come and see!  You won't believe what's on the TV station!'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Squall peered at the television screen, trying to make out the shape of the animal that the reporter had said was trapped in the fire.  Something was definitely there.  People were shooting at it.  Jez had showed them the video clip and now they were watching another live shot.  The reporter was speaking madly.

'The fire-service still haven't arrived…alarm here as people wonder what's taking so long…as you can see behind me there's definitely something in there…there's…'

Rinoa arrived with everyone else, as they huddled around the small screen.

'Look there…in the fire.' Bo pointed for the people who had just arrived.

'I don't see anything…' Selphie said.  Squall leaned over and pointed, tracing with his finger.

'See it?' he asked her.

'Oh…yeah!  What is it?'

'Not sure…' Fleck remarked.  He looked to Morgan.

'It could be anything.' Morgan replied.  'But it is most likely to be an elemental.'

'Fire type.' Jez nodded.  

'You sure?' Harris scratched his chin.

'Well, what else just erupts from the ground like a volcano?' Tai shrugged.

'So…don't you guys need that?' Rinoa asked, looking around.

'We do…but how to get it without making a scene…' Rica said thoughtfully.

'Well, in any case we need to get over there…' Bo suggested.  

'Yeah, and quick…' Locky added.  'Problem is the guys are at school…'

'I can get Zane over pretty quickly, but the others are a problem.' Fleck said.

'Unless…' Harris said.  'Unless we go pick them up and make our way over there.'

'Smart idea…' Jez said sarcastically.  

'What's wrong with it?' Squall asked her.  

'Well we can't just go there and get them to leave.  What if they have lessons?' Jez asked.

'They can skip…' Locky said.

'That isn't good for their education.' Quistis stated.  

'Honey, education is the last of our worries!' Locky replied.  'I say Harris has a good plan.  Just call one of them and get them to pass the message.'

'What do you think?' Fleck looked to Morgan.  

'We cannot all go.'

'We have two seven-seater vans.' Harris said.

'Well, there're seven of these lot.  They're all coming just in case things get violent.  We'll need space to stash their weapons.' Tai said.

'At least three of us should go to accompany them.' Rica added.  

'Which means we've four spaces short.' Quistis did the calculating.  

'Ash has a car…' Harris reminded them.

'Yeah…we'll cram some of them in that.' Fleck nodded.  'And if he doesn't have his car, I can just ask Zane to bring his.'

'Okay…I'll call up Ash, you call Zane.' Bo nodded…

'Wait…just how do you plan to acquire it…?' Irvine asked.  The adults looked at him blankly.  Irvine laughed a little.

'You can't just go up to a guardian and acquire it.  You may have to fight that thing.' Quistis agreed.

'If it doesn't join willingly…it might…' Zell argued back.  But the reporter's voice caught their attention.

'And…oh my God, did you hear that…Johnny!  Johnny zoom in there!' he yelled to the cameraman.  'I don't know if you folks heard that at home, but it was like a great roar…holy crap…oh my God, look at that!  Johnny…zoom in, zoom in, I'm not sure what that is…'

Everyone in the room stared at the screen.  The camera zoomed in and in between the raging of flames a pair of eyes were visible.  Red eyes, glowing, angry-an inhuman cry erupted in the air, and the reporter was trying to remain calm in the midst of chaos.  

'The ground is shaking…this is incredible…Mike…Mike, I've never witnessed anything like this, it's amazing, what in the world is that thing, look at those eyes!  A new species of animal…everyone is panicking…everyone is…oh shit!  Shit, what the hell is that, Johnny…Johnny!  Johnny, look out!  Argh, what the-help!  HELLLLP!'  The camera was cut off suddenly, and the sound muffled.  The newsreader was anxiously calling the reporter's name.  The picture returned to the newsreader who said, a look of concern on his face

'Right…we seem to have lost our coverage…but we'll try to sort the problem out…'

'Lost coverage?' Selphie squealed.  'That man was attacked by something!'

'Too right.  But what?' Rica wondered.  Fleck shook his head, raising his cell phone to his ear.

'Call Ash now.  We're going down there.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'What do you think that is?' Costa asked Roxy, who was staring at the television screen with wide eyes.

'Isn't it obvious!  That poor animal!  Why are people shooing at it?' Roxy cried.

'Poor animal?' a blonde class mate frowned at Roxy.  'Did you see its eyes?  It's a freak!'

'Hey!  It's just an injured animal!' Roxy argued back.

'That's no ordinary animal Roxy…' Costa said, pointedly.  Roxy looked at him and then exclaimed.

'Hey!  Do you think-maybe it's a…you know?'

'Uh…not sure…' Costa replied.  It was lunch break, and televisions in classrooms were switched on, after many people had heard the story on radio.  Chaos in Central Street…an unidentified animal was being shot at.

Roxy shook her head.  'Poor thing…'

Suddenly the reporter was shouting.  Costa frowned as his voice rose almost hysterically, and then the picture went fuzzy.  A few people gasped in alarm.  'Crap…' Costa exclaimed, as the picture went back to the shocked newsreader.  

'That thing ate the reporter dude!' a guy yelled.

Roxy and Costa exchanged worried glances.  Things were getting stranger by the minute.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Zane entered the room, to find that everyone was huddled around the television.  Selphie noticed the boy first, and waved at him.

'Heeeyyyy!'

'What's going on?' Zane demanded, and Fleck turned to him.  The boy had arrived pretty quickly…in the space of twenty minutes.

'Hey.  Glad you made it.  Sorry if we interrupted any lesson…'

'This had better be good.' Zane narrowed his eyes, and Fleck ushered him over to the television.  Harris played the latest video they had captured, with the picture cutting off.  Zane watched the wild scenes unfold, frowning a little.

When the clip ended, Zane found that almost everyone was looking at him.  He didn't like this, so he turned his attention to Fleck.  

'What is this?' he asked.  

'We're not sure.  We have a theory it could be a fire guardian.' Fleck replied.  Zane scowled.

'So?'

'So we're goin' down there to see what's goin' on.' Zell replied.  Zane shook his head.

'Is that a good idea?'

'We'll protect you.' Irvine grinned.  

'So what if it is?' Zane said, ignoring Irvine.  He wanted to know how they would 'acquire' it.

'If it is and it won't join you willingly, you'll have to fight it.' Quistis replied.  

'We'll help.' Selphie nodded.  

Zane thought the entire idea sounded very messy.  He shrugged and said 'Who's going?'

'Well, me, Rica and Harris will be accompanying all of you.  We're trying to get hold of the others at school but…' Fleck's voice trailed off.

'He won't pick up…it's on answer phone!' Bo exclaimed.  

'Try Gen's mobile.' Locky suggested.  

'Uh…where's Gen's number?' Bo asked.  'Is it stored here?'

Zane rolled his eyes.  The guy was going to take forever.  Sighing he reached out and snatched hold of the phone.

'Hey!' Bo exclaimed.  'I can find it!'

Zane instantly found the number, and held it out to Bo.  'Ringing.'

'Uh…what do I say Fleck?' Bo hesitated.

'Just say…'

But Gen picked up the phone and it was still in Zane's hand.  Fleck hissed

'Tell him we're going to pick them up from school now.'

Zane glared.  Why did he always have to do things like this?

'Hello?' Gen's voice was asking on the other line.  Zane wasn't even sure what was going on himself, but if he said it wrong it was not his fault.  

'…It's Zane.' Zane spoke into the phone.  

'Oh.  Hi Zane.' Gen sounded surprised.  

'Do you have a lesson now?' 

'We're on lunch break…' Gen replied.

'Until when?'

'Uh…we finish in twenty minutes.'

Zane looked to Fleck.  'Lunch break is over in twenty minutes.'

'That's fine.  Tell him we're going to come pick them up.  Ask if Ash has his car.'

Zane sighed to himself.  It would be much easier if he talked to Gen. He complied however.

'Does Ash have his car?'

'Uh…yeah think so…why, what's going on?  Where are you?  Are you at the base?  Did you lot see the news?'

'Yeah.  We're coming to pick you up.  Can you leave now?'

'Uh…I think that's okay…except…what?  Sara?  Oh Sara wants to talk to you.'

Zane huffed, waiting.  Finally Sara's voice spoke in his ear.

'Hello?  Zane?  We saw the news.  Ash has his car.  So what's the plan?'

'We're going.' Zane replied.

'What? To the place?  All of us?'

'No.  Fleck, Rica and Harris with the rest of us.' Zane said.

'Okay.  So I'll tell them.  We can get out of class now, as long as you're quick…oh…what Gen?  What, is she still in detention?  And what about Lila?'

Zane frowned.  Oh great…who was in detention?

'Lila was out ages ago.' Gen's voice replied in the background.  Sara cursed, and spoke to Zane again.

'Zane?  Do we all have to come?'

Fleck, who was standing close to Zane to hear the exchange, nodded.

'Yeah.' Zane replied.

'But…is it okay if one of us stays behind and we catch up to you later?' Sara asked.

'Why?' Zane asked.

'Vreya is sitting her detention.'

Zane wasn't sure he had heard right.  Vreya-detention?

'What?' he exclaimed.  Sara repeated for him.

'Vreya's in detention-we can't get her out of that.'

Zane was surprised-Vreya, in detention?  She'd never struck him as a troublemaker sort.  He wondered what she had done, and almost asked.  Then he reminded himself it wasn't his business and he couldn't care less.

'Great.' He said simply.  'Fleck, Vreya's in detention.'

'She had a fight in the morning and got caught by the head.' Sara informed Zane, answering his questions.

'Detention?  Oh no…give me that…' Fleck took the phone and spoke to Sara.

'Hey Sara.  What do you mean detention?' he listened.  'What?  Well how long has she been there?'

He paused, listening to Sara.  'You're outside her room now?  Well let me talk to her…'  

Sara spoke in the background, to a teacher.

'Miss, there's a phone call for Vreya.  It's important.'

Fleck heard the teacher reply 'She's not allowed to talk to anyone.'

Fleck sighed.  'Okay, okay Sara forget it.  We'll be there in about twenty minutes…I'll send someone down for you okay?  I'll send someone to get Vreya out of there.'

Sara agreed and Fleck cut the connection.  He sighed.  'Okay, let's get going.  But one of you is going to have to go down there and get her out.'

'How do we do that?' Harris asked.  Fleck shook his head.  

'We're going to have to think of something.  Let's not waste anymore time.  Come on.'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Was that really boring?  Let me know!  Since I'm posting two chapters together again, I would appreciate it if you reviewed each separately.  It just helps more.  Not that I'm being picky…^ ~ ^…'cus I am SO not picky…if you wanna review together, that's fine too, just don't comment on one and not the other-thank you!_


	30. Ignatius

_Direct continuation from the previous chapter-read on people! (eeep 30th chapter!) _

**Chapter XXX: Ignatius**

Squall walked down the school hall, not sure why he had agreed to volunteer to do the picking up. But he remembered then that Zane had stared blankly when he'd been asked, Seifer had refused, Zell would probably fail to act convincingly, and Irvine looked too strange in cowboy attire to do this sort of thing. It had been up to Squall then. The school was very different in structure to the Gardens he was used to seeing. It was much smaller and not nearly so colourful. He couldn't believe he had managed to get past the security guard without showing a pass. Then again, Selphie had done a lot of distraction flirting. He arrived at what he hoped was the main reception. Stopping at the counter, he waited for the secretary to notice him. She did eventually, pushing up her glasses and blinking at the unfamiliar, handsome young man with a strange scar slashed across his forehead.

'Hello. May I help you?'

'Uh…' Squall remembered Quistis's instructions of how to deceive staff. He still felt very uncomfortable doing this, but ordered himself to get a grip, and spoke up as politely as he could. 'Yeah…I'm here to pick up my cousin.'

'Right…okay…was your cousin supposed to be meeting you here?' The woman asked.

'No…I'm supposed to collect her from class. Could you direct me?'

'Who is your cousin?' The woman turned to her computer.

'Vreya LillyMoore.' Squall replied calmly. The woman blinked, looking at him strangely.

_Damn-she knows her…_ Squall panicked a little. What if he wasn't believed?

'Is there a problem?' Squall decided to play it cool. The woman had no proof he wasn't related to Vreya. Apart from the fact they looked nothing alike.

'I didn't know-you just don't look much like her.' The woman remarked, typing in Vreya's name.

'Oh…yeah.' Squall said. He didn't really know what else to say, and felt stupid. What a great actor he was!

The woman nodded. 'Right…okay…your name is?'

'Squall Leonhart.'

The woman gave him another strange look. Squall struggled to remain patient. Did this woman know everything about Vreya? Why was she acting so suspicious? She certainly wasn't making his job easier. He stared back at her. Did she expect him to say 'okay I'm a fake'? Then again he supposed she had the right to be suspicious. She was only doing her job.

'My dad's name.' Squall replied through his teeth. The woman shook her head, as if telling herself she was being too nosy. She reasoned that he must have shown ID to the security guard, and looking to the computer screen, said:

'Well, she's scheduled to have an English lesson now. You'll find her in room F04. That's straight down this hall, turn to the left, go through a set of double doors, go across, take a right, and then along a wide corridor, and it's opposite the detention room.'

Squall stared. Those were complicated directions. So it was straight, left, straight, right and opposite the detention room. Perfect. He repeated it in his head so he wouldn't get lost.

'Got that? Please sign in here, and take this visitor tag.' The woman gave him a pen to sign with, and then gave him a bright orange tag. Squall thanked her and set off down the hall.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'You know if we get caught we are in deep crap.' Lila said. 'And I've already been in detention today.'

'If you keep acting so nervous we're bound to get caught!' Costa snapped at her. 'Relax!'

They sat in the library, all of six of them. Vreya was the only person missing. Sara lowered the newspaper she was hiding behind and snapped at the two

'Quiet! Act like you're studying!'

'Excuse me!' the librarian called over to the group 'This is an area for quiet study!'

'Sorry!' Roxy apologised, and shot a look at Lila and Costa. Ash sighed, flicking boredly through a random book he'd chosen. Gen looked half-asleep. He checked his watch, and saw that it had just gone past twenty-minutes since Zane had called. He gestured to the others.

'Okay…' Ash whispered. 'We can't all leave together…'

'I'll go with Lila and Costa first. You follow in ten minutes, okay? Lila, borrow that book.' Sara instructed.

'What? Why should I? I'll just get a fine like last time!' Lila hissed back.

'Lila, just do it.' Ash replied, and she agreed instantly. The three nodded and got up, leaving the library. Once outside, Costa spoke up.

'So how'd we get Bonita out her cage?'

'Vreya's stuck there until the end of the day. Can you believe it? The principle said he wasn't going to call her parents, because he believed she wasn't acting normally, but she has to sit the entire day in detention while that slag gets to walk around?'

'Heaven's an idiot.' Sara assured Lila. 'At least Vreya's parents won't know about this.'

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs to the library, waiting for Ash and his group. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the three came down the stairs.

'Where do we meet whoever's picking us up?' Ash asked.

'I'd say we should just go to the gates.' Gen advised.

'Good idea!' Roxy nodded, as they walked down the hall.

'Shouldn't we get Vreya?' Ash said after a while.

'How? Fleck said he's sending someone to get her out anyway.' Sara replied. 'If we go past the room the head might see us and he knows we have lessons now.'

Ash hoped it wasn't Zane who was being sent to get Vreya out of there. They rounded the corner of the hall, treading carefully and quietly, so as to avoid detection and disruption.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Vreya sighed. She'd never felt so utterly bored in her life. Her eyes watched the clock; another forty-five minutes before she's get formal permission from the head to leave. The time had done her some good at least. She'd managed to draft an assignment in rough. But still, she wanted to see her friends and she felt irritated that she had had to spend the entire day cooped up in the ugly little room. Rubbing at her eyes, she suppressed a yawn. The teacher supervising her for the last 'shift' was one who probably taught the younger years. He was scribbling on papers, not taking much notice of her.

I know…why don't I pull a sickie? Only forty-five minutes left, and I can act it out pretty well. He can't think I'm making it up if I've been here for the entire day. She thought. She doubled over, and rested her head in her arms on the desk. Waiting for the man to notice her.

When nothing happened, Vreya peeked over her arm, and frowned a little. Damn. He really was in a world of his own. So she raised her hand, preparing to put on her best acting performance to date.

He glanced up finally, and nodded at her. It was an advantage that he didn't know her.

'Sir?'

'Yes?'

'I feel…really sick…' Vreya said, and she did-sick of being in the room too long. The teacher regarded her. He shook his head.

'Just over half an hour and you can go.'

'…' Vreya blinked, cursing. Damn.

_Krysta, could you freeze him for me? _She asked her guardian spirit.

_If he were a threat. _ Krysta replied.

Vreya pulled a face. 'No Sir…I mean I feel like puking. I think…I've been sitting down too long and I feel funny.'

'You may go to the toilet if you like.' The teacher replied. Vreya blinked, and said

'Can't I leave early? Please? I've been in here all day.'

'I'm sorry, but I've been advised to supervise you until three-thirty.'

_Damn you._ Vreya thought, and then shrugged, an idea coming to mind. 'Okay. I'll go to the loo and wash up.' She slunk off her stool, and grabbed her bag. Leaving the room she let out a breath. It felt good to breathe cool air and not the stuffy mess of the detention room. Bag trailing idly in hand behind her, she stopped outside the head's office, heart pounding. This was the biggest test.

She knocked lightly on the door, heart skipping a beat as she prayed he was in. Sure enough, much to her terror and relief, a deep voice boomed at her:

'Enter!'

_Oh God…_Vreya thought. Her legs felt like turning into jelly. The principle was such an imposing figure.

_Pitiful…_Krysta's voice whispered to her _…how will you face up to the Threat? _

Vreya ignored her. The Threat was ages away. This was now. She twisted the knob and taking a deep breath, entered.

The principle looked up, pushing his glasses down. 'Ah. Vreya.'

'Umm…I just…I was going to go to the loo actually. Sir…I'm not feeling very well. I've got a bad headache. I didn't want to say anything, I thought I'd just wait another half-hour but…I really feel bad.' Vreya said, putting on her most convincing 'I'm ill' look.

The principle looked at the time and Vreya held her breath, as he cast a weary look at her. 'Well I suppose you've sat in quite long enough.' He said finally, looking at her. 'You do look rather pale. Sitting in that room drained you has it?'

Vreya managed a watery smile. 'It's The Room.' She said mysteriously. The head smiled slightly.

'I see. Well then, you can go. But if this happens again I will not be so lenient. Do not let me down again. You are a very popular young woman, and you should be setting an example. I know Heaven is trouble, but try not to get pulled down to her level eh?'

Vreya couldn't believe what she was hearing. The principle was being…nice? Sympathetic? She wondered just how unfair she was being judging him as being a scary, nasty mean man. He didn't seem all that bad. He seemed understanding.

'Thank you Sir…'

'All right-I'll have my secretary inform the teacher. Dismissed.' He nodded at her. Vreya thanked him and turned to leave.

'Oh…' he added and Vreya's heart wrenched. 'And Vreya?'

'Yes Sir?' Vreya said, turning with the automated movement of a robot.

'I am sorry about your cousin. I met her at the Charity Ball-she was a delightful young lady.'

Vreya paused, and then sincerely thanked him. She left the room, letting out a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her. She felt bad about lying, but she also felt pleased that she had what it took to pull it off. She slung her bag over her shoulder, and waked down the hallway. She stuck her hand in her slim-fit jean pocket, and realised she still had a chewy sweet left over from what little lunch she had had. She unwrapped it and popped the juicy chew in her mouth. As her eyes rose again, she saw a figure in black walking around uncertainly down the hall, looking about, as if lost. As she drew closer, she nearly choked in surprise as she realised who it was.

'Squall!'

Squall turned to her, looking rather relieved. Vreya blinked up at him as she reached him.

'What are you doing here?'

'Looking for you…'

'Oh, I got out of detention…how did you get by without a pass?' Vreya asked, amazed. Squall struck her as a pretty amazing guy.

'Selphie distracted the guard. Told the secretary I'm your cousin.' Squall replied, as they began to walk back down the way he had come.

Vreya smirked. 'They're so stupid in this school. Everyone can get in. But why are you here?'

'You heard the news?'

'No. I've been cooped up in a stupid ugly room all day. You know that I faked a sickie to get out of there? I fooled the head!' Vreya exclaimed. Squall gave her a look, deciding she was definitely the kind of person Rinoa would get along great with, because she was so similar.

'We've come to pick you all up. There's been a case.'

'A case?' Vreya tilted her head at his words.

'Unidentified animal causing havoc and we're going to check it out' Squall nodded.

'Unidentified animal?' Vreya echoed. 'Well…what do you think it is?'

'Who knows? A fire guardian by the looks of it.' Squall replied.

'A fire guardian? Well…are people hurting it? Are they like, freaking out?' Vreya asked. 'Is it really on the news?'

Squall nodded. 'Yeah.'

'Well…I don't know where my friends are Squall. Like I said, I've been cooped up all day…' she was cut off as they went through the double doors. Vreya froze, at what she saw walking down the opposite end, towards her.

Squall glanced at the group of people-two girls and a boy coming their way. Looking back to Vreya, he asked in confusion

'What's wrong?'

'Hide me…' Vreya squeaked. It was no other than Heaven herself, with Constance and Bruce. 'That's the girl I had a fight with and that guy promised to get me back…'

Squall shook his head. She didn't have much to worry about-he was with her, and he could take those three on blindfolded.

'It's okay.' He reassured her, taking hold of her arm firmly. 'Just keep walking.'

Vreya looked nervously at him. His blue eyes were deep and totally calm. Vreya decided to trust him, and nodded.

'Okay…I just…I'm supposed to be sick…anymore trouble and I'm really dead…'

Squall just gave her a gentle push forward. 'Don't look at them.'

Vreya nodded, and walked down the hall, a sick feeling forming inside her stomach. Squall was a barrier between her and the three. She almost hoped Heaven wouldn't notice her, but sure enough her whining voice spoke up.

'Well well look who it is, Little Miss Big-Mouth…'

Constance said 'what are you doing out of detention?'

Vreya ignored them, keeping her eyes in front of her, as Squall had instructed her to do.

'She's out to learn her lesson…hey bitch, don't ignore us…' Bruce snarled, and stepped up to grab Vreya. Squall intercepted, swiftly and expertly grabbing hold of Bruce's arm, twisting it, and shoving him back.

Heaven appeared to notice Squall for the first time, and gaped. She looked from Vreya to Squall in disbelief. She'd never seen anybody so handsome, and assumed that he was Vreya's boyfriend.

Constance's reaction was just as shocked. 'Who are you?' she asked.

'Who the hell do you think you…?' Bruce began but Squall interrupted, casting a cold glare at him, which chilled him to the bone.

'Back off.' He ordered, and Heaven's jaw dropped. He was dressed so…cool…so strangely…and the scar slashed across his forehead was so sexy. She had never seen him before, and Vreya's ability to pull such attractive young men stunned her.

'Bruce…not now…let it go…' she ordered, and her love-rat backed down. Squall cast one more glare for good measure, before marching down the hall with Vreya.

As they rounded the corner, Vreya smiled at Squall gratefully. 'Thanks…you were awesome.'

Squall shrugged, and they continued down the corridor together.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'So, like, what's taking so long?' Irvine asked. The only people missing were Squall and Vreya. He sat in one of the vans, with Roxy, Gen, Seifer, Quistis, Zane and Harris in the driving seat. Ash, Lila, Sara and Costa stood by Ash's car, waiting.

'You think he'll get her out?' Costa wondered, glancing to the gates.

Ash shrugged. He hoped so. He'd been happy to see that Zane was sitting in one of the vans. He hadn't been the one to get Vreya…Squall had gone.

Back in the van Rinoa frowned worriedly. 'Maybe I should go after him…'

'I don't think I could distract the guard again…' Selphie replied.

'I told you this would happen. They probably didn't believe his cover story.' Rica muttered.

'I wouldn't say that…here they come!' Zell replied. Sure enough, Squall had just passed the guard and the gates, and Vreya followed after him. The two finally reached the van, and Fleck congratulated Squall.

'Nice work. Didn't run into trouble did you?' he asked, as Squall and Vreya climbed into the van. Vreya took her seat beside Zell, who smiled at her.

'No.' Squall replied. Vreya finally relaxed.

'I had to lie my way out of there…'

'Hey don't feel bad, desperate times call for desperate measures right?' Selphie reassured her. Ash and his group got into their car. Vreya noticed with relief that Zane wasn't in the same van as her. Good. She wouldn't feel so edgy. Fleck signalled to the others to move off, as Rica began to explain everything to Vreya.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

After a round of significant driving, they finally arrived at their destination. What they saw shocked them. They parked their vehicles at a safe distance, and walked out onto the chaotic scene.

'Whoa-what a mess!' Costa exclaimed as they neared the action. The entire street was a disaster to behold. Flames raged everywhere, and there were angry people, shouting, yelling and screaming, and the sound of gunfire. It looked worse than the chaos they had seen on the news channel. The group stood for a while, trying to absorb what they were witnessing.

'Oh God…' Vreya breathed. It looked like…hell.

'Be careful.' Fleck warned. 'Keep your eyes open…this is dangerous.'

Roxy stepped forward. So this was the spot. It had to be. She was anxious to see the thing that was trapped in the flames.

'Come on!' she said, turning to the others, an anxious look in her widened eyes. 'We have to help that thing!'

'Wait Roxy, how do we know it's not a human-eater?' Gen asked.

'He's right-we can't just rush in there, what if it's just pretending to be weak?' Lila agreed.

'What? You saw it on the news! It's sick! People are shooting at it! We can't let a poor animal suffer!'

'Okay, I would not call that thing we saw a nice normal poor wounded animal. It looked huge!' Costa said, but Roxy just wrinkled her nose at him.

'Where do you suppose all the fire came from?' Ash asked, stepping up and observing the wreck.

Sara shook her head, placing her hands on her slender hips. 'I don't know about you, but it looks awfully hot to just rush in.'

'Hey kids.' Fleck spoke up again from behind 'You need a strategy. We have to check it out, that's plain, but like you say, you can't just go headfirst. That animal isn't the only problem.'

'Yes, there are armed people in there too.' Rica agreed.

'Can't see much with all this smoke.' Vreya commented. 'Isn't there anyway we could clear up the view?'

'Easily, if we could call on Leviathan.' Quistis replied.

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Vreya. She blurted out 'Is that a water type guardian?'

Rinoa looked at her, tilting her head to one side. 'Yeah…but how did you know?'

'I…guessed. I mean the only way we could clear this up is with water right?' Vreya replied, looking away.

Squall stepped forward, always the one to make sure a job was done efficiently, and said 'We'll go in first.'

'Smart move…' A sarcastic voice remarked, and Squall turned his face to look back at Zane, who stood with his arms folded-his usual bored stance.

'…If you want to get roasted alive.'

'We can take it.' Selphie replied indignantly. 'I can! Iffy protects me you know.'

'Iffy?' Sara replied, looking at Selphie blankly.

Selphie's green eyes glittered. 'Yeah! My fire GF!'

_Don't be a fool. How can I do such a thing if you cannot summon me? _Ifrit demanded of her. _The boy is right; the flames will hurt you. I cannot prevent it._

'You're no different.' Zane replied. 'Those flames burn all kinds of skin.'

'He's got a point Seffie. I don't like crispy skin.' Irvine replied, placing a hand firmly on Selphie's shoulder, making sure she wouldn't just dive into the scene without thinking it through.

'We really need some water here…' Squall frowned, rubbing his forehead.

'Not water.'

The voice surprised them. It was Seifer. Zell glanced at him, and muttered under his breath. The blond haired young man ignored the stares he received, and added stonily to Squall

'If it's an elemental fire thing or whatever they're looking for, water is gonna make it worse.'

Squall stared a moment, and looked away silently. He hated to admit it, but…maybe Seifer had a point. Water was like ice-fire didn't like water or ice.

_Damn…if only we could use magic…_he thought.

'He's right.' Quistis backed up Seifer. She seemed to be doing it a lot recently, Squall had noticed. Maybe it was just him, but he sighed to himself anyway.

'If we can't use water…' Rinoa began

'Wind.' Quistis nodded. 'It's the only other choice.'

'Are you crazy?' Costa exclaimed, looking to the blonde woman. 'Fan the flames? That'll make the fire go crazy!'

'No.' Squall replied 'Harness it…Pandemona.' He looked to Irvine.

Irvine shrugged. 'But we can't summon…'

'HEY!' Selphie cried suddenly. 'Look what I did!'

They looked to the petite girl. She was jumping up and down, pointing joyously to the small puddle on the floor. While the others had been talking she had silently been trying to cast magic. Lila stared at it, then looked to Selphie, wondering why she would get excited over a small puddle. They would need much more water than the small pathetic amount she was pointing to.

'Uh…I don't get it?'

'I cast Water! I did it! Try it!'

Quistis gave Selphie a look, and then held up her hand. Closing her eyes, she focused her thoughts on summoning a simple fire spell. The others looked on, as slowly but surely, a ball of fire formed in her palm.

The young people unaccustomed to magic gasped in awe and disbelief.

'Wow…' Ash said 'How did you do that?'

Quistis opened her eyes, and smiled slightly. 'Magic.'

Sara stared, stunned. It was…amazing. The insane thing was it looked completely natural, when it completely wasn't.

'Unbelievable…' Vreya murmured, reaching out with her hand to feel if it was real.

'Careful.' Quistis drew her own hand back, but not before Vreya felt the heat of the ball of flame.

'It's…really real…' Vreya exclaimed, amazed. This was living proof that magic really existed. No one could deny it now.

Roxy drew in a breath. 'That is SO cool!'

'Yeah…no kidding…' Gen agreed.

'So you can really cast all kinds of spells?' Lila asked, eyes wide.

'Yeah…or are there just a few basic ones?' Costa asked.

'Oh no…' Quistis smiled 'There're lots of levels of the same spells…that was Fire…we can use a stronger form, called Fira, or the strongest Firaga.'

'But these fascinating facts are going to have to wait kids…' Fleck spoke up.

'Yeah…you have a more important job to focus on.' Harris nodded.

'Oh yeah baby!' Zell grinned. He held a small glowing ball of blue in the palm of his hand-the simplest form of ice-spell, Blizzard. He tossed it to the floor and it shattered.

Selphie grinned back. 'Woo! The magic system is back in business!'

'We could have used it sooner if we weren't stuck on thinking we couldn't!' Rinoa exclaimed.

'Ah…don't think so Rinoa…' Rica replied, raising a brow 'I think the barrier has only recently been completely lifted…'

'That's if it has been lifted completely.' Fleck agreed. 'Come on. The special effects are on you. Our lot don't know how to use it yet.'

Squall nodded, pleased that they had some magic back under control. Using magic along with guardians would make things so much easier, and safer. He looked to Irvine. The young SeeD didn't need to be given instructions. He grinned charmingly, happy to be given the opportunity to impress the ladies, and bragged

'Right all. Get ready. Ladies, you might want to stand behind me.'

'Irvy!' Selphie scolded lightly.

'Damn ladies man…' Zell said in disgust.

Zane rolled his eyes. 'Is he always like this?' he muttered under his breath. Seifer scowled.

'Yes.'

'Just get on with it, Mr. Hero!' Vreya exclaimed. Rinoa giggled at the look on Irvine's face.

'What? Sheesh. The ladies here are sure hard to impress…'

'Irvine!' voices chorused at him in unison.

'Okay, okay! I'm doing it…' He closed his eyes, hoping that Pandemona was feeling compatible with him today.

'Once the smoke clears, we go in.' Squall instructed to his group. To the others, he added 'You follow.'

'Hey, we want to fight too!' Roxy said, putting her hands on her hips.

'Yeah. Can't keep spoon-feeding us dead carcasses. We have to learn too!' Costa agreed, surprising his friends.

'Wow.' Lila remarked. 'And you were always so sceptical about this being true.'

'Past tense.' Costa replied, waving off her comment.

'Uh kids, you might want to watch and learn…' Fleck advised. Zell grinned at the disappointed young people.

'Don't worry baby! You'll kick ass soon, and grow bored of it too!'

Squall looked back to Irvine. What was taking so long? If Pandemona was refusing to appear, he had a fully compatible Shiva waiting for his call. It was too bad that using a direct Tornado attack was a less controlled form of wind magic.

'Irvine…' he said in exasperation. This wasn't a leisure display. It didn't have to be spectacular.

'Shhh!' Selphie hissed. 'Let him concentrate!'

Squall placed a hand on his hip, impatiently.

_Pandemona…_Irvine called. _C'mon damn it! I don't have all day!_

_Call on Eden. Do you not value his service above mine? _The wind guardian replied sourly.

_Of course the human does. I know no envy. _Eden replied.

'Ah give me a break Panda! Just come out will ya! I got people waiting here!' Irvine said out loud.

'What's wrong?' Quistis asked, frowning. Seifer snorted in disdain. Typical-the brown haired sniper hadn't evenly distributed the use of each of his guardian forces in battle and as a result there was a lot of internal quarrelling going on.

'Great. A jealous GF.'

Zane raised a brow. They had emotions?

'Can they get jealous?' Gen asked, confused.

'Yeah. They have feelings too.' Zell pulled a face. 'I make sure to use mine evenly, but Irvine here…'

_Please Pandemona. I do value your help! How many times did I use a tornado spell against Griever?_

Pandemona didn't seem impressed.

_You did not summon me._

Irvine hadn't realised guardian forces could get so emotionally crabby.

_Because Griever would have killed you in one blow if he sensed any junctioned GF's!_

There was a silence in his mind. He added he hadn't used Eden either, and that even the mighty Bahamut hadn't appeared either.

_Besides, Eden always takes too long!_

_What?! _Eden bellowed in displeasure. That did it. Irvine felt the tingling sensation that came before the GF left his mind, and a moment later the wind guardian appeared before him. He made sure to apologise to Eden before turning his attention to Pandemona.

The wind whipped back Vreya's hair, and strands flew across her face, uncontrollably. Lila shrieked, putting her hands to her head, trying in vain to keep her hair neat. Roxy did the same, but everyone else was too awestruck to worry about the state of their hair.

'What…is that?' Zane managed, as the huge, strange looking, purple creature materialised before his very eyes.

'Pandemona…guardian force of the wind.' Squall replied. A GF's appearance was always something spectacular to behold, but the first time was always the most shocking to the senses. It was obvious from the looks of those unaccustomed to seeing such beings doing what they did best-

-Pure destruction and mayhem.

'What species…' Gen began, but Sara cut him off.

'I don't think it has a species Gen…'

'Tornado Zone!' Irvine yelled, and the guardian force spread its great arms at Irvine's command, and drew in a mighty breath.

'Everyone, get down!' Squall yelled, grabbing hold of Rinoa, and placing an arm protectively over her. They all dove down for cover, as Pandemona released a great gust of air.

Vreya gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. The force of the wind was terrifying. It was like…well, like being in a tornado zone! The cold air was stinging, and she wondered when it would end.

After what seemed like an eternity the wind finally died down, and they slowly dared to get up, just in time to see Pandemona dematerialise into thin air.

Ash gaped. That had been…amazing.

Squall took note of Ash's and the rest of his friends' reactions and sent an amused thought to the mightiest GF he possessed.

_Wait until they get a look at you Bahamut…_

Bahamut was pleased to receive such a compliment.

'Well…' Fleck laughed a little nervously. 'That settles the real-unreal debate!'

The smoke had completely cleared, and they could see clearly. Flames of raging fire obscured any clear view of the creature they had caught a glimpse of on the news, but it was definitely there. A dark silhouette was just about visible in the fiery depths.

'Come on.' Squall ordered, and he marched forward, closely followed by Rinoa, Zell, Quistis, Selphie, Seifer, and finally Irvine, who had hung back for praise from the girls.

'That was so cool!' Roxy gushed, giving him the attention he loved.

'Yeah well, it becomes an art you know.'

_Oh shut up human. _Pandemona snapped in his mind.

_How I detest brags…_Eden agreed. For once the two were on similar wavelengths.

'You the man!' Lila winked at him, and he grinned, before hurrying after his group. Costa looked to Lila.

'Did you have to say that?'

'I said it deliberately.' Lila replied, as they waited for their new friends to give them the all clear.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Squall squinted as they neared the flames. There was a gunshot, and then a piercing inhuman cry of pain. Squall's eyes scanned the area, trying to locate where the gunfire was coming from.

'Yo, we should take out whoever's shooting at it!' Zell suggested, echoing Squall's thoughts exactly.

'It's coming from everywhere!' Quistis called, over the crackling of flames. Irvine frowned. So they hadn't been blown away by the wind attack.

'Squall!' Rinoa called, barely managing to stand the heat. 'Let's split up in all directions and take them out!'

'Right!' Squall agreed. 'Meet back round the other side!'

They spilt ways, looking for the enemy.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Costa paced around, impatiently. He couldn't stand this waiting. He wanted some action too.

'Man, this sucks. How come they get all the fun? Who are the chosen ones round here?'

'Shut up!' Zane snapped at him. Costa was surprised at his outburst, but recovered.

'What's your problem?' He snarled back.

Zane glared at him. 'Sorry.' He said sarcastically. 'Go ahead and announce who we are to the world.'

'I hate to agree, but he's right.' Lila replied. 'Keep it down!'

'But I want to fight! I'm going in there!' Roxy said, and bolted forward. Vreya tried to pull her back but the small girl was too fast. She disappeared a second later.

'Roxy!' the remaining girls cried in dismay. Costa shook his head.

'I'm going in!'

_Good. I hope you don't come out. _Zane thought angrily. It served the hothead right if he got burned to ashes.

'No! Costa, you stay put until Squall comes back here!' Rica said angrily 'Follow orders!'

But Costa had already entered the fray, and Sara was following.

'Sara!' Vreya called after her. 'What are you…?'

'We may as well go in!' Sara replied.

'God, I am not going in there.' Lila started. 'No way…'

'HEY!' a voice yelled loudly. It took a moment for them to recognise it belonged to Zell. 'YOU GUYS GET IN HERE!'

Vreya looked to Lila, and before her friend could object, she grabbed hold of her arm, and dragged her forward with her.

'No!' Lila screamed. 'We're gonna get toasted, dammit!'

Ash, Gen and Zane followed silently behind, as Rica, Fleck and Harris exchanged glances helplessly.

Roxy stumbled forward. It sure was hot…she wasn't even sure where she was going. She squinted, finally making out a figure in the distance.

'Hey! Zell is that you?' As she neared it, she reached out to grab hold of the arm, and was pulled violently forward.

'Ouch! No need to grab so haaaaahhhhhhh!' she squealed, as her eyes rested on the face of a startling ugly creature. It…stood up on two legs, but was hunched over, and looked like a disfigured human. No…a zombie…no…

'Roxy!' she heard Costa's voice behind her. 'Where are you?'

The thing that had grabbed the red-haired girl smiled maliciously, drooling at the mouth. Roxy felt sick, and tried to wriggle free. She was horrified to hear it speak in some gibberish tongue. But then, as she listened closely, she realised it was actually speaking in English. It was rasping and croaking in English.

'Haaarrr!' it sneered, jutting its foul face forward, so that it leered over her. Roxy thought it sounded like a pirate, and winced at its bad breath. Just the breath could knock a person unconscious.

'H…h…u…m…a…a…n' It rasped. 'T…i…m…e…e…t…t…o…o…o…d…a…i…!'

Roxy's eyes widened, and she did the only thing she could think of. Her weapons were on her, worn on her arms, and with an angry cry she punched forward and up, making sure the twin blades made contact. The creature screamed in pain, but it didn't let go.

'Whoa, crap!' Costa had arrived, and so had the others.

'Get this thing off meeeeee!' Roxy screamed.

'Oh my God!' Sara unwounded the whip she had been training to use, and cracked it at the thing. It made contact with a sickening sound, but the thing didn't let go of Roxy. It bled, but it gripped on. Sara stared, stumped that her attack had failed. She hadn't expected to be that bad.

Vreya stared, horrified. Seeing a close friend in danger made her forget about her own fear. She raised her right arm, and took aim, pulling at the small lever of her weapon. A sharp shard of metal flew at the monster, hitting it in its hunched back. It screamed in pain, and whipped its head round. Roxy was cutting at it with her arm-blades, but to no avail. The creature stared at Vreya, enraged, and threw its head back.

'What's…it doing?' Lila said, dreading the answer. It came a split second later and was totally unexpected. They all cried out in alarm as a long, slippery, slimy tongue, like a frog's rolled out of the creature's mouth. It shot right at Vreya, who screamed, unprepared for such a quick and revolting counter-attack.

'Look out!' Gen yelled, as the alarmingly long green tongue lashed out toward the girl.

But she was shoved out of the way by Ash, who got the thing in his face as a reward of his bravery.

'Argh! Get it off me!' he yelled, as slime covered his face. It burned, as if it were acid. Lila screamed, as Ash fell to the floor. She bent down next to him, frantically trying to wipe the sticky substance off his face with the sleeve of her top.

Zane gritted his teeth together, angrily. Even though they had been training, they were still very much unprepared. He unsheathed the sword that was strapped around his waist. The creature had opened its mouth and looked like it was about to devour poor Roxy, who was thrashing with her arms uselessly. Blood was covering her bare arms, and she was going hysterical.

Vreya fired again, and the monster whipped its head round again. Zane waited for the precise moment. The tongue shot out at Vreya…the others were crouched over Ash, save for Sara who cried out.

'Vreya!'

It moved too fast…she couldn't keep up. She raised her arms to try to protect her face, but a figure stepped in front of her, shielding her, and intercepting the attack. Vreya's heart raced, and she realised who it was.

Just as Zane had planned, the disgustingly long tongue had wrapped around his sword, which he held with both hands tightly, up and at an angle.

'Eat this!' He yelled angrily, and in a swift fluid movement he sliced down, cutting part of the tongue off. The creature's scream was horrifying. Vreya covered her ears, watching as Zane darted forward. The monster let go of Roxy and turned to the new, more dangerous threat. But the boy was too fast. He gracefully dodged any attempts to floor him, and side-stepped around the monster, simultaneously raising his sword and bringing it down, making sure to put a lot of power into the strike. The sword cut into the creature. It snarled and made a blind dive at Roxy, but Zane shoved her out of the way, paying for letting his guard down for a moment. It grabbed hold of him instead, by his throat, and the others cried out fearfully.

Vreya raised her arm and fired frantically. Her quick actions were rewarded, as the creature lost its grip slightly. Slightly was enough. Zane didn't hesitate. He drew back his sword and with an angry cry he stabbed up into the creature's gut. It cried out, and released him. Zane raised his leg and kicked it, sending it back, drawing out his sword. It fell to the floor, trying to claw at his feet, but he evaded easily and raised his sword to finish the job.

The others looked away as the creature was finally put out of its misery. Zane breathed deeply, not quite believing what he had just done. He had just slain his first monster…and it felt good. Satisfying…he rubbed at his neck. Other than the fact it felt a little sore from the thing's grip, he was fine. No other injuries. He was getting pretty used to seeing crazy things-and dealing with them.

Roxy blinked, looking at Zane, who had his back to her. He was a jerk…yes, but boy, could he kick ass! More importantly he looked gorgeous while he did it. At that particular moment she loved him. He had just saved her!

She jumped up just as he turned around and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his already sore neck. Zane blinked, shocked at her response, but recovered fast.

'Get off me!' he snarled at her, and shoved her away. Roxy fell back to the floor, but she wasn't offended. Just as she had planned, he'd reacted by pushing her away roughly. She looked up at him, a huge grin on her face.

'Tee-hee!' she smiled 'you are so cool! You saved me!'

Vreya ran over to Roxy, and helped her up again. She looked up at Zane, who was still glaring at her friend, rubbing the back of his neck.

'Sorry about her…' Vreya apologised, as his eyes moved onto her. Roxy pulled a face, swearing she didn't regret it. Vreya ignored her, and added sincerely 'Thanks. Are you okay? That thing grabbed you pretty roughly…'

He averted his eyes and said the first thing that came into his head.

'Whatever.' Zane muttered, not sure why he felt very uncomfortable at her concern, and was saved by the arrival of Zell and Selphie.

'Hey…whoa, what the hell happened to you!?' Zell exclaimed.

'We were attacked actually!' Sara said, putting her hands on her hips. 'Where did you go?'

'We took out the…you're bleeding!' Selphie pointed to Roxy's arm.

'Oh no…yuck…it's not my blood, it's that things!' Roxy pointed at the still creature.

'Hey, you took it out…without our help!' Zell smiled. 'Yeah baby, we can do some serious damage together!'

'Zane killed it.' Roxy smiled sweetly at Zane, who looked at her in disgust. Zell grinned at Zane and slapped him on the back.

'I think you got your own Squall here!'

'Don't do that!' Zane glared at him. Selphie grinned. 'Teehee!'

'Uh, guys, sorry to interrupt, but frickin' do something!' Costa yelled at them. They looked to him, and Vreya's eyes widened. Ash had gotten hurt because of her…she ran over and dropped down beside Lila, who was crying.

'I can't get it off I can't get it off! It's hurting him…what do we do?!'

Gen was trying to calm her down. 'Lila…it's okay…'

Ash lay still, the slimy substance still plastered onto his face. It was hardening. Vreya looked up at Zell and Selphie, desperately.

'Isn't there anything you can do?'

Zell and Selphie walked over to where Ash lay, head resting on Lila's lap. Selphie pulled a face.

'Yuck. What happened to him?'

'The thing hit him in the face with its tongue…' Gen replied.

Zell frowned. 'Cure, Cura or Curaga?' he asked Selphie. The others stared on, confused.

'Uh…Cura!' Selphie nodded. 'Or Esuna?'

'Both.' Zell nodded. 'You do the curing.'

'Right!' Selphie nodded, as Zell held out his hands over Ash's face. He concentrated, and the others watched as a soft purple light began to glow at his fingertips. It spread and fell over Ash's face. Zell drew his hands back, and Selphie spread out her fingers over Ash's face.

'Cura!' she said, and blue light fell over the purple light. The two merged together, and when the magic disappeared, they all looked down at Ash, whose eyes were closed. His skin was as smooth and unmarred as it had been. The substance had gone. The remainder of the young people gazed, awestruck, at the effects and the power of magic.

Lila touched his face. 'Ash?'

His eyes slowly opened, focusing up at her. In her eyes he saw worry and then relief. He felt confused. He knew Lila had a thing for him, but had always imagined it was just a normal crush, like all the other girls had on him at school. He began to have second thoughts however, seeing the look on her face.

'Hey man…you okay?' Costa asked, peering down at him.

'I think so…'

He was helped up, and Vreya grabbed hold of his arm. 'You could have gotten yourself killed!'

He merely looked back at her. Vreya shook her head, and did what she couldn't do to Zane. She hugged Ash quickly.

'But thanks…'

As if they had a will of their own, Zane felt his eyes move away. It was just a friendly hug, and yet he couldn't look at it.

_Asshole…_he thought, and was shocked at the thought. _What the hell is wrong with me? _He thought in alarm. He spoke up before he dwelled on the matter too much.

'Where're the others?'

Zell stood up. 'Oh yeah. C'mon, lets go!'

Lila glared at Ash, and then punched him in the arm. 'You jerk! Next time think before you act!'

Ash gave her a baffled look, and she frowned, and stalked off, catching up to Vreya. Ash shook his head. Women were so strange.

Costa slapped him on his back and they followed after Zell and Selphie. Roxy was holding out her arm for Selphie to heal. She marvelled over her untainted skin, once Selphie had finished.

'Spells are so cool! I can't wait to learn!'

Selphie grinned back, linking her arm through Roxy's. 'I can't wait to teach ya! Wait 'till you see the Ultima spell, it's SO awesome!'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Seifer disposed of another very foul looking creature. The entire area was a war zone. Dead bodies lay about, abandoned police vehicles. It was truly alarming to see. Police had obviously been here, and had been attacked by the same things Seifer had been killing. Ugly, nasty creatures that had long tongues that rolled out of their disgusting mouths. They were everywhere, swarming like…like locusts.

Damn…he had some of the slime on his gunblade. As he went around he caught sight of Irvine, who blew one of the creature's head right off. He noticed Seifer and jogged over to him.

'Hey!' he said 'you seen these zombie things?'

'Just killed five.' Seifer replied.

'They probably attacked the news crew-darn this place is a hellhole! It stinks!'

'Irvine, Seifer!' Quistis's voice called over to them. They hurried over to her. She kicked a body she had just disposed of, and turned to the two young men.

'These monsters are crawling all over the place. They're also attacking that animal in there with magic. Either of you got any Holy stocked?'

'Uh…Seffie has Holy…and Zell' Irvine replied. 'I'm out.'

Quistis looked to Seifer who shook his head. He did have potent magic, but not much of it, and no Holy.

'Damn. I just used up my last copy. Okay, let's stick together anyway. I don't think they like ice magic either…' her voice trailed off as they caught sight of a brilliant display of blue in the distance. Squall had just summoned Shiva. Quistis thought of summoning Alexander, but decided against it. He might do too much damage.

Just as they moved off, Selphie's voice called to them.

'HEYYYYY!'

The three looked back to see Selphie and Zell arriving with Vreya and her group behind them. Irvine smiled at Selphie.

'Just in time…we need Holy magic.'

'I got loads of that!' Selphie nodded.

'Me too.' Zell said.

'Alright, stick together people!' Quistis instructed. 'Let's regroup with Squall and Rinoa!'

They walked on, staying close together. But as they rounded another bend, trying to avoid stepping on dead bodies, a shrill cry split the air, causing them to cover their ears.

'Argh…my ears!' Costa yelled.

'It's the animal!' Roxy cried. 'Look-there are more of those things-they're hurting it!'

Sure enough a group of the same creatures they had just encountered stood close together, and were firing dark magic into the flames. Vreya stared in horror. This was terrible. So many dead, human bodies-police force, ordinary people…it was obvious those creatures were responsible. She wondered why the fire-service hadn't arrived, and no back up.

Selphie hurried forward. 'Eww!' she exclaimed. 'Take some Holy undead freaks!' Raising her small arms she focused and caste Holy. Bright yellow light appeared in the air and then streaked towards the zombie like creatures. As Zell caste a copy also, and Seifer and Quistis and Irvine dealt out physical attacks, Vreya noticed something strange. The creatures were…different colours! What was more, they were changing like chameleons every time they were hit.

She grabbed hold of the person nearest to her-Zane. He turned his head and looked at her with a mixture of surprise and irritation.

'What?' he asked, drawing back his arm. When she wouldn't let go, he jerked it out of her grasp, glaring.

'Look-they're changing colour!'

'What?' Zane frowned at her and looked to the foul looking vermin. He realised what Vreya was saying was true, and told Seifer.

Seifer stared at the creatures. Sure enough, as soon as Zell hit one with Holy, it changed from a sick green-brown to a shade of even sicker brown-grey.

'Quistis! They're changing colour!' he yelled to her. Quistis nodded.

'I just noticed…Holy doesn't seem to be hurting them anymore…they're changing weaknesses every time they change colour!'

'Say what?' Zell exclaimed. 'But how come they keep changing colour?'

Selphie jumped back, barely avoiding a swipe from one of the creature's arms. Irvine held out his hand.

'I'll scan that red one…' he said, casting Scan. A moment later, his eyes widened.

'What?' Selphie asked, breathless, cheeks red with the exhilaration of battle.

'Hyne, this isn't pretty! No…Zell, don't touch the red…'

But it was too late. Zell had foolishly gone to punch the red creature, and as soon as he touched it the creature began to convulse. A moment later steam emitted from it, foul smelling and pungent.

'Uh, it stinks!' Sara cried, covering her nose and mouth.

'No kidding…what the hell is happening?' Costa yelled.

'Zell, it's gonna blow!' Irvine warned. Zell reacted far too late. Caught off guard by the commotion, the intensely red creature grabbed him. Quistis yelled, and cried out

'Caste blind…someone blind it!'

Selphie squealed 'I'm out of darkness magic!'

'It's gonna blow!' Irvine yelled again.

'Zell! Get away from it…' Lila cried. Zell was struggling with the creature, and finally Seifer stepped up. The damn chicken-wuss always acted without thinking…he raised his hand and caste double, then caste blind. The creature avoided the first assault of dark, toxic magic, but was unprepared fro the second cloud. It panicked, releasing Zell and clawing at its eyes. Gen grabbed hold of Zell, yanking him away as Quistis yelled

'Everyone, get cover!'

They barely managed to drop to the floor in time when the creature exploded, its limbs flying in all directions. A detached arm fell in front of Roxy and she gagged.

'U…yuck!'

The other creatures were furious that one of their own had been annihilated. They staggered over to the humans, outraged.

'Ice…ice will hurt them…no matter what the colour…' Quistis coughed smoke.

'What? We'll waste five copies per turn on those freaks.' Zell said, brushing himself off.

'Where the hell are Squall and Rinoa?' Irvine shouted. 'We need…' he coughed. 'Shiva!'

_Ice…Krysta…_Vreya thought. But she was unsure of how to summon on her guardian force, and hesitated.

Ash turned to her. 'Can you call Krysta?'

'I can try…I'm not sure…'

'Do what you saw Irvine do.' Ash urged.

Vreya nodded and then closed her eyes, doing what she had seen Irvine do. She called to Krysta in her mind.

_Krysta…I need your help…there're too many of them and they're weak to ice._

Krysta stirred in her mind. Finally she responded.

_You are untrained but…very well…_

Vreya felt a sharp pain in her mind…she was not used to summoning. She breathed out, trying to steady her racing heart, and opened her eyes. The air that she had breathed out was cold…despite the heat of nearby flames; she saw the cold air right before her. A moment later, mist swirled about her, and a swirl of blue light materialised. It twirled prettily and then shot in front of the entire group of humans, crashing down into the earth. Icicles shot up from the ground, and blue light exploded into pretty crystal shards. Krysta materialised, opened her eyes, looked at the creatures she had been summoned to deal with.

They would pose no problem.

Costa drew in his breath. Krysta was lovely, a vision to behold. They all watched in awe as she raised her slender arms gracefully, and parted them, holding them out wide. As she did so, a ball of blue formed in front of her chest. She drew in an arm, taking hold of the ball of blue light, and elegantly raised the arm up over her head.

Vreya watched, transfixed, wondering what she was about to do. She looked as though she were dancing. Then in a sudden, swift motion, Krysta swirled the ball, and streaks of light surrounded her. She whirled, casting her arms out in the direction of the creatures. Sharp shards of ice, glimmering like crystals in the air, shot out suddenly from the streaks of light, moving forward at the movement of her arms. They pierced into the creatures' skins and they screeched in pain. The hail attack was much too powerful, and they were already weakened from previous strikes. As Krysta dematerialised, they all fell to the floor, defeated, dead.

Vreya staggered back a little, amazed at the power she had at her disposal, and when they all turned to look at her, she smiled.

'Whoa…what a…head rush…'

Quistis steadied her. 'You shouldn't summon your guardian force if you haven't been trained to do so.'

Vreya nodded, feeling dizzy. She felt rather drained, but she would be okay.

'Hey!' Rinoa appeared before them, Squall right behind her. 'We saw lights…'

'Just disposing of these creeps…' Sara gestured to the dead bodies.

'What are they anyway?' Gen wondered.

'Freaks of nature…' Roxy replied.

''We've never encountered anything like them.' Squall replied, in his normal, serious tones. He looked to his friends.

'Everyone okay?'

Selphie grinned. 'Oh yeah! Feels good to kick butt again!'

Irvine said 'You found anything on the other side?'

'No.' Rinoa replied. 'Just…dead people, news crew, equipment lying around…and more of…'

'These freaks?' Costa guessed. 'Great.'

'They were attacking that animal in there.' Lila exclaimed. 'Why would they do that?'

'If it was bad like them, they'd have no reason to attack right?'

The young people turned at the sound of Fleck's voice. He coughed a little, and shook his head.

'There you all are. Took us long enough to find you…you were attacked right?'

'Yeah, but we handled it!' Roxy replied.

'They're not bad.' Quistis complimented. 'With a little more training…'

'So…like, what about that thing in there?' Zell asked. 'If we've taken out all the uglies, shouldn't we be getting what we came for?'

'Right.' Fleck replied. 'Harris and Rica have the vans covered.'

'How do we get it?' Ash asked. 'We'll need to take out the flames…'

'But it's injured…just like Seifer said, it'll make it worse…' Rinoa replied.

Squall thought. He looked to Selphie. 'Selphie?'

Selphie nodded. 'Yeah…I can use Ifrit right? He can shield me from the flames…'

'Uh…guys…' Gen said, 'I don't think that'll be necessary…'

They looked to him in confusion. A shrill cry filled the air, and the ground shook.

'What the hell?' Fleck exclaimed. 'Oh my…look! It's moving!'

Sure enough, the large figure within the flames was moving. It seemed to be in agony, in extreme pain. The flames around it were dying down.

'It's…getting weaker…' Zane said. 'The fire must be some kind of barrier it put up…'

'Yeah…' Squall said slowly. 'You're right.'

'I don't think it can hold it up fro much longer.' Irvine remarked.

'So what are you going to do?' Fleck asked. 'Can you guys heal it somehow?'

Selphie, who had always carried the most potent healing magic, looked uncertain. 'I dunno…have to see it first…'

The flames parted, and Roxy cried out in alarm. They all stared in amazement, and shock, at what they saw before them.

A large, mighty, beast of a creature tried to stand up on all fours. But its great limbs trembled, and it collapsed. They watched as it tried again and again to move, but in vain. Finally it appeared to give up, resting its head in between its front paws.

It was a beautiful and strange creature, one none of the humans had ever seen before…it looked like a cross between a small dragon like lizard and a lion-like beast- a remarkable and exotic sight. Its brown fur was stained with blood, and its claws were retracted. It had a fiery red mane, which swept down between its eyes, down along its strong back. Its chest was covered with the same red fur, and its brows and at the end of its chin, and the elbows of its limbs, and at the end of its great tail.

Its narrow eyes opened a little, a deep, blazing, fiery red-orange in colour, framed by heavy lashes. It blinked, dazed, and exhausted, closed its eyes again. A growl of pain escaped it. Its ears were downcast in pain, and were each filled with three golden earring circlets.

'Oh…God…' Costa managed. 'What the hell…is that?'

'It looks a bit like Iffy…' Selphie exclaimed. And it did-yet it was also completely different in other ways.

'Poor thing-it's so hurt!' Roxy cried in dismay, stepping forward.

'Careful Roxy.' Gen warned.

'I can see why it would make people panic.' Lila said. Vreya could only agree.

'Okay…so are we gonna heal it?' Seifer spoke up impatiently. Squall was uncertain. It looked like a guardian force…but how could they be sure it wouldn't attack them once they healed it? He decided that if the mighty beast like creature attacked he would summon Shiva to take it down again.

Quistis looked to Squall. 'What do you think Squall?'

Squall shook his head. Once again the important decisions were left to him. He replied 'Do it.'

Selphie swallowed a little nervously. 'Okay…uh…okay then…'

'I'll come with you.' Irvine reassured her. Rinoa stepped forward.

'I have high level healing magic too…'

'Rinoa…' Squall began. She turned to him.

'Squall, I gotta help!' Squall hesitated, and finally nodded.

'Okay…but you should caste protect first.'

They nodded, and one by one caste protect magic. A blue line rose before them and swirled three hundred and sixty degrees, before disappearing- any physical damage inflicted would be reduced by half in its effect.

The three then approached the creature. It opened its eyes as they approached, watching with hunter like eyes. It growled as Selphie edged nearer to it, holding out her hand.

'Heeey…' she said softly. 'Ummm…do you understand what I'm saying?'

Zell shifted on his feet nervously.

'We got rid of the bad things that were hurting you…' Selphie cooed to it. 'It's gonna be okay now…see, me and my friends are going to help you…'

She motioned to Rinoa and Irvine, who both smiled at the creature. Its eyes closed again, tiredly. It was even weaker than they had originally thought.

Selphie reached out and touched the creature's ear hesitantly. Its fur was soft. The eyes opened at her touch, and it growled again. Selphie snatched back her hand. Irvine held his shotgun cautiously, keeping it directed at the beast. It spotted the gun and growled in an angry tone. As Selphie reached out again it lifted its head.

'Hey…it's okay, we're not gonna hurt you…Oooh!' The creature snapped its mouth open and barred its teeth.

'Holy crap, look at the size of those teeth!' Zell exclaimed.

'All the better to eat you with my dear…they should get away from that thing.' Sara said, worriedly.

Fleck watched anxiously. 'This is amazing…if it really is a fire elemental, think of how powerful it is…'

'Why would it just appear in front of everyone though?' Zane asked, looking to him for answers.

'Yeah.' Vreya agreed. 'It's supposed to help us…'

'I don't know.' Fleck shook his head. 'It must have had its reasons…'

'Put away the damn gun!' Seifer snapped at Irvine. Didn't he realise that people had shot at the beats with guns? 'Can't you see it doesn't like it?'

Irvine realised that what Seifer was saying was right, and he threw his gun back to Zell, who caught it.

He held up his hands. 'There. See? No nasty gun!'

The creature growled. Rinoa stepped forward, and smiled at it.

'Hey…if you can hear us…we're going to heal you okay? It's okay…we're just going to use some magic…good magic…see?'

She stroked its head. It growled again, closing its eyes. Squall didn't like how close Rinoa was to the thing. He swallowed, nervously.

Selphie frowned. 'Its got SO many injuries…it's bleeding all over!'

'Only Curaga is going to work isn't it?' Irvine assessed. 'It won't take any potion.'

Rinoa took a breath. 'Okay…Selphie, I'm gonna caste it first, you follow up okay?'

'Want me to use some Esuna?' Irvine offered. 'It could be poisoned.'

'…' Rinoa nodded. 'Do that first.'

Irvine nodded, and held up his hands. The creature's fiery eyes watched him, warily. Soft purple light emitted from Irvine's hands, and surrounded the creature, soothing it. Rinoa raised her hands, and concentrated as hard as she could. She caste Curaga, and Selphie followed up with another doze. When the magic had taken affect, the three backed away, carefully. The animal had its eyes closed. The blood had gone, and all other injuries.

'Yo, you three better get back here.' Zell warned. The three did as he said, joining the group. Squall readied himself to summon Shiva, should the creature try anything. After a pause, the creature finally opened its eyes. It blinked, focusing, and its gaze rested on Vreya. It growled at her. Vreya frowned, confused.

'Uh…why's it growling at you?' Roxy asked, nervously.

'I think…it's because that thing senses she has an ice-spirit junctioned.' Quistis replied slowly.

'Fire hates ice?' Lila said. 'Well…it's not going to attack her is it?'

'No.' Fleck replied. 'It shouldn't.'

The creature slowly got up, managing to stand straight. It was mighty to behold, impressive, powerful. It towered over them, and snarled.

'I knew it was evil…' Costa began.

Zane shot him a look, irritated. Why did he always jump to conclusions?

'What?' Costa exclaimed at him. 'Look at it…what's it going to do? I don't trust that thing…'

'Calm down…' Ash told him, as the mighty creature stepped forward, baring its teeth. Vreya swallowed.

'I…I think he may have a point…'

'It's not evil…' Rinoa said. 'I didn't sense anything in it…'

'Well, you haven't been an active sorceress all that long.' Quistis replied. 'Maybe you failed to do so?'

Rinoa frowned at her. 'No…I'm telling you I would have known…'

They backed away as the creature advanced.

'It's a monster…' Lila whispered. 'We shouldn't have healed it…'

'Anything that looks like it came outta hell shouldn't be helped…' Costa said, panic in his eyes.

Squall regarded the creature. He spoke up. 'What are you?'

The creature growled in response. All of a sudden, a ring of fire surrounded the group, trapping them.

'Oh no!' Roxy wailed. 'It's trapped us…'

'Take it down!' Zell shouted. 'Squall, I think it really might be evil…'

A mighty roar cut him off, as the creature advanced.

_Krysta…_Vreya thought, afraid. _What is it?_

Krysta's response startled her. _How typical. He's enjoying your confusion._

Vreya frowned. What was she talking about?

'Hey you…thing!' Selphie yelled bravely at it, waving her arms to grab its attention. 'We helped you, what are you doing, we healed you!'

Irvine grabbed his gun off Zell, and pointed it. 'I got a gun and this time I'm gonna use it!'

'Selphie…I don't think it knows our language…' Fleck said. They were in trouble…

'Wait Irvine, put the gun away!' Rinoa grabbed at Irvine's arms.

'Rinoa!' Squall frowned at her.

'Shoot it!' Costa yelled. 'If you don't I will!'

'It's coming closer!'

'We shouldn't have healed it!'

'Oh no…'

'Stop panicking!' Quistis tried to keep everyone calm, but her attempts were in vain.

'Shoot damn it!' Costa screamed. Zane glared at him.

'Get a grip!'

'It's coming right at us!' Costa yelled, going hysterical, grabbing hold of Zane's arm. Zane winced, furious, and managed to detach himself. Costa was still going crazy, yelling and pointing and drawing attention to himself.

No-the creature was coming…right at him…his eyes widened. Everyone else realised that the mighty beats was actually moving towards a target…towards where Zane and Costa were standing.

Zane grabbed hold of Costa by the collar of his top. 'Will you shut up!'

He felt a great shadow fall over him, and turned his head slowly, to find that the great beast was staring right down at him. He swallowed, letting go of Costa, heart hammering.

_Oh shit…_he thought.

Vreya cried out in alarm. 'Get away from them you monster!'

'Costa, watch out!' His friends yelled.

But the creature was not listening to anyone. Irvine raised his gun and fired before anyone could stop him. The creature acted fast…the bullet bounced off an invisible shield, and the mighty fire guardian, Ignatius, whipped his head round, snarling at Irvine. Irvine stumbled back, falling to the floor.

'Oh shit!'

'Don't provoke it you idiot!' Squall yelled at him.

They watched, as the creature looked back to Zane and Costa. It seemed to be looking from one to the other, as if making a decision.

Zane swallowed. The eyes burned right into him, and narrowed.

Ignatius could see the fire in the boy's green eyes. A fire burning in his soul that was worthy of the great fire spirit's service. The boy still hadn't found it himself, but Ignatius could see it clearly. It was deep within, waiting to be let loose. Yes, he would make a worthy master.

_No…_he sensed the voice, a thought, and tilted his head to the sky. For that was where one of mighty guardian's dwelt, the golden, legendary one. Ignatius growled, not seeing the golden keeper of the skies, but hearing the order all too clearly.

_Junction not to this boy._

Ignatius looked to the boy behind the green-eyed one, and made up his mind. He supposed the other boy would have to do. He sent him a thought, preparing to junction to him.

_I am Ignatius…the fire-spirit…you aided me in my weakness, I shall repay the debt and aid you. Call on me when in need human!_

Costa blinked, hearing the voice in his mind. 'Huh?' his eyes widened. Zane looked to him, confused. He backed away, having noticed the creature was now looking intently at Costa. Before anyone could make sense of what was going on, the beast leapt forward, and as he did so he turned into a red ball of light. It shot straight at Costa, and slammed into his chest. Costa yelled in shock and fear, and fell back from the force. Pain overtook his sense, and he lay sprawled on the floor, out cold.

'Costa!' Roxy ran to him, and his friends surrounded him. Vreya let out a breath, relieved. It had been a fire-elemental after all.

Fleck turned to her. 'Well? Is this what happened to you?'

Vreya nodded. 'Yeah…it's okay, he'll wake up soon.'

The circle of fire diminished as soon as the creature had disappeared. Vreya felt a tugging in her mind-Krysta was asking for her attention.

Vreya listened a moment, and added to fleck 'Krysta says that thing was Ignatius, the fire spirit. She says he will junction to Costa and he can call on him from now on.'

Fleck nodded. Then their business here was done. As Ash and Gen lifted Costa up, he said 'Okay, you did well. We're done here. Lets get back to the van.'

They slowly made their way out of the wreckage, unaware of the eyes that watched them in the shadows.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Phew. So, what do you think! There's another GF for you Kitty, lol. Okay, review and I'll update as soon as I can! Thank you! _


	31. A Time For Mourning

Thank you for the feedback.  Welcome, new readers!  ^ ~ ^ Always nice to see(!) new faces.  Thanks for the encouragement-and about my spelling-yes, how awful.  But as you said, we all make mistakes.  For the moment, I don't have much time to go over in detail.  Rest assured though, I will be re-editing this!  But for now, roll on story!

Chapter XXXI: A Time For Mourning 

She could feel the change within.  It hurt.  It burned.  It made her angry.  The merging was already beginning.  Already, unholy creatures were infesting her lands, slaughtering her beloved children.  Her silver child's tear had fallen into enemy hands.  In the space of what humans called a week, much had changed and had yet to surface.  In the space of another week, much would change and show itself.  

And yet she still hoped.  The planet hoped.  The Fated Children had united with her Chosen few, just as the other far planet had promised.  Promised to send them-and they had come.  

And yet, time was not on their side.  Only two elementals had been acquired, and it had been a week since the fire guardian had agreed to serve one of the children.  A week had passed, and nothing new had surfaced.  The Threat only grew more powerful, and Earth only grew more anxious.  She was beautiful for all to view in space-but within-she was decaying and rotting.  She had tried desperately to keep the magical barriers from breaking, from falling.  But the Chosen and the Fated needed magic, needed the aid of guardian spirits.  If the barriers falling meant that the enemy could also use magic, then there was no other way.  She had finally yielded humans the right to use magic-something they had not done in many a millennia…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Tempest!  Tempest, run!'

The young man cast a look back at his sister, dark, deep, stormy blue eyes troubled, worried.

'Anjue…'

'Go!  Take the tablet' His sister, five years his elder, cast an anxious look over her own shoulder.  

'I cannot leave you…mother and father wanted us to go together!'

'Go brother-you are faster than I!'

'I will not leave you!'

His sister of four and twenty years turned to him, long, flaxen hair flaring in the wind.  Mud and grime stained her milky cheeks, but even with such staining her beauty could not be hidden.  Her blue eyes rested on her brother's and she took him by his shoulders, giving him that strong hard look he so admired.  

They had such little time…

'Listen brother!' Anjue spoke in a grim voice.  'Our tribe will not survive this night.  Long have our ancestors and our father protected the secret of the Earth…now he is slain…' Tears glistened in her eyes as she tried so hard to remain strong.  'And they have taken mother.  There is no time!  Take this tablet-father told me he wanted you to take it to the mountains…take it far, where no other mortal may lay his hands on it!'

'I can't leave you Anjue…they will kill you!'

'If you delay any longer we are both done for, and the evil man shall have what he most desires-quickly brother-think of the world in which we would dwell if such a man was suffered the right to have knowledge of such power…if he was suffered the right to wield such power!'

Tempest swallowed, and shook his head, unruly locks of wavy-dark brown hair falling into his eyes.

'Sister…'

'Keep faith Tempest-protect this scripture, just as our father protected it, just as out tribe protected it.  Will you have their deaths be meaningless?  Take it to the mountains…father has foreseen that someone shall relieve the burden from you there…'

'Anjue…'

'Kill them all!  Find the tablet!  The Master will spare none for returning empty-handed!' a voice yelled.

'Where is the tribe leader's son?  Where are his children!  Find them!'

Anjue gasped, and pushed her brother forward.  'Tempest, flee!  Make haste-they come!'

Tempest had lost so much this night.  He could not abandon his sister also.  He had failed to protect his family-some heir to the title of tribe leader he had proved to be.

'Anjue, come with me!  Cast haste-I have so much stocked…'

'No!  I will only slow you-take Niriel-she will bear you to the mountains quickly…' Anjue urged her brother to take their father's white horse that rode like the wind.  

'I cannot lose you!'

His sister had had enough.  His concern and desperate look broke her heart, but the secret of the Earth had to be protected, else the entire human race would be enslaved forever more.  She shoved her brother away with all her strength, screaming at him.

'Make haste I say!  You are the last-do not fail us!'  She raised her hands and cast magic at him-haste.  Tempest was stunned-his sister had never been so angry.

Anjue turned away from him at the sound of voices nearing.  

'You there!  Slaves, I have what you seek!' Anjue gave Tempest one last look. 

'Run!' she hissed.  'I shall find you again!'

Tempest backed away, shaking his head.  The enemy's warriors were coming closer-he could see their outlines against the hazy redness of the flames.

Anjue turned and began to run away from Tempest, waving her arms, distracting attention away from him.  Tempest wanted to run after her, but his legs were moving back, and he was running a second later, as fast as he could, tearing across the land.  Tears streamed down his cheeks, and it hurt to leave his sister, but he had no choice.  The wind whipped through his hair, sending the harsh rain flying into his face, stinging him.  He ran on, cursing-he wished only that he had the power to harness wind.  That way he could kill them all, make them pay for their horrifying crimes.  

That way he could not fail.  He would not fail his father.  He would uphold the family honour; avenge his family, his tribe.  He placed the tablet into the brown sachet he wore around his waist, and ran on, placing his fingers into his mouth.

The whistle rang clear.  The horse came.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The figure in the distance was that of the very person he had been waiting for.  He knew it, instinctively.  He was here to fulfil the planet's wishes.  He stood; arms folded, long, fiery, dark red hair stirring back with the gentle caress of the wind.  Yes, the winds had died down now.  Now that they sensed their new master was near.

The dark-haired young man who stumbled over the rocks was exhausted.  He had travelled for many days, and looked worn out and saddened.  He was most likely starving, dehydrated.  They had been following his trail, but the horse had borne him to this place quickly, speeded by the very winds he had cursed.  The boy climbed up the mountain trail, face grimy, stained with dirt, dried blood on his cheek where he had cut himself.  

Tempest swallowed, throat dry.  He needed water…he could not summon the magical kind…something had happened-when he had reached the horse so many days back he had been attacked.  The enemy's warlords had somehow managed to anticipate his move to find his father's horse, and caught him up.  He had been outnumbered, and they had all summoned on dark magic.  Tempest would have been helpless to stop them-he would have been slain-had not the magic disappeared from their filthy hands so suddenly.  When he had tried to summon his own magic to protect himself, nothing had come.  It was as if-a barrier had been formed, preventing the use of magic.  It had saved his life-he had used the warriors' confusion to his advantage and made his escape.  

They had been unable to caste haste to catch him up, and yet he knew they had been following him anyway.  They were days back, but he was exhausted.  He prayed he was in the right place-that these were the mountains his sister had told him to come to. 

He grabbed onto the edge of the huge boulder that was above him, and heaved himself up.  He almost lost his grip-he was severely weakened from hunger and days of no sleep.  But he managed to drag himself up, gasping for breath.  After a moment he raised his head, feeling a-presence over him.  

A level up, a young man stood, about his own age, perhaps a year or two his elder.  He was looking down at Tempest, expressionlessly.  He had a fair face, and the most interesting colouring Tempest had ever seen.  His long hair was a deep, flaming red; strands fell carelessly into his face, escaping from the loose knot that kept the rest of his hair back.  His eyes were narrowed, framed by dark lashes, but it was the colour that struck Tempest-a luxurious gold, so bright and so unearthly intense.  No mortal could have such colourings, and Tempest was afraid.  What if he were the enemy?

But the man, who was dressed in the attire of a true warrior, with a long, cloak like cape clasped at one shoulder and draping behind him, held out a gloved hand.  In the gloved hand he held a gourd.  

_Water…_Tempest blinked dizzily.  The strange red-haired young man dropped the gourd to him, and Tempest drank without a thought.  He was so thirsty-the water revived him, soothing his dry throat, though it did nothing else.  When he had finished, he turned his face up to the red-haired man.  

'Thank you…'

The man nodded, taking back his gourd.  He then offered a hand to help Tempest up.  Tempest accepted, gratefully.  Once he was standing beside the man, he had caught his breath he spoke.  

'I…who are you?'

His question was ignored.  'You have the tablet.'

Tempest was shocked.  The man said it so plainly, as if he knew for sure that Tempest had it in his possession.  Though he was grateful for his help, Tempest was not a fool.

'I don't know what you are talking about.  Who are you?' He demanded again.

Once again his question was ignored.  The man's voice was clear and authoritative, smooth and confident, almost haughty in tone.

'Give me the tablet.  It is time for you to relieve your burden.'

His sister's words rang through his mind: _someone shall relieve the burden from you there…_

'I…no.  How do you know?' Tempest was confused.

'Your confusion is expected.  But you may trust me.  I shall guard the Earth's secret.  I am willing to give my service to protect the descendents of these people.' The man replied.  Tempest was awe-struck.  What did he mean, giving his service?  It sounded truly noble and brave.

'Who are you?'

The man finally answered him.  'I am Aurion.  I have been chosen as the guardian.  Give me the tablet.'  He held out his hand to Tempest, expectantly.  Tempest looked at the man, uncertainly.  But what he saw in his eyes made his doubts disappear.  Tempest took the tablet into his hand and placed it into Aurion's.  

'You are the man my father foresaw would protect it?' Tempest asked, already knowing the answer.

'Your father was a great man.' Aurion replied.  Tempest was confused.  Surely…the red-haired man was a youth of likeness to his own age?  How could he speak of his father in such tones?  

'Do you wish to avenge your sister?'

The words cut into Tempest's heart like a knife.  So…she was dead.  His eyes lowered and he grieved silently.  Of course he had always expected it…but he had also always hoped she would make it.

'Do you wish to avenge your father, your mother, and your tribe?' Aurion questioned.

Tempest's sorrow mixed with rage.  The enemy's armed warriors had…ruined everything!  He was the last of his tribe-the last with no one to turn to.  What future had he? 

'How can I?  I am all that is left…'

'You are right.  You cannot avenge them now.  But you may in the future.  What say you?'

'What do you mean?'

'She is willing to give you powers boy.  The ability to manipulate the very air itself.' Aurion replied.

'She…?' Tempest was confused.

'The anger that you feel at the slaughter of your family and your tribe-the hate…keep it within.  Keep it and release it again, once it is time for the Chosen Ones to cast down evil for good.' Aurion replied.

'Chosen Ones?'

'They come in the future.  They are our future.' 

'Who will give me power?' Tempest frowned.

'The Earth.  She has found you to be worthy of such a gift.'

'But-magic…it does not work now…'

'She has placed a barrier.  She did it so that you may live.' Aurion replied.  'Will you accept her gift?'

'I do not understand…' Tempest shook his head.  He was tired, confused, and afraid.  Aurion was such a strange man; he seemed wiser beyond Tempest's understanding, a great, mighty, legendary sort of man.

'In time, you shall come to understand what is required of you.  Will you accept her gift?' Aurion asked again.  

Tempest was uncertain.  He had no idea what powers Aurion meant but something whispered in his mind that he could trust the red-haired man.  Besides, the chance to avenge his family and his people even if it was in the future…why not?  

He spoke in a low voice.  'I…accept.'

Aurion nodded, looking pleased.  'A wise choice boy; then perchance we shall meet again.  You shall lead them back here.  You shall lead her to the heart.'

'What?' Tempest was confused, but he broke off, feeling pain.  A burning pain in his mind…he fell to his knees, clutching his head.  But his chest began to hurt, and he couldn't breathe.  Terror filled him, and alarm.  He called to Aurion for help, and was shocked at the reply.

'Embrace your gift boy.  Use it to cast down evil.'

_No…what have I agreed to?  What have I done? _But it was too late to act.  The pain was overwhelming and darkness surrounded him.  When it rushed up to seize him he went willingly. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Give me a reason to hate you, and I will…give me a motive to murder, and I'll kill…because my mind's stuck with you, and everything I do, it's all about you…' The voice blared out of the car radio.  Vreya listened half-heartedly to one of her favourite songs.  It had such a powerful message of love, especially of the unrequited kind.

'Because baby, I'm just a puppet and your pulling my strings, and I can't untie any of these things I feel for you, what can I do, I'm besotted and deranged, and totally in love with you, yes it's true, totally besotted and in love with you baby boy…'

 'Get out my mind…' Vreya whispered along with the words, as the car pulled over finally.  The radio cut off, and the engine switched off.

'Miss LillyMoore, we've arrived.' The driver of the hired sleek black funeral car informed her.  He had placed the radio on at her request, and looked genuinely relieved to have it off again.  Vreya thanked him and got out of the car, taking a deep breath.  This was it-Katrina's funeral.

She smoothed down her outfit-it consisted of a simple yet elegant knee-length black skirt, a slim-fit three-quarter sleeved black shirt, black gloves, shoes, bag and hat.  She hadn't particularly wanted to wear any fancy outfit, but in respect for her uncle and aunt she had complied.  Her hair was tied back neatly, and the only jewellery she wore was her cousin's necklace, and a simple pair of silver earrings.  No make-up, no nothing.  She had arranged to meet her family here.

Vreya stood by the car a moment, tears stinging at her eyes.  She had never imagined she would see a day like this, so terrible.  Burying her own cousin, who was her own age.  

'Miss?' the kind old driver asked, concern in his voice.

'I'm fine…' Vreya whispered back.  'I can do this…'

'Very well Miss-let me escort you to your parents.'

Vreya walked after the driver, ignoring all the looks she got on the way, sympathetic looks, admiring looks, all sorts of looks.  On reaching her parents, she looked up.  Her mother was dressed in a longer skirt, but otherwise wore a very similar outfit to her daughter.  Her father looked tired, wearing a black suit.  They both noticed that their daughter had arrived, and greeted her.  Vreya saw her aunt and uncle standing nearby, also dressed in black.  Her aunt was weeping, and Vreya felt the misery overwhelm her all over again.  None of them but her knew the truth about Katrina's death.  None of the people here could understand what Vreya was going through.  The enormous responsibilities she had weighing down on her shoulders.

'Darling…you look lovely.' Her mother kissed her daughter's cheek.  'But you said you would be here almost twenty-minutes back.'

'Traffic.' Vreya replied, not feeling particularly social.  Her mother and father exchanged looks-worried looks.  They knew very well how much their niece's death had upset their daughter.  Katrina had been like the sister Vreya never had.

People were gathering around, going up to Vreya's aunt and uncle, and expressing their condolences.  They then came up to Vreya and her family, expressing very much the same.  Countless people hugged Vreya, kissed her cheek, and shook her hand.  Vreya watched the world fly by, watched people move away, move on with their lives.  She watched, thinking how simple and shallow humans were.  How they said they were sorry when they weren't, how they hoped a sympathetic look was enough to excuse them from really feeling anything at all.

The tears were falling again.  Just when Vreya thought she had cried enough to fill an ocean, they would come again.  She tried so hard to be strong, but about to witness a loved one being buried-into the Earth…really brought it home.  There was no denying it now.  Kat was really gone.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Ash pulled up, and parked his car.  Behind him two other vans pulled up.  Everyone got out, all dressed in respectable black.  Even Selphie had agreed to change for the occasion, borrowing clothes from Roxy.  The others who weren't dressed in black all had to borrow from other people too.  Only Squall looked acceptable in the clothing he wore.  

'We gotta take you shopping you know.' Roxy said to Selphie, who smiled.  

'That sounds good-let's get some in between saving the world!'

'Quiet.' Quistis instructed.  'This is a funeral.'

'We all here?' Locky looked around, and then checked his watch.  They had all decided to come over and pay their respects.  Those who didn't know Vreya well had come along too thanks to Rinoa's insistence.    The only three missing were Fleck, Rica and Zane, but they had said they would be coming later in Zane's car.

'Zane's late, again…' Costa said in disgust, rubbing his head.  Lila gave him a look.

'Why do you keep doing that?'

'It's not easy getting used to sharing your brain…' Costa frowned.

Zell grinned.  'Yo, which brain is that then?'

'Zell.' Irvine stifled a yawn.  'He probably has a fraction more brain than you do.'

_Are you kidding me?  The Chicken-Wuss doesn't have any brain…it's amazing how he functions right…_Seifer thought. 

'Ha ha.  SO funny.' Zell replied to Irvine.

'Nah nah I thought so…' Selphie stuck out her tongue.  Squall rolled his eyes.  This was a place of mourning-not a circus.  

They heard another car pull up and looked behind them.  

'Whoa-check out that car…' Gen exclaimed.  Ash was stunned.  It looked-even more expensive than his, was a gleaming silver convertible, and Zane was at the steering wheel.

'Show off…' Costa said.

'Tell me that is not his car.' Sara said.

'Wow…your cars sure look different to the ones we have…' Rinoa commented.

'Yeah, they actually look pretty here.' Zell joked.  

'That's not his car…he's not rich…is he?' Lila said, doubtfully.

'Uh…I think his parents must love him a great deal…look at the car plate.' Gen pointed.  Sure enough the plate read Zane's initials:

Z. I. 1

'What the hell is the one for?' Costa asked.

'Uh…Zane is number one?' Roxy took a wild guess.  Seifer smirked.  He liked Zane's style.  

'Oh shut up.  Hey ass.  Where'd you steal that car?' Costa demanded, as Zane approached, with Fleck and Rica.  He wore a simple black shirt and black jeans.  Lila couldn't believe it.  He hadn't even bothered with a tie or anything.  He still managed to pull off the look however, and with style.  

Zane replied 'From the car dealer ass.'

Costa glared.  'That isn't your car.'

Zane ignored him.  Costa was furious.  Ash placed a hand on Costa's shoulder, to calm him down.

'Look, just forget it.' He advised, hating the fact that Zane drove such a great car.  Of all people…

'Okay, we're all here.' Tai said, tugging at his tie.  Jez nodded.

'We can't all go there together.  Vreya's friends should go as a crowd, and we'll follow.'

'Who are we again?' Bo asked.

'I believe we agreed we were well wishers.' Morgan reminded him.  

'Oh.  Right.' Bo grinned.  'Sorry.'

'What about us?' Squall asked.

'You're Vreya's friends.' Fleck replied, and then gave Zane a push forward.  The boy didn't look happy at all.  He hadn't even wanted to come, but Fleck had warned him he'd look totally rude and if he didn't come there would be punishments.  Not that Zane was scared.  

'Get going tykes!' Bo smiled, and the adults grouped together.

'Okay.' Ash shrugged.  'Let's go.'

'Wait.' Lila said, adjusting her hat.  'Who has the flowers?'

'Here you go.' Quistis replied, handing Lila the bouquet.  Sara, Roxy, Rinoa and Irvine also held a bouquet.  

Selphie grinned at Irvine.  He raised a brow at her.  

'Huh Seffie?'

'You look cute without your silly hat, and holding flowers like that.' Selphie giggled.

'Oh.  Well you look cuter in your little yellow dress.'  Irvine responded.

'Irvy!' Selphie punched him.

'Ouch?'

They walked in a group, with Zane and Seifer trailing behind.  Seifer glanced back at Zane.  He walked with his hands in his pockets, head lowered, eyes downcast.  Seifer guessed the guy felt like an outsider the very same way he did-except with Zane it was because he didn't know the people he was with, and wasn't friends yet.  Unlike Seifer who knew the people he was with, and wasn't friends as a result of his own actions. 

They reached Vreya's uncle and aunt.

'Okay, you guys been to a funeral?' Ash asked, looking at their new friends.

'Nope.' Zell replied.  'Not in a while.'

'When I was younger…' Rinoa replied sadly.  

'But we'd guess your customs here are different.' Quistis replied.

'Well…that's Vreya's aunt and uncle there…Vreya and her parents are a little further down…basically whoever's holding flowers, go lay it besides those already placed there.' Sara pointed.

'Then you go up to the grieving and say 'I'm sorry for your loss'.' Lila nodded her head.

'You can add something appropriate if you like, just don't say anything stupid.' Sara added.

Everyone nodded.  

'After that, we just go up to Vreya and her family, say the same, hug Vreya, and stand aside just in case she needs us.' Lila finished.  'Also to watch the ceremony.'  

'That doesn't sound too hard.' Quistis said, relieved.

'We don't have to say who we are do we?' Seifer asked.

'No.' Roxy said.  'Nope.  They know us, if they see you all with us, they'll assume we're all school friends.'

Gen sighed.  'Better get going then huh?'

'Okay, one by one.' Sara instructed.  'Let's not be messy.'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Squall felt very awkward; expressing sympathies to people he didn't know.  In fact, he felt very awkward expressing anything.  Nonetheless he shook Katrina's father's hand, and said as sincerely as he could manage,

'Sorry for your loss.'

'Thank you.' Her father replied, barely looking up.  He'd said the word so many times he was beginning to sound robotic. 

Beside Squall, Rinoa was doing a fabulous job of sincerely expressing her regrets, one hand placed over Katrina's mother's hand, the other placed over her chest.  Squall felt horrified when his lips twitched slightly, as if wanting to smile.  But he managed to restrain himself, and nodded dutifully before moving off.

Zell shook Katrina's mother's hand, shaking his head also.  'Sorry 'bout your daughter.'

'She will be missed by us all.' Quistis added, hugging the weeping woman.  

Selphie just gave the woman a warm, long hug, Irvine's hand moved to his head to take off his hat respectfully, when he remembered he wasn't wearing one.  He smoothed back his hair and said 'Uh…she was…special.'

Seifer wanted to laugh at Irvine.  They hadn't even known the girl.  But he expressed his own regrets, and Zane followed last, very vague in his own expressions.

'Sorry.'

Vreya sobbed into Lila's shoulder, letting it all out.  It was true-you cried the most at funerals.  Lila held her, letting her take as long as she liked.  Sara comforted Vreya's mother, while Ash was talking to her father.  Costa, Gen and Roxy all paid their respects, and the next group of friends followed.  

'Hello.' Vreya's mother greeted the first-Squall.  'You're Katrina's friends?'

'Uh…' Squall began unsurely, but Vreya saved him.

'Yes…mum…Kat's friends.'

'We're sorry.' Rinoa said, hugging Vreya's mother. 

'So are we…' Vreya's father replied, sighing heavily.

Selphie gave Vreya a tight hug.

'It'll be okay…' she whispered.  'I swear we won't let them get away with it…'

Vreya shook hands, and thanked many people.  The final person however, did not extend their hand.  Vreya didn't need to look up to guess who it was.  She saw his silver ring, and kept her eyes lowered.  She hadn't even thought he would come.  Obviously she had gotten him wrong.  

Zane looked at her.  Beneath the black feathers of her hat, her skin was milky and pale.  Tear streaks stained her cheeks.  She looked upset.  Most people would look like wrecks when they were upset.  She managed to look just as good as she normally did.  

He was the only one who knew, who had seen Katrina apart from her.  He didn't offer his hand to shake, and Vreya's eyes rose curiously at his silence.  Her eyes met his, but he said nothing.  He didn't need to.  He had been there.  Vreya's parents noticed the strange silence, but before either could comment, Zane expressed his regrets to Vreya's father and walked away.  

Vreya's mother watched after him, surprised.  'Vreya?  Who is that young man?'

'…' Vreya was silent.  Finally she replied.  'Don't really know him.'  It wasn't a lie.  She didn't know him. 

Then she heard another familiar voice-Jez's.  Vreya looked up, into the face of her mentor.  The usually stoic woman regarded her for a moment, in silence, much the same way Zane had just done.  Then, to Vreya's surprise, Jez stepped forward, and gave her a quick hug.

'Sorry you've been through hell.' She said in a low voice, before stepping away.  Vreya looked after her, still surprised.  Maybe Jez wasn't as bad as Vreya thought.  Maybe she wasn't so mean.

Locky smiled sympathetically at her, and Bo gave her a big hug.  Vreya's parents didn't bother to question who all these people were. 

The ceremony finally got underway, in which Katrina's parents held each other and cried over the loss of their beloved and only child.  Vreya watched, with glazed eyes, as the coffin was lowered into the ground.  

Death and sorrow and pain…those are what getting close to people brought you.  That's all it brought you, people died, or people left and you were always alone.  Zane watched the coffin lower, his steely resolve never to let anyone get close hardening over all over again.  In the end you were on your own.  Why did people depend on each other?

When all was said and done, people moved off.  Zane watched them, eagle eyed, watched how they gave sympathetic looks and spoke final words they didn't even mean.  They all said they knew how it felt.  Did they?  Did they know how it felt to be alone?  Really alone?  He doubted it.  The entire scene was depressing and sickening and he felt disgusted.  He informed Fleck he was leaving as soon as the funeral rites had been said.  Fleck nodded, as if he'd expected Zane to tell him this, and assured his charge that they'd make it back with the others.  Zane walked away from the group, from everyone, thinking how pointless it was to feel all this pain.  The past couldn't be changed.  You had to deal with it and move on.  That was life.  What was the need for all these pitiful emotions?  They got you nowhere-anger got you somewhere. 

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Mum…can I go home?' Vreya asked, holding her stomach.  She had cried herself sick, and had a bad headache.  

'Are you alright darling?' Her father asked.  'You don't look to good.'

'I feel sick.' Vreya admitted.

'Of course you can go darling…is Marcus here?' her mother looked around for the driver that had brought her daughter here.

'No…he said he'd be back at four…that's half an hour away.'

'Couldn't you wait darling?  We're going home together after all…it will seem rude if your father and I leave your aunt and uncle now…'

'Mum…I feel really sick.' Vreya said, meaning it.  She could barely stand.  She needed to rest…she didn't want to run the risk of being too emotionally strung again.

'Right…alright, can your friends give you a lift?' 

Vreya couldn't stand the idea of a car full of teenagers, cramped together, talking happily.  It just wasn't how she felt.  She needed…silence.  She needed space.  She wondered if Jez would give her a lift home, but she saw that the woman was very much staying until the end, and shook her head.

'No space in the car…don't want them to leave just for me…' her voice trailed off, as her eyes rested on a figure walking away.  If she ran, she could catch him up.  Usually she would have ignored him, or told herself she'd rather die than ask for his help.  But she felt different now.  Besides, he was leaving, and she wasn't out of his way.  As her mother turned to ask her father if he could call for another driver, Vreya spoke up.

'No…it's okay mum, dad…I see a…friend leaving.'

'Are you sure dear?' Her mother asked.  'Your father will give you a lift home if you really don't feel too good.'

'It's okay…tell my friends I'll see them later.' Vreya said, moving off while her friends were busy around the refreshments table.

Her parents watched after her, confused at her words.  

Vreya took her hat off.  It was just a weight on her head.  But as she pulled it off, the clasps she had clipped her hair with caught in the net of the hat, and came undone.  Vreya's hair fell about messily, half still tied up, half loose.  She didn't care.  She ran as fast as she could in her heels and skirt, hoping she wouldn't be too late.

Zane got into the car, letting out a breath of relief.  Finally he could relax and be himself.  He started the engine, making sure the roof to his car was retracted.  He needed air.   Music sounded from the radio.  He pulled a face at the song that played. He recognised it.  It was a best seller at the moment.  Unfortunately he wasn't at all bothered to change the station.

'Give me a reason to hate you, and I will…give me a motive to murder, and I'll kill…'

_Oh great…not the teen angst crap…_he thought, as he adjusted his side mirror.  He heard a voice calling his name, and looked to see Vreya.  He blinked, surprised.  

What did she want?

'Zane…' she was quite breathless when she reached him.  Her eyes trailed over his car, noting that it was the most awesome model she had ever seen.  She'd had no idea that he had a car, or one as cool as the one he was sitting in now.  

Zane noticed her hat, which she held carelessly in her hand.  He looked back at her expectantly.

_Don't tell me she's asking me to stay a little more…_he thought.  What if she wanted to introduce him to her parents or something?  He would drive off right now if she asked anything like that.

But her question caught him by surprise.

Vreya felt awfully embarrassed all of a sudden.  He looked so cute sitting in such an expensive looking car.  She'd thought he just rode motorbikes. 

_What am I doing?  Who do I think I am?  We're not even friends…_doubts entered her mind for the first time.

He'd say no she knew, and she'd be left embarrassed standing by the roadside. 

_Why did you come? _A voice in her mind asked.

Vreya swallowed.

_Do not let the feeling escape you now.  _Krysta whispered.  Vreya was confused, but spoke up anyway.

'Ummm…Zane, I feel…kind of sick…'

Zane stared at her blankly.  Oh God, those eyes could make her throw up with nervousness.  When he looked at her like that she got stupid childish butterflies in her stomach, and it angered her, because ninety-nine percent of the time he was a jerk.

Zane was looking at her in a 'Do I look like your doctor?' way.

Vreya instructed herself to get a grip.  She wanted to leave before anyone noticed.  

'I was wondering…could you…take me home?' She placed a hand over her stomach.

'I mean…I feel tired, and my parents are staying here for a while…and it's too crowded, and the others aren't leaving yet…'

' …because my mind's stuck with you, and everything I do, it's all about you…'

_Oh great…it's the same song…how…appropriate…_Vreya thought to herself.  She swallowed, as Zane looked away from her, going into first gear.  Vreya felt even sicker.  If he left she would really cry.  For a terrible moment she thought he was about to drive off, but he didn't.

Zane thought.  Great, he should have known it would be something like this.  She didn't look like she was feeling too good, but why should he care?  He didn't…but he guessed it would be a social horror if he declined and drove off.

'Please?  Everyone else is too busy…my driver isn't here yet…'

'I get it.' He replied, looking annoyed.

'No…I didn't mean that…' Vreya realised how she must have sounded telling him her driver wasn't around yet.  'I just…I want to go home…'

'…I'm just a puppet and your pulling my strings, and I can't untie any of these things I feel for you, what can I do?' The song was playing on.

Zane sighed inwardly.  How many more times was he going to do her favours?  She might get ideas.  The others would get ideas.  They weren't friends…a non-friend didn't care and would drive off. 

But it was her cousin's funeral.  Besides, he was pretty sure her parents were watching.  He didn't need them on his case.  On top of all of that, he was not in the mood to argue, or to have her whine at him.  

'Get in.'

Vreya wasn't sure if she heard right.  Had he just agreed-without even saying anything sarcastic?  She didn't question her luck.  She hurried around to the other side of the car and got in beside him.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

Lila frowned as Zell downed yet another biscuit.  If he kept going at this rate there wouldn't be any left.

'Mmmf, these are delicious!'

'Glad you're enjoying them…' Lila raised a brow at him.

Seifer watched Zell as he ate, thinking he was the biggest pig he knew.

'Hey guys, don't you think we should get back to Vreya?' Sara asked.

'Oh yeah…where is she?' Lila asked, looking about.

'Hey…where's she going?' Roxy exclaimed, pointing.  Lila and the others looked to see that Vreya was just getting into Zane's car.

'Hey, what's she doing going with him?' Costa exclaimed, surprised.  

Rinoa smiled a little.  'Hey…maybe Vreya's parents asked him to take her home…'

'Maybe she's sick…' Selphie added.  Both girls were grinning.

'What?' Lila said, confused.  'What's this all about?  Since when did Zane willingly do her favours?'

'Guys-she's had a tough day.' Gen said, shrugging it off.  'And so what if she leaves with him?'

'The word asshole mean anything to you?' Costa muttered.

'Knock it off.' Rinoa said.  'I think it's sweet of him.'

_What are you playing at?  _Squall's voice asked in her mind.  She smiled at him mischievously.

Those two are mad for each other Squall.  This'll give them some alone time… 

Squall rolled his eyes.  Great…Rinoa playing match maker with Selphie…what a disaster.  He doubted Zane and Vreya would spend the way talking. 

Ash watched as Zane pulled out, feeling angry.  Why didn't Vreya ask her friends for a lift home?  Why hadn't she asked him?  He had a car too.  It confused him-Zane and Vreya weren't particularly friendly with each other, but he seemed more of a friend in his actions towards her than to the rest of them.  What was going on?  She didn't-like him surely?  Someone like Zane was all looks, and as he had discovered, all money and nothing else.  

Lila smiled a little.  She knew what was going on.  She'd known it since she'd seen the two dancing together.  As soon as her friend felt better, she'd get the confession from her…

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The drive home was quiet.  Much to both Vreya and Zane's relief neither bothered to engage in small talk.  It made things much easier.

Zane was grateful that she wasn't trying to get him to talk.  It would only irritate him-it was as if she had figured it out finally and chosen to leave him to himself, as he preferred.   

Vreya rested her elbow on the window frame, face turned away from him.  For once she enjoyed quietness.  Her headache had settled a little, and she didn't feel so uncomfortable.  This was probably the only time she would be able to sit in front with him.  She felt a little better with the breeze blowing into her face.  It was a nice day despite the misery of the occasion, and the only sound was the radio playing random songs.  

They stopped at red light.  Vreya recognised the area-they were close to her road.  Zane stared ahead, as if she wasn't even there in the passenger seat.  He checked his watch.  Just enough time to get home, get changed, and try and study for the pointless history test he had the following day.  

He pulled into her road, the memory of when he'd been here the last time playing in his mind.  Pulling up just outside her house, he waited for her to get out, keeping the engine on.  

'Thanks.' Vreya said, making sure he heard her this time.  Zane said nothing.  She got out, shutting the door, and walked round to the sidewalk.

'Oh…and by the way…' Vreya added, not quite sure what made her feel a little happier and gave her the confidence to joke with him.  Zane glanced at her just as he was about to pull out, waiting for her to finish her sentence.

'Nice cars pull nice women…'

Zane stared.

Vreya giggled despite herself, placing a hand to her dizzy head.  The look on his face was priceless.

_Why the little…She said she felt sick…_he made sure to glare at her.  But he smirked despite his irritation, and looked away from her again, and said coolly:

'This car isn't _nice_…'

Vreya blinked; she hadn't expected him to reply.  He shot her a smug look, before hitting the accelerator, making the engine roar.  Without another word he pulled out and sped off down the road.  Vreya smiled a little, watching the car as it disappeared down the road, taking part of her happiness away with it.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Okay, review!  That was just an emotional chappy.  Another one that is.  More action coming your way soon though, so stay tuned.  I'll update ASAP!  Until then, happy reading!_     


	32. Impress Me

_Time for the next one-thanks for the reviews-here we go again!  Enjoy!_

Chapter XXXII: Impress Me 

****

'Concentrate now.'

'I am concentrating!  Are you sure you gave me magic?'

Quistis sighed.  This was hopeless.  She couldn't understand it-she was a very good teacher; this fact had earned her Instructor status more than a year back.  But her latest student was proving to be quite a handful.  Costa was very trying, and this was the third session he was having on how to use magic.  Ever since the funeral three days back, she had been trying to get him to focus.  But in vain.  And he was becoming frustrated.

'Yes I did-you're not trying hard enough.'

'Damn it, I am trying!  It's difficult!' Costa said.  'I've never done this before.'

Quistis drew in a breath, trying to remain patient.  'All right, I understand.  But you can do it.  The very fact that you have a guardian allows you to use magic, unlike the rest of your friends who can't.'

'What, you mean that they can only start learning once they get elementals too?' Costa asked.

'Precisely.'

'…So it's just me and Vreya now?' Costa asked, looking across the vast training room to where Vreya stood next to Rinoa, holding out her hand and trying to learn what he was trying to learn.

'Yes.  So it's very important that you learn quickly.' Quistis nodded.

'Easier said than done.' Costa muttered.

'Come on dude, put some effort in.' Zell called to Costa, seeing the irritation on his face.  

'Zell let him focus.' Quistis shot a look at Zell, who shrugged.  'All right Costa now concentrate.  Hold out your hand…call on fire.'

'This is so crazy.' Costa frowned.  'If the guardian lets me use magic, why doesn't it do it for me?'

'That's not the way it works.' Quistis replied.  'Guardian forces are just harnessers of magic.  They let you control it and use it according to how you want.'

Costa stared at the attractive blonde, confused.

Quistis gestured.  'It's like...fire!  You can't have smoke without a fire.  You can't use magic without a GF.'

'…Right.' Costa said.  'So…without a GF it'd be hard to keep the magic under control.  Is that it?'

'Yes.  It would be hard to stock up on magic too.  But you have a guardian.  Now hold out your hand.'

Costa sighed, and held out his hand.  This was useless.  He wasn't ever going to get the hang of using magic.  

_Okay…_he attempted to communicate with his fire elemental.  _You gonna help me out or what?_

As usual, there was no response in his mind.  Costa cursed his luck.  Why was he stuck with such a creature?  Why couldn't he have had a babe of an elemental like Krysta?

No sooner than had he thought it, he winced as a sharp stab of pain emitted within his mind.  He didn't have to be an expert on guardians to know that his was angry.

Foolish ingrate!  You dare to insult me!  Thank your maker that a mighty spirit has consented to aid you!  Ignatius sounded most displeased.

Quistis judged from the look on the young man's face that he had just angered his guardian.  She advised him.

'It's not a good idea to anger your guardian force.  Try your best to maintain a good relationship-it'll materialise quicker in battle and can boost your own magic level.'

'Oh great!  So we have to be buddies?  Is that how I can call on magic?' Costa said in irritation.

'Not necessarily 'buddies'. Quistis said, folding slender arms across her chest.  'Just have a respect and understanding for each other.  You do your part; the guardian force will do its part.  Learn to cooperate.' 

Costa huffed.  'Well it doesn't seem to want to be cooperating so…' he broke off, as a triumphant shout echoed about the room.  He looked to the source, curiously.  Rinoa was jumping up and down, a look of delight on her face, clapping her hands together with joy.

'Yes!  Yes, yes, yes, yes! You did it!  She did it!  Yeah!'

'Oh yeah!' Selphie was hugging Vreya, overjoyed.  Costa moved before Quistis could protest.  He walked over to Vreya, who had a smile on her face.

'Well isn't that precious?' Irvine said, holding Vreya's hand in his own.  Zell grinned, looking down at the girl's palm.

'Cool!  You did it!'

Costa reached Vreya, and looked into her hand.  His eyes widened as he saw a glowing blue ball of bright light.  It hovered just above Vreya's palm.  She smiled at Costa.

'I did it.' She said obviously proud of her achievement.  It had been difficult, but with Rinoa's simple instructions and Krysta's encouragement, she had finally managed to focus in the right way.  It had felt strange just as the magic had appeared…her fingertips had tingled, and she had felt rather giddy and light-headed.  But it was an amazing feat.  The ball of light was cold, so cold that her hand was growing numb.  It looked so pretty and so surreal.  Seeing the others use magic was one thing-holding it in her own hand was another.

'You'll get used to it.' Irvine smiled, letting her support the weight of the ball of light on her own.  

'You caste a simple Blizzard spell-your guardian will be pleased.' Quistis nodded.  'Well done.'

'Woo!  Awesome!  Hey Rin, which spells did you give her?' Selphie asked.

'The main element ones, plus Haste, Blind, Protect, Shell, Cura and Esuna.' Rinoa replied.  

'How many copies?' Quistis asked.  'I gave Costa the same, except I gave him Slow and Petrify instead of Blind.'

'I had quite a lot, so I gave her almost half of my stock.'

'We can let them use some of our magic now, but sooner or later they'll have to obtain and draw some of their own.' Quistis said.

'Draw?' Costa asked.

'Knowing how to call on magic is only the first step, man.  You got a long way to go.' Zell explained.

'But, but, BUT!  If they all learn as quick as Vreya, they'll be experts in no time!' Selphie insisted.

'If an eight year old can learn in a few weeks, you can learn even quicker.' Irvine assured them.  

'Well I can't do it.' Costa folded his arms, huffing.  

'What?  Quisty is the best teacher!' Rinoa exclaimed.

'That may be, but I'm just the worse student.' Costa muttered.  Vreya shook her head.

'Costa-it isn't that hard.'

'Easy for you to say.  You can do it.'

'Look…just…what do you want to call on?'

'A simple Fire spell is all I'm asking of him.' Quistis sighed, shaking her head.

'Okay Costa…here's how I did it-just try and…see a fireball in the palm of your hand.  Hold out your hand…and focus on making it appear.' Vreya said.

'Making it appear?  You're really going crazy.' Costa gave her a funny look.

'No…seriously!  Try it.' Vreya said.

Costa sighed heavily, and held out his hand.  'This is hopeless.  What am I supposed to imagine seeing a ball of fire?' 

'With that kind of outlook you'll never learn.  Come on!' Rinoa chided gently.

Costa tried to 'see' a fireball, tried to 'make' one appear.  But as hard as he attempted, nothing happened.  He dropped his arm tiredly.

'There's no use.'

'No, don't give up.' Vreya encouraged.  'Try again.'

Costa shook his head, trying one more time.  He tried as hard as he could to focus.  Fire…come on fire!

Just as he was about to give up, a spark of light flickered just over his palm.  A split second later a ball of red flame burst into life, hovering just above Costa's skin.  Costa was caught so much by surprise, that he nearly pulled his hand back.

'No, don't!' Quistis warned.  'Do you want to set fire to the room?  That ball of fire is very real.'

'You did it!  I told you!' Vreya said, placing a hand on his shoulder.  

'Whoa…it's hot…' Costa said stupidly.  Rinoa and Selphie giggled at him.

'Great job man.' Zell complimented, slapping Costa on his back, nearly causing the young man to drop the ball of fire.

'Can't I burn myself if I hold it too long?' Costa asked Quistis.

'Yes, it's possible, but in battle you would not be so indecisive.  Magic is meant to be used quickly, and for a specific target.' 

'So how do we make it disappear?' Vreya asked.

'Just will it away.' Irvine said.  'It's as easy at that.'

'What?  All that trouble to actually make it appear and then you can just tell it to disappear?' Costa exclaimed.

Rinoa smiled in amusement.  

'It's the calling that's the hardest bit.' Zell grinned.  'And these are only simple spells.  Wait till ya all see the big momma spells…'

'Or the daddy spell, Ultima!' Selphie smirked.

'Daddy spell?  I'd say Confuse is the daddy spell.  That darn spell is so annoying.' Irvine frowned.  

'Heh, that's just because you were always inflicted with it…you know how many Esuna's we wasted on you?'

'Wasted huh?' Irvine shot back to Zell, who grinned at him.  'You could have just left me confused.'

'Selphie would have punched me.  I was looking after the well-being of my arm.' Zell joked.

'Oh my…your hand's on fire!' A new voice entered the room.  It was Lila, and with her Roxy.  They rushed over to Costa.

'Wow!  Is that really magic!' Roxy gawked, staring at the ball of flame.  Lila stared in amazement.

'That looks so…cool.'  She couldn't think of any other word for it.  She noticed that Vreya also held magic in her hands.

'Oh Vreya!  You did it too!  What's that?'

'An ice spell.' Vreya replied.

'Oooh, I wanna learn!' Roxy moaned, wrinkling her nose and pouting.  Rinoa shook her head regretfully.

'You'll need your own GF first.'

'But when you get one, I'll teach you how to cast all the really ass-kicking spells!' Selphie promised Roxy.

'Really?' Roxy brightened.

'Really really!'

'You are so COOL!' Roxy danced about.  'I can't wait!'

'Neither can Fleck and the others.  We're all wanted upstairs.' Lila explained.

'Hmm?  Something happened?' Quistis asked, as she dispelled Costa and Vreya's magic for them.

'Fleck thinks so.' Roxy replied, shrugging.  'Let's go!'

They began to move off.  Selphie, Irvine, Costa and Roxy walked together, with Quistis, Zell and Rinoa following closely behind.

Vreya finally greeted her friend properly.  'Hey.'

'Hi there.  How are you?'

'Okay I guess.' Vreya replied, shrugging.  Rinoa had glanced back and called to them.

'Lila?  Vreya?  Coming?'

'Yeah, go ahead.' Lila called back.  Rinoa nodded, and continued on.  Lila looked back to Vreya, who raised a brow.  Lila looked…different.  She then realised what had changed.  Her hair was loose, and wavy.  It looked windswept and was not worn in its usual fashion of gelled or straightened.  It made Vreya's friend look…natural, and very pretty.  Vreya liked the new look.  It suited Lila perfectly.  She wondered how long it must have taken her to do it.

'Nice hair.'

Lila raised perfectly manicured nails to touch her hair, delicately.  'Oh you mean this mess?'

'What did you do to it?' Vreya asked.

'You're not serious!'

'Yeah…how long did you spend on that?'

Lila stared at her friend, blinking.  She laughed a little.  'You…think that I woke up at five in the morning and did this?'

'Well…did you spend that long?' Vreya asked, confused.

'Ha ha.  Very funny-don't torture me just because I don't have silky, gorgeous, perfectly straight locks of hair like you.' Lila replied.

'I don't get it…' Vreya said.  'Your hair looks amazing.'

'You're kidding me.  You think I did this?  Did you totally miss it?  The stupid wind did this!  My hair was perfect this morning, but all of a sudden after I left school early, the wind went insane and turned my hair into…this!'

Vreya couldn't believe it.  She laughed a little.  'You're joking.'

'No I am not.'

'But…it looks so natural.' Vreya reached out and touched her friend's soft hair.

'That's because it was naturally tossed into this fashion by the wind damn it.' Lila replied.  Vreya giggled a little.

'It's not a disaster.'

'Yes it is!  I never wear my hair wavy!' Lila wailed.

'I think it looks nice.' Vreya replied.

'How come your hair is so straight despite the fact it's so windy?' Lila asked suspiciously.  'Do your sorceress powers include the fact that you can keep your hair straight?'

Vreya laughed.  'No…it wasn't that windy when I got here.'

'Oh I envy you.  It's like there's a tornado heading our way.' Lila shook her head.

'Anything about it on the news?' Vreya asked.  It was strange that the weather would act so unsettled, but then again, the end of the world was coming.

'I don't know.  Until I can go home I'm going to have to suffer looking like a total idiot in front of Ash.' Lila said, pulling a miserable face.

'I think it's nice.  You look very pretty and natural.' Vreya assured her.  

'Stop trying to make me feel better.' Lila muttered, linking her arm through her best friend's.  They began to walk slowly after the others.

'I'm serious Li.  It's a lovely look.  It looks all…uh…you know.  Wild and sexy…and…'

'Windswept?' Lila groaned.  'I hate it.'

'Don't be silly.  I'm telling you it's lovely.' Vreya insisted.

'Ash is probably laughing at me right now.'

Vreya sighed, and stopped walking, making Lila stop also.  'Lila are you still pining over Ash?  Why don't you tell him how you feel?'

'No thanks darling.' Lila tugged on Vreya's arm, but Vreya stood her ground.

'But how much longer is this going to go on for?  How many more times do I have to bring this up?' Vreya asked, shaking her head.  She was pretty sure Ash liked Lila too.  Why wouldn't he?

'At least once more-you don't need to bring it up.' Lila replied.

'But Lila, this is getting ridiculous.  You've liked him for so long-it's not healthy you know.  If you don't tell him I will.'

'Don't you dare!' Lila exclaimed.

'So tell him yourself.  What are you afraid of?  You're pretty and such a sweet person.'

'I'm flattered but you're not Ash.'

Vreya sighed again.  'Look, you know Ash is the shy type.  He may really like you.'

'Or not.' 

'You won't know until you try right?' Vreya said.  'I want you to be happy.'

'You're a darling.' Lila said, smiling at Vreya.  She admired her friend's spirit.  Even after all that she had been through, the girl was still doing her best to stay optimistic and cheer others up.

'So you'll tell him?'

'Oh I don't know.  If he liked me wouldn't he have made a move by now?' Lila asked.

'We've known Ash for ages…we all know he's not that type of guy.' Vreya replied.  'Tell him Li.  He's not going to run away from you.'

'I don't know.  Maybe you are right.  I should tell him before it's too late and I won't get a chance to.' Lila said thoughtfully.  Vreya's eyes lowered.

'Don't speak like that.' She said quietly.

'It's true though.  We don't know what's going to happen do we?' Lila asked, eyes narrowing a little.  'I may not get many more chances.'

'Shut up.  You'll confess that you love him, he'll admit that he was always crazy about you, you'll save the world together, and in a few years you can tell your kids all about your adventures.'

'I wish…' Lila smiled.

'You can look forward to it from now.  Of course, you're gonna have to tell them all about how silly you were back at age seventeen and how their favourite aunt Vreya was always trying to knock sense into your head.' Vreya smiled.

'Favourite aunt Vreya huh?  Well when your little tots come round, which will be before mine, you can tell them all about their favourite aunt Lila and how great she was.'

Vreya smiled wistfully.  Sure, when she eventually found love.  In many ways she envied Lila; she knew how it felt to really love someone, to be in love.  Vreya had never experienced anything like that.  Sure she had had silly crushes, but nothing serious.  She had always told herself she didn't really want a boyfriend in her life, and didn't need a love interest.  But lately, she was noticing more and more when couples snuggled close together and laughed and hugged and kissed and shared something special.  It made her feel…wistful.

She sighed heavily.  'Yeah.  When I eventually find the right guy.'

Lila saw her chance.  She had been leading up to this and her poor innocent friend had played right into the trap.

'So…you mean you haven't already?' she asked slowly.

Vreya blinked, and looked at her friend.  'No.  You know that.  What do you mean?'

'I think it's pretty unfair how openly we discuss my love interests but never talk about yours.' Lila replied.

'I don't have one remember?' Vreya said, confused.  Her stomach was twisting in knots however-a warning in advance of what she was just about to experience.  She didn't like where this was leading.

'Oh really?  Well, I'd say it's pretty obvious to everyone except you apparently, and him, that you're totally mad about Zane.'

Vreya should have been prepared, but she wasn't.  It shocked her to hear this from Lila.  Her friend was stating it as if it were completely true no matter what Vreya would argue.   

She tried to speak, but to her horror, her voice betrayed her.

Lila raised a fine brow.  'Just admit it.  Since we're discussing confessions, you may as well tell me.  I know already, but it's better if I hear it from you.'

Vreya finally found her voice.  'What!'

'Oh no, no darling.  Don't act all innocent.  You know you've got a thing for Zane.'

'That's…ridiculous!' Vreya said.

'Then why are you blushing hmm?' Lila pointed out.  Vreya stuttered, furious that she was doing such a bad job of convincing and playing it cool.  Then again she could never hide anything from her closest friend.

'Because…you're totally embarrassing me!' Vreya managed.

'I see.' Lila said.

'Lila…how could you say that?  He…he's a jerk!'

'Oh come on.  He may be a jerk, but he's a gorgeous one.  You've had it going for him ever since the day you danced with him.  We all know.  Even Fleck has this little smile on his face whenever you two argue, which is frequently.  That's good you know.  The more you hate a guy, the more you're really attracted to him.'  Lila said, nodding.

'What!' Vreya cried.  'W…what are you Miss Love Expert?'

'I've seen the way you look at him Vreya.  You do a good job acting like you hate him, but you so don't.'

'I do…wait…you've been watching me?  I can't believe this.  You should be worrying about yourself, and watching Ash…why are you…' Lila cut off Vreya.

'If you had nothing to hide, you wouldn't mind us watching you.' 

'Us?!!!' Vreya's stomach was twisting into tighter knots.  Her heart was pounding, in reaction to her horror.

'Oh…' Lila smiled.  'Me, Rinoa, Selphie, Roxy, Sara.  I even asked Quistis if she thought you two liked each other, and she nodded straight away.'

'What are you, the Gossip Gang?' Vreya asked angrily.  'You should be watching Ash!'

'Oh no.  That's useless.  You two are much more fun, because you act like you can't stand each other.' Lila grinned.

'Lila…he and I…we…look, it's not…he's a jerk okay?  He's an insensitive, selfish, self-satisfied…'

Again Lila interrupted 'Gorgeous guy?  Come on Vreya.  If I weren't so into Ash, I'd have a go at getting Zane myself, though it's hopeless because he's a one-woman man.  He's like the perfect male specimen…apart from Ash of course, and maybe Squall and Seifer, because they're hot too, but that's not the point…are you telling me you don't think he's handsome?'

'No…' Vreya said weakly.

'What?  Are you crazy?' Lila's eyes widened.  'Who are you trying to fool?'

Damn it…Vreya was always trying not to notice just how gorgeous Zane Ivanstorm was.  She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, trying to cool her flushed cheeks.

'No…I mean yes.  I mean, yes he's good looking…but no I don't like him.  We're totally different.'

'So are Rinoa and Squall.  Opposites attract you know.  Just look at Sara and Locky.  She's admitted she thinks he's cute, why can't you admit it about Zane?' Lila demanded.  Her poor friend looked trapped, falling into the trap so many girls fell into, insisting they didn't like a guy.

'Because I don't like him in that way Lila…he's just helped me out a lot…'

'An obvious sign he likes you.  He danced with you when he didn't want to dance with anyone, he took you to the restaurant when he could have easily refused, he's helped you out so many other times, he actually attended the funeral, and I saw you get in his car!'

So this was what it was all about?  Vreya had really hoped that she had snuck out of the funeral unnoticed.

'…'

'Why did you not tell us?  It's unlike you to just sneak off.  How do you explain that?'

'I was tired okay?' Vreya ran her fingers stressfully through her hair.  'My parents couldn't leave, you guys were busy and I didn't want to be any trouble.  My driver hadn't arrived, and I happened to see that Zane was leaving.  I wasn't feeling well.  So I caught him up and asked him if he could drop me off at my house.'

'I believe you.  Did he agree straight away?'

'I had to tell him why.' Vreya admitted.

'That's beside the point.  The fact it he agreed.  See?  Rinoa told me Squall was a total ass before too, and he only changed because she didn't give up on him.  She said he was worse than Zane.'

'I doubt anyone could be worse than Zane.' Vreya muttered.

'Don't you even have a little crush on him?' Lila asked.

'No!'

'Last time I checked we were best friends and never hid anything from each other Vreya.'

'Last time I checked I honoured that fact and had nothing to hide!  Trust me Lila, if I ever liked a guy, you'd be the first to know.' Vreya said.

'Even before you?' Lila smirked.

Vreya pulled a face.  'Drop it Lila.  You're annoying me now.'

'Oh, sensitive!' Lila teased.  'If you'd just admit it, I'd leave you alone.'

'I have nothing to admit.  We'd never be an item.' Vreya said.  At least she could say that truthfully.  They would never be.  

'Say what you want, it's not going to change what I, and the rest of us know.  Just don't wait too long…another girl isn't going to wait for you to act.  If you don't try for him, someone else will.' Lila advised.

'You're such a hypocrite.  Why aren't you making a move on Ash then?' Vreya asked.

'Ash is different.  Zane is the wild and unpredictable type.  You should be careful.'

Vreya rolled her eyes.  'I'll keep that in mind.' She said sarcastically.

'…' Lila struggled to hold back a laugh.  Even Zane's sarcasm was rubbing off on Vreya.

'What?  Can we stop talking about this?' Vreya sighed in exasperation.

'Nothing…and okay, I'll let you off the hook for now.  I think I've got you back for mocking my hair.'

'So kind of you.  You're terrible you know.' Vreya shook her head.  Lila laughed this time, and grabbed hold of Vreya's arm.

'You're worse…come on, we're going to be late!'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'Fleck my man you have definitely lost it.' Bo said, shaking his head.  

'Don't humour me!  I'm telling you, the winds never pick up to such crazy levels.' Fleck said.  

'That doesn't mean there's anything sinister behind it.' Tai remarked.

'So you think it's a GF?' Gen said, looking sceptical.  

'How can you be sure?' Ash asked, looking just as doubtful.

'It's just the weather playing a joke on us.' Sara shook her head.  'Honestly, that idea sounds crazy.'

'Look at where the winds are most concentrated!' Fleck pointed to the frozen weather screen behind him on the television.  

'So, the winds are coming in from the east.' Locky said.  'No big deal.'

'Ah, give me a break.  Morgan tell them will you?' Fleck looked to the wisest among his order.

Morgan shook his head.  'It is possible that a wind elemental is responsible for all this.  They are very violent gales, and the weather satellites have not picked up on any cyclone heading our way.'

'It could just be a cold wind blowing in from the north.' Costa suggested.

Selphie pulled a face.  She sat on the couch, beside Zane, who was looking very bored by the entire conversation.  

'But don't you guys have stuff which would be able to detect any big changes?' 

'Sure they do Seffie.  Just said weather satellites.' Irvine replied, sitting on her other side, just as Lila and Vreya entered the room.  Lila sat down in an empty space beside Gen. Vreya settled on the carpeted floor near to where Roxy and Sara sat.

'Where is this area?  Have you done a scan on it?' Fleck asked Rica who nodded.

'Ingra County.  It's two hours from here by car.' She replied.

'I've been there.' Gen frowned.  'It's mostly countryside and fields, and rocky hills and stuff.  Few people live in that area.  It's close to the sea.'

'Two hours?  That isn't far.' Fleck said, forming an idea in his mind.  He checked his watch-it wasn't even four pm.  The teenagers had all come out of school early for the day.  If they set off now they could make it back before ten pm.  

'Oh no.  You are not serious Fleck.' Jez exclaimed.  

'You're not going now?' Harris laughed, in disbelief.  

Fleck looked at him.  'Why not?  We go there and we make it back before ten.'

'Uh, no way, sorry-I have parents.' Costa said.

'I can't stay out too late tonight either.' Ash said apologetically.

'Wait a second.' Zell interrupted.  'You said you wanna go there now?'

'Yes.' Fleck nodded.

'But why?  What do you hope to find there?' Quistis asked.

'An answer to the crazy strong winds that are going to cause a lot of accidents tonight.' Fleck replied.

'Fleck…the weather reader advised that those at home should stay at home and avoid the roads.' Bo said, rubbing his eyes.  

'Yeah.  Dangerous driving conditions.' Locky agreed.  

'What if we go and find nothing?  That's four hours of travelling.  A waste of time and effort.' Jez said, ever practical.

'I'm telling you, I'm pretty sure there's something there.  The large arrows are most concentrated there.  Isn't that odd to you?  The winds should be sweeping down here, to us.'

'These kids have school tomorrow, and their parents will worry.' Tai said.

'No kidding.  You guys know how many lies we're telling just to come here?' Costa asked.

'Yeah, and it's no fun lying.' Lila spoke up.  'Sooner or later our parents are going to get suspicious.'

'Come on.  What if there is an elemental there?  It's not going to wait around for us to come to it.  It'll be gone by the morning.' Fleck exclaimed.

'How do you know it won't be gone by the time you reach that place?' Seifer asked.  He sat beside Costa, who nodded.

'Yeah!  How do you know that?'

'We don't.  It's called taking a chance.' Fleck said.  'These elementals aren't going to be as easy to find as Krysta and Ignatius were.  We just got lucky then.  They're scattered…we have to look for them.'

'That seems a little unfair.' Sara commented.  'We have so many other problems.  Couldn't they do us a favour and come to us?'

'It doesn't work like that.' Squall spoke up.  She looked to him.

'Guardian forces either agree to join you, or don't.  If not, you fight them to win them over.  You can also obtain them by drawing them from enemies.' He explained.

'Drawing them from enemies?' Sara repeated.

'Not from any enemies.  Usually a special tough kind.' Irvine added.  'But they're big on this thing of proving your worth.'

'But they're very valuable, and we need to get them as soon as possible.  Only two of you can use magic.  That's not enough.  We need to find the others quick.' Fleck urged.

'Look, I agree that it's important we get those elementals, but you don't know for sure if one is in that county.' Rica said to Fleck.

'Don't make them all go and waste their and your time.' Harris said.

'Look, if it is there, how do we find it again?  It may move up further north.'

'Why is it causing all this trouble anyway?' Roxy asked.

'Let me guess, it's angry?' Rinoa shook her head.

'They have feelings?' Roxy looked surprised.

'Of course they do.' Vreya replied, looking back at her.  'They're mortal like us you know.  Just agreed to serve to protect the planet, which gave them each special gifts so that they could aid her.' 

'Oh.  Wow, I never realised.'

'Well the sooner we find this wind thing the better.  It totally messed me up this morning.' Lila said.  'So I don't mind coming along.'

'That's more like it!  If it is there and we need to fight it, which I hope we don't-then I'll need at least four of you.  Are you guys prepared to come along and give us some back up?' Fleck asked, looking to Squall, who looked at the others.

'I don't mind.' Quistis replied.  Rinoa nodded also.

'Me too.'

'Yo, count me in.' Zell offered.  

'You guys need us to come along too?' Irvine asked.

'I think four is enough from you guys too.' Fleck replied.  'You, Seifer and Selphie can stay if you want.  Lila, are you sure?'

'My parents are mad at me anyway.  It won't make a difference if I add another day on.' Lila replied.

'My parents are out and come back late tonight…' Vreya said slowly.

'My parents aren't even around.' Gen said.  'So I'm all clear.'

Fleck nodded.  'Anyone else?'

'This could be a serious waste of time.' Locky said.

'Look, there isn't much traffic on the roads today right?  We'll get there in less than two hours.' Fleck replied.

'I'll come.' Roxy offered.

Sara shook her head.  'Oh you guys.  Don't…'

'It's okay.  You and Ash and Costa don't need to come.' Gen replied.  'We'll handle this one.'

'Sure?' Ash asked, not happy they were going without him.  His eyes trailed to Vreya, doubtfully.

She got up in one swift, fluid motion.  'Yeah.  We should get going quickly though.  Fleck?  Are we going now?'

'Yeah, the sooner we go the sooner we can get back.  Bo, Rica, Locky…will you guys come along with me?' Fleck asked.

'I don't know.  Are you sure you know what you're doing?' Rica questioned.

'Yeah.  Because if we go there and come back empty-handed it'll have been your idea Mr Genius!' Locky said.

'It's worth a shot.' Fleck replied, looking to the final member.  'Bo?'

'Not sure…'

'Come on, your charge is coming.' Fleck reminded him Roxy had volunteered.

'Oh…okay, but this feels really stupid.'

'Trust me.' Fleck replied, and looked to the others.  'Okay, all of you coming make your way to the vans.'

People began to move.  As they walked past, Jez went up to Fleck, eyes narrowed.

'You watch out for her.' 

'Vreya?' Fleck said.  'Yeah.  Don't worry.  I'll have another pair of eyes too.'

'I'm serious.  That girl is different.'

'I know that.  Relax Jez.' Fleck assured her.

'Good luck.' Harris waved.  'I'm getting an evening off I think.'

'Hey, you going?' Selphie's voice came to him, and Zane turned his face to look at her bright-eyed one.

Just as he was about to answer, Fleck's voice came to him.  'Zane?'

Don't I ever get a break?  He thought, raising his eyes.  

'No.'

'Oh come on Zane.  We need you.'

'You don't know its there.' Zane reminded him.

'You got anything better to do?' Fleck demanded.

'Sleep.'

'Plenty of time for that later!  Now get off your ass and get to the vans.'

Fleck could see the irritation on his charge's face.  The deep green eyes darkened and narrowed.

'Everyone else gets a choice but me.'

'Yes, well unfortunately for you that's the result of being my charge.  I want you to learn Zane.  You need these battles.  You need experience.'

'…' Zane looked away.  Selphie was smiling sympathetically at him.  It irritated him even more.

'I don't need to keep telling you you're the best we've got right now.' Fleck said.  'Now come on.  Let's get going.  Start the van.' He held the keys out to Zane.  The young man gave his mentor a glare of disgust.  He snatched the keys and stood up moodily, stalking out the room.  

'Teens these days; all you get is attitude.  No respect for their elders.' Fleck told Selphie, who giggled.  He turned away urging everyone who hadn't left out.

'Come on!  Let's get going!'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

He soared through the air, seeing everything, seeing nothing.  So much had changed, so much was lost and gone, so much had replaced everything he had known.  Humans littered the planet, so many of them, numbers beyond his wildest dreams.  But that was what he was here for.  He had crossed to the other side to fight for the future generations, to aid them in their struggle.

The time had come and the wind spirit had awoken, the words of his master still ringing clearly in his mind, despite the centuries spent deep in slumber.

'Lead her here…'

Everywhere he moved he made sure to send out the power of his element, to let the Threat feel all his fury, his wrath.  He would avenge his family and his tribe yet.  The winds swirled about their master protectively; a cyclone of energy, pushing out across the lands, extending over distances that only they could cover.

He searched, eyes keener than an eagle's.  Searched for the one his master had instructed him to lead to the very same mountain where he himself had given up his humanity.  He searched for the chosen ones to whom the planet had entrusted her future.  Finally he arrived at a designated spot, and faded from view.  There he waited.

--------------- ◊ ---------------

'So…basically the side of the card touching your card has to be higher in value for me to win?' Lila asked Rinoa, who nodded.

'Yeah, that's it!  It's so easy!  I can't believe Zell brought his collection of cards with him!' 

Squall rolled his eyes.  'Zell's obsessed with Triple Triad.'

Rinoa smiled.  'It's good he has it though-it'll pass some time.'

They were in one of the vans.  Fleck and Bo were at the front, and at the back sat five teenagers, Squall, Rinoa, Vreya, Lila and a scowling Zane.  The other van carried Quistis, Zell, Gen and Roxy, and Rica with Locky driving.  

'If yours is higher, you flip my card over.  But I can replace it with a higher value card and flip both your card over, and regain my card.  See?' She demonstrated.

'Oh, I get it.' Vreya nodded.  'That sounds like a good game.'

'You okay back there tykes?' Bo called.  'Want a little music?'

'As long as you don't put it on some ancient music station.' Lila replied.  Bo and Fleck both laughed.

'Heh sweetie, we're not that much older than you!' Fleck laughed.

'Your cruel words sting me!' Bo laughed.  

Rinoa giggled.  The adults were really nice and had a sense of humour.  

'Okay, so let's play.' Lila said.

'Sure.  You want to play in teams first, just so you get the hang of it?  We'll help you.' Rinoa said.

'Okay.' Lila said.  'Sounds good.'  She blinked and looked to the back of the van.  Zane's arms were folded across his chest, and he was staring out the window, ignoring everyone and everything, as usual.

'Hey Zane.' Lila called to him.  'Want to play cards?'

He shook his head, eyes continuing to watch the passing grey blur that was the road.  Lila shrugged, and said 'Well, two against two is more fair anyway.'

Vreya picked up the first card on her pile.  It was a card of a very warrior like person, clad in strange clothes.  She remembered that Rinoa had specified that different types of cards were colour coded differently.  The card Vreya held was a GF card.  Sidetracked, she showed it to Rinoa.

'You aren't supposed to show me your card…' Rinoa grinned, and then realised that Vreya had a question.  'Huh?'

'Who is this?'

'That?  Let me see…'

Squall spoke quietly.  'Odin.  A legendary and powerful GF.'

'Is he the strongest?' Lila asked, peering at Vreya's card.

'We don't want to upset our GF's…' Rinoa replied.  'But whenever he appeared in battle, it was always cut short for us.  Odin split any opponent in half.  He was so helpful wasn't he Squall?' She asked her knight, sadness in her tone.

Zane looked away from the window, his interest finally caught.  'What happened to him?'

Squall looked at the young man who sat so quietly and alone.  In too many ways Zane was like a reflection of Squall as he had been before facing Ultimecia, before Rinoa, before graduation.  He still saw much of himself in Zane now.  

'What?' Rinoa asked.

'You're using the past tense.' Zane informed her.

'We lost him.' Squall replied shortly.

'Oh…that's so sad.' Vreya said.  'I'm sorry…how?'

Squall set his jaw, eyes lowering.  At his silence, and Rinoa's uncomfortable shifting, Vreya shrugged.

'Okay…sorry, you don't want to talk about it.'

'No…it's not that.' Rinoa explained.  'Just…we'll tell you, but just not now.'

'Right…okay…' Lila said, and Zane looked away again.  'Uh…shall we play then?'

--------------- ◊ ---------------

The rest of the way was spent mostly listening to the girls telling each other jokes and singing along to the radio.  Squall would have once minded such silly behaviour very much, but he had gotten used to it.  He only had to ask them to keep their voices down when they went too far.  Unfortunately the same could not be said for the other young man in the back of the van.  Zane looked like he was going to strangle the girls at any moment, but much to his credit he managed to bear it until they finally arrived at their location.  He could handle a lot if he needed to.  

'Here we are.' Fleck said, pulling to the side of the wide and empty road.  The sun had set, and fields of green grass surrounded the road, and in the distance were cliffs and rocky hills-just as Gen had described.  

'Finally.' Lila said, relieved.  Fleck opened the door, but as soon as he did so, the door slammed shut again. 

'Holy crap!' Bo exclaimed.  'It sure is windy here!'

'Told you we were here.' Fleck replied.  'Can't you hear it outside?'

The wind was howling and raging, tossing the grass to and fro, completely out of control.

'Oh no…my poor hair.' Lila groaned, and Vreya shook her head.

'Fleck, we can't go out can we?  The wind is…rocking the car!'

'We're gonna have to sunshine.' Bo replied.  'Fleck has totally lost it tonight remember?'

Fleck succeeded in getting out the car on the third attempt.  The others had already parked behind his van, and Locky got out, shielding his face.

'Damn it!  It's too windy!'

'I told you this was a bad idea!' Rica snapped at Fleck.  'We're putting ourselves and the children in danger!'

'Young adults!' Roxy squealed, gripping onto Zell so she wouldn't be blown away.

'How can you say that!  Isn't it obvious there's something crazy here?' Fleck yelled over the howling of the wind.  Zane looked around, trying to locate where they were.  But there was nothing-no road signs or anything.  

'How do you know we're in the right place?' Quistis shouted.  

'Yeah man, we could be miles off!' Zell agreed.

'It's here-the wind wasn't this bad a few miles back!' Fleck replied.

'So which way do we go?' Lila cried in dismay, trying to keep her hair at bay.  In the end she gave up in disgust, and the wind won over, tossing her hair wildly about her face.

'It's…f…freezing!' Gen said, teeth clattering.  

'Squall!' Rinoa called.  'I think we should caste Shell and Protect on everyone!'

Squall nodded his agreement, looking to Quistis and Zell.  'Do it!' he ordered, casting the two magic spells on himself, Lila and Zane.  Rinoa caste it on herself and Vreya, and Fleck and Bo, while Quistis and Zell caste it on Roxy and Gen, and the other two mentors.  

Fleck looked about in dismay, trying to figure out where they should go.

'Fleck!' Rica yelled at him.  'Come on!'

'Uh…I don't know damn it…I don't…'

'Fleck!' Zane shouted at him.  'Look!' He was pointing to the distance, on the left side of the field.  Barely visible was a tornado like funnel of wind.

'Is that a tornado?' Roxy screeched.  'Let's get out of here!'

'It's just a normal tornado, and totally dangerous!' Gen yelled.  'No wonder it's this windy!'

'Are you crazy?  That's no normal tornado-if we were this close to one, do you think we'd still be standing here?' Fleck yelled back at him.  'Come on!  Let's go!'

Vreya grabbed his arm, afraid.  'No!  It's too dangerous!  We can't get any closer to that thing…'

'We may not need to!' Rinoa shouted.  'Look, it's coming closer!'

And it was.  The funnel of pure wind energy was surging in their direction.  The sky was a dark, ominous grey around it, and grass flew up everywhere, grass and flower petals.  Zane blinked, feeling strange.  This place, a dark field, with flower petals…it reminded him of something.

'What do you mean?' The voice was saying, and it blended and became one with a voice he had heard long ago, somewhere out of reality.  

Vreya was speaking, trying to talk Fleck out of it.  They were all trying to talk him out of it.  But Fleck shrugged them all off, and walked forward, in determination.

'You're gonna get us killed you fool!' Rica screamed at him.  'That cyclone will kill you!'

'It's not an ordinary cyclone…look at it!  What the hell is that in the middle?' Fleck yelled back at her.

Zane turned his eyes back to the horizon.  The cyclone was coming ever closer-and there was something there, in it, a figure.  He frowned, confused, uncertain.

'Fleck!'  Vreya pleaded, and then stopped, as Krysta communicated with her.

Go forward child.  He is waiting for you.

Vreya was confused.  Who was waiting?  What did Krysta mean?

Krysta?  What do you mean?!  She thought back.  No answer.  She spoke up.

'H…hey, I think Krysta just said it is an elemental!'

'You think!' Lila yelled.  'Not good enough!'

'Are you sure?' Locky asked Vreya, who nodded.  Fleck was already walking ahead.  Vreya gritted her teeth and hurried after him.  

'Vreya!' Bo called after her.  

'Stop them!' Rica exclaimed.

'No…Krysta's right…there's something there!' Squall yelled, and moved after the two, Rinoa gripping onto him.  Zane followed, Zell, Gen and Roxy inching behind.  Locky shot Bo and Rica a helpless look, and ran after the group.  

'We can't let them get themselves killed!' Rica said.  She followed after them with Bo trailing last.

Fleck could barely see.  The tornado was so close now; it was almost impossible to look up because of the dust and debris that flew around in the air.

'Hey!' he shouted.  'Hey, wind guardian!'

'Stop!' Vreya screamed, falling to her knees on the grass.  She could hardly take the high wind speed.  Roxy toppled back, sending Zell down also.  

The winds raged even stronger for a moment, before finally dying down.  A strong breeze still blew, but they were at least able to stand.  

Lila cursed.  She wouldn't be able to go back to school in a week.  She'd need intense hair therapy after this.  She risked a look up, and gaped, as something amazing happened before her very eyes.  The cyclone dissipated, parting down the middle.  The wind raged strongly once again, making her look away.

Rica stared, fearfully.  Fleck had been right after all…no ordinary tornado changed shape and wind speed at will.  

'What is that?' Locky managed, as a figure finally materialised out of the funnel of wind.  It hovered up in the air, clad in a deep blue long cloak, and a rugged tunic underneath, black boots and gloves.  It was a human figure.  

Wavy locks of brown hair fell into intensely blue eyes.  His skin was pale, and on his face was the same triangular mark that Vreya had seen on Krysta's cheek.  The apparition looked young, not much older than the oldest amongst the teenagers, Quistis.  

'It is an elemental…' Bo managed.

'Don't make me say I told you so.' Fleck muttered, dismayed.  The guardian didn't look too happy, or too friendly as he looked down at them, expression scornful.

Roxy gaped up at the young looking man.  He was gorgeous.  Roxy admired any handsome guy even if he was not completely human.

His eyes trailed over the group.  A strange bunch to be sure.  It had been the beautiful young brown haired woman's scream that had finally caused him to relent in his brutal wind assault.  He looked at her now; she stared up at him, the same fear and uncertainty in her eyes reflected in the rest of the group's.  Nine children, of likeness to the age he had once been, and with them four adults.  

He could sense something…other spirits.  They were foreign to him, but one he knew, one that was in the brown-haired girl's mind. 

Krysta…he called to her, his relationship with her had always been indifferent.  

She gave no response, choosing to let him form his own conclusions.  These children were not ordinary.  They possessed the ability of wielding magic.  He could feel it.  Could it be these were of the chosen his master had told him about?  

A blonde head caught his attention, a beautiful young woman, with blue eyes, clothed in red.  She was so like to his sister that he almost called out to her.  His eyes narrowed, and he finally spoke.

'How is it that you see me?'

His voice was as cold as the wind that he commanded, cold, brutal and sharp in tone.   

'A Chosen One saw you!' Fleck yelled back at him, pointing to Zane, much to the boy's horror.  He didn't want any attention to be drawn to himself.

'Chosen?  Five only…who are they?' He pointed to Squall and Rinoa, and Zell and Quistis.

'The Children of Fate!' Rinoa replied.  'We were sent here to help them!'

'My master's words ring true.' The wind spirit said.  'So it has finally come to your time.'

'Who is your master?' Locky asked.  The wind spirit did not reply, merely tilting his head back slightly, haughtily.

'So are you going to toss us about or are you going to join us?' The voice surprised Vreya.  It was Lila's and she sounded angry.

'Because we don't have much time!'

'Please…we could uh, sure use the help of a great and mighty guardian such as yourself…' Bo began, and was cut off as the guardian yelled angrily

'Fool!  You dare to taunt me!'

'Oh no…Bo!' Rica hissed at him.

'I shall junction to those worthy of my service!'

Zane gritted his teeth.  Great…so that answered the question then-they would have to defeat this guardian if they wanted his help.

'Oh no, please, we don't want to fight you!' Roxy said in a small voice.  

'You kidding!  We've fought against Griever-this guy will be a piece of cake!' Zell said, readying himself for battle.

'I challenge Chosen only.' The guardian said, eyes narrowing.  'Will you accept my challenge, or shall I send you back to whence you came?' 

'Who are you?' Gen dared to ask.

'I am Tempest…the wind spirit…make your choice!'

Vreya clenched her hands into fists, stepping forward.  'We accept your challenge!' she replied.

'What?' Roxy cried.  'Vreya…we never agreed on that…uh, don't listen to her…!'

But Tempest looked impressed at Vreya's bold decision.  'You are brave girl.  Know that I will not hesitate to end your life.'

'You can do that?  But we're Chosen Ones!' Lila said angrily.

'Until I consent to aid you, I am free to do as I please!' Tempest replied.

'Then all those years of waiting would count for nothing.' Zane taunted, drawing his sword.  He stepped up beside Vreya.  She cast him a surprised look.

'What are you talking about?' she began in confusion.  But Tempest looked enraged, glaring at Zane.

'I shall enjoy whisking you away to the nether world insolent one…'

Zane sneered in response, and Lila stepped up also, readying her small crossbow.  Fleck was impressed.  They were much braver than they appeared. 

Gen decided that there really was no other way.  They would either fight, or go back home.  That would mean coming here was a waste of time.  He held his bladed staff, wondering how he could hit something that was flying up over them.  

Roxy swallowed nervously.  Bo looked to her.  'Hey kiddo…if you're scared, let them handle it.'

'No…I can fight too.  That's why I came!' Roxy nodded, face setting in determination, stepping up beside Gen. Tempest, whose arms were folded across his chest, smirked arrogantly.  

'This should prove to be amusing…'

'You won't be the one laughing jerk!' Lila yelled at him.  'You messed up my hair!'

Vreya wanted to laugh despite herself.  It was a life or death situation and all Lila could think about was her hair?

Quistis hissed to Squall.  'Squall!  We have to back them up with magic!'

'They can't fight that thing on their own!' Zell agreed.  'They only have one GF!'

'But what do we do?' Rinoa said in dismay.  'He said he wouldn't fight us.'

Squall replied 'Once they start fighting, we help.  He won't be paying us much attention.  I scanned him.  Weak against gravitational attacks.'

'Diablos…' Rinoa said.  'I'll summon him when they start fighting!'

'Ice attacks harm him too' Squall added.

Quistis nodded.  'Vreya's got Krysta.  We've already caste Shell and Protect.  I'll cure them if I need to, Zell; you cast Esuna if they need it.  Squall…'

'I'll dispel any magic he casts.' Squall replied.

'And I'll summon Diablos and use Demi.' Rinoa nodded.  'Right-got it!'

'Once he gets down hit him with close physical attacks!' Squall advised the five who stood in front of them.  

'Until then, only distant attacks will work…' Vreya said, looking to Lila.  'It's up to us'

Lila nodded.  'I'm ready.'

'Vreya!' Rinoa called.  Vreya looked back over her shoulder.  'Ice!'  Vreya got the message, and looked back in front of her.  This was it-her first real battle, their first real battle.  Her heart was racing with fear and excitement.  This was for real this time.  She couldn't hold back.

'Vreya, Lila!' Both girls looked to Zane.  'Use your weapons and Krysta.  Vreya, when you're summoning, we'll cover you!'

Vreya nodded.  'Right!'

'After we bring him down, let us take over…' he indicated himself, Gen and Roxy.  

Lila nodded.  'Got it.  Let's go!'

'I tire of this-will you fight?' Tempest demanded.

'We said we would…this is your last chance to back out!' Lila yelled back at him.  A small smile graced his features.  The girl was certainly an interesting one.  

'Very well…prove your worth!' All of a sudden he raised his arm, and without warning sent a strong wind spell in their direction.  He did it so quickly, that they were caught quite unawares.  Roxy toppled to the floor, and the others barely managed to keep standing.  Lila gritted her teeth, and raised her arm, firing an arrow.  To her dismay Tempest easily evaded it.

Zell swallowed nervously.  Maybe this was going to be more difficult than he had anticipated.  

Vreya attempted next, pulling down the lever of her weapon.  A glinting, sharp shard of metal flew out at high speed, straight on target.  Tempest evaded, but Lila had shot another arrow at the same moment, and it connected.  Tempest look furious.

'Worthless humans…is that all you've got?'

Vreya closed her eyes, concentrating.  Because Krysta was the only guardian junctioned to her, the ice-spirit would appear quickly.

Tempest noticed what Vreya was doing, and drew his hand back again.  This time a ball of fire appeared in his hand.  

Zane's eyes widened, as he realised who the wind guardian was planning to attack.  

'He's casting Fira!' Quistis yelled.  

Squall acted quickly.  As Tempest readied his attack, Squall quickly caste Reflect on Vreya.  The barrier went up just in time, as Tempest let the blazing ball of fire loose.  It surged toward Vreya, full speed.  Vreya's eyes opened, and widened.  Krysta was just about to materialise-she hadn't realised the danger she was in.  She closed her eyes, as the red ball of light reached her.  It hit an invisible barrier however, right in front of her, and then shot back towards Tempest.  The guardian didn't seem pleased.  He dispelled the magic ball before it could hit him.  

Squall had to give the guardian credit.  He was skilled in magic use, as most guardians were.

'You dare to interfere!' He pointed at Squall and his group.

'It seems a little unfair when only one of them can use magic!' Rinoa shouted back.  

The blue eyes were burning like blue-gas flame, furious.  Vreya felt the familiar change of pressure in her mind, before the elemental materialised.

'Hey!' she called, demanding Tempest's attention.  'Take this!'

A blue ball of light materialised and shot into the ground.  Krysta appeared, and drew back her arms.

'Krysta!' Tempest said, surprised.

'It's useless to resist.' Krysta informed him.  Then, communicating to him in his mind, she added _Is this what the master asked of you?_

_I will not fall to any unworthy of me! _Tempest raged back.

_You are young Tempest.  Your temper runs wild like the very element you control.  _Krysta replied, before releasing her attack.  Crystal rain hailed down on Tempest.  Krysta disappeared a split-second later.  A pink light surged up around him, reflecting half of the attack.  

Squall caste Dispel, to take down the Shell barrier Tempest had around him.  Tempest attacked Lila next, with another air attack.  It was Aero, and Lila felt herself being lifted up into the air.

'Argh!' she screamed.  All of a sudden the air vanished, and she fell to the floor, hard, hurting her arm.  

'Hey!' Zane yelled angrily.  'Why don't you attack us!  You scared?'  

Tempest sneered, and sent a ball of fire at Zane.  Zane waited, before sidestepping at the final moment, avoiding the attack.

'Not bad.' Tempest said.  'But can you evade this!' He raised his arm, and a huge ball of energy cackled and swirled up in the air over him.  He released it, and it was such a powerful force that everyone fell back.   

Quistis realised too many were hurt to use a spell.  She reached into the small pouch she carried at her waist, and tossed a Mega Potion into the air.  The fragile glass shattered on hitting the floor, and then blue light swirled from the liquid, healing one person after another.  Rinoa finally had Diablos ready.  She spread out her arms, and opened her eyes.  A dark ball of matter appeared high in the air, in front of all the young people.  Diablos appeared from the huge black ball, and spread his wings, giving an inhuman cry, shielding life forces with his own.

'What's that?' Roxy gasped.  It was…it looked like a demon out of hell.

'It's okay!' Zell's voice called over to them.  'He's on our side!'

Tempest faltered, surprised at the creature that towered over him.  He had never seen it before-it was not a guardian he was familiar with.  It raised its mighty arm, and a dark purple ball of energy formed in his clawed hands.  He drew his arm back, and then let the attack loose.  The huge gravitational ball slammed right into Tempest, who gave a shout of surprise and pain.  The dark matter consumed him, and pushed him to the floor, forced him to fall to the ground.  Diablos scattered and disappeared into air.  

Zane didn't hesitate.  'Now!' he yelled, and darted forward, hacking away with his sword.  Roxy jumped up beside him and slashed away with her elbow blades, yelling furiously.

'Take that and that and that!'

'Yes!  That's it, take him down!' Fleck yelled, punching the air in front of his fist.

'They're good.' Rica complimented.

'That's my charge there.' Bo said proudly.

'They should be careful though-that thing is bound to get up again.' Locky warned.

Gen sliced away with his bladed staff.  Blood splattered onto the blades, but Tempest finally recovered and gave an infuriated cry.  He spread out his arms, and a huge arc of blue energy emitted from him, sending Gen, Zane, and Roxy flying back, hitting the ground hard.  Vreya cast Blizzard, and let it loose.  Lila fired another arrow.  

Tempest snarled.  The magic wielder amongst them was causing him a lot of trouble.  Not to mention the cursed raven-haired girl who had let loose the devastating attack that had severely weakened him.  He summoned a blinding spell, and let it loose, first at the raven-haired fool, and then readied another spell to blind the brunette girl guarded by Krysta.

Rinoa's eyes widened, as she saw the familiar black and green spell cloud head straight at her.

'Yo, Rin, look out, it's Blind!' Zell warned.  Squall quickly caste Reflect on Rinoa, sending the spell back at its owner.  Tempest dispelled, and let another loose at Vreya.  The inexperienced girl had no idea what it was, and it hit her, sending her staggering back.  She panicked a moment later.

'I…I can't see!'  

'He's using status magic to take their attention away from attacking him!' Squall warned.  A flash of light caught his eye-and a scream pierced the air.  

'Vreya!' Lila screamed.  She had just been hit with a powerful energy ball, and had been unable to evade it due to the fact she couldn't see.  She fell to the floor, limp.  Lila didn't see the energy ball that was coming her way either, until it was too late.  She fell to the floor also.

Zane cursed, looking behind him.  'Do something!'

Zell caste Esuna over Vreya, and Quistis healed once again.  Lila stumbled up, helping up Vreya also, who looked a little disorientated.  

Angrily, Rinoa caste another Demi spell.  It hit Tempest, and he yelled, outraged.  He caste Cura on himself, but Squall had anticipated this.  He caste Reflect on him.  Tempest wasted three Cura's before he realised why the pain wasn't subsiding.  He dispelled once more.

'Diablos one more time will finish him off!' Zell said, nodding to Rinoa.  Krysta had just been summoned again.  The entire field was a spectacular show of lights and explosions.

The wind guardian could feel himself weakening.  They were good.  Better than he had expected.

He caste another Fira spell, this time it hit Gen, who hadn't seen it coming.

'Damn it, they have to be more aware…' Fleck said.

'Still a lot of practising left.' Bo agreed.

Gen yelled, trying to extinguish the flames.  Quistis caste water on him, and then followed up with another healing spell.  Rinoa held out her hands, and Diablos materialised once again.  

Lila fired arrow after arrow, and Vreya released shot after shot.  But they were running out on stock, and were tiring.  

Tempest's eyes widened as he saw Diablos again.  

'No…not again!' he cried angrily.  But he knew no way he could avoid the gravitational attack.  It slammed into him, and he was floored once again, and once again, he felt the sharp cut blades.

'Give up!' Roxy yelled.  

'You don't need to suffer like this!' Gen added.  Tempest could barely manage to repel them.  But he did, and staggered up, gasping.  He didn't like the idea that he was the one submitting, but he had been defeated fairly.  They were worthy.

'…Not bad, for humans…' he managed.

Vreya still held up her arm, aiming, ready to fire if he tried anything.  Lila did the same.

'Very well…you have proven your resilience.  I consent to join you.' Tempest said, and blue light radiated from him as he healed himself, and then he disappeared into a grey ball of energy.  

Zane, Gen, and Lila braced themselves.  It was going to be one of them who would be hit by that energy ball.  It danced around, indecisively for a moment, before suddenly shooting towards its target.  Lila gave a cry of pain as it collided into her, penetrating into her chest, and disappearing.  She staggered back, and fell to the ground, out cold.  

Roxy let out a deep breath.  'Phew.  Well, that was good!  We kicked his ass!'

'I don't know Roxy, I'd say he kicked our asses pretty well too.' Gen replied, breathing deeply.

'All right guys!  You got the moves!' Zell praised, jogging up to the group.

Vreya knelt down beside Lila.  'She'll be out for a few hours.  Should come round by the time we get back.'

The adults joined the group of young people.

'Good job.' Fleck commended.  

'You need to be a little more alert though.' Rica said.  'But don't worry.  You did well for a first try.' 

'The winds have died down…' Locky said.  'Amazing.'

'Well Fleck, sorry about doubting you old buddy.' Bo slapped his friend on the back.

'Yes, looks like he was right after all.' Quistis agreed, as Gen lifted Lila off the floor.

'Still think I'm crazy?' Fleck asked Rica, who shook her head in exasperation.

'Okay, you don't need to get all smug.' 

'Yes I do.  It took me ages to convince you, glad I was right after all.'

'Okay, okay, can we get back now.  We've been here an hour.' Locky informed them.

'Great idea.' Bo agreed.  'Just watching the action exhausted us.  By the way, you guys were great.' He told Zell, Quistis, Rinoa and Squall.

'What was that thing you called?  It looked like a huge bat out of hell!' Fleck exclaimed to Rinoa, who smiled, and began to tell him as they walked back to the vans.  Gen carried Lila, walking alongside Bo.  Roxy was laughing with Zell over something, and Squall and Quistis walked along with Locky and Rica.  Vreya stood for a moment.  It had been totally amazing to actually fight.  It had also been completely dangerous.  Getting hit meant you got really hurt.  It was all very real now.

She glanced back at the only other person who hadn't moved.  Zane was looking out to the distance.  Vreya took a step after the others, and hesitated, turning again, looking back to him.  He still hadn't moved.  What was he looking at?

_This place…it looks so familiar…_Zane thought, wondering if anyone else felt the same way.  It troubled him…he couldn't quite put his finger on why this place seemed so familiar.  Ever since he had gotten here.

Vreya blinked.  In place of a raging wind, a gentle breeze now blew.  She called to him.

'Zane…'

Zane blinked, and looked to her.  He hadn't realised she was still standing there.

She was waiting.  Waiting for him.

His eyes met with hers.  All of a sudden, in this strangely familiar environment, he felt a terrible sense of déjà vu.

'Come on.' Vreya said, tilting her head slightly, before turning away and walking off.  Zane looked after her retreating figure, and then back to the horizon.  

_Flower petals…a field…_his mind strained to remember.  _A field…flowers, wind, rain…a girl, a promise…_Memory escaped him, and he closed his eyes briefly.  

Feeling terribly uncomfortable, he finally shook his head, opening his eyes and turned away, following after her.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

So, did you like?  Very long!  Tell me what you think.  I'll try to update soon okay?  See ya all next time!


	33. Watcher In The Dark

Sorry that you had to wait so long to read the next chapter-it's just that-it was X-Mas time of year, and many of you know how hectic that is!  Thank you so much for the reviews, now let's move on with the story!

**Chapter XXXIII: Watcher In The Dark**

****

'Hello?'

'Hey.'

'Oh-Ash!' Lila almost dropped the bottle of nail polish she was unscrewing.  She sat up on her bed quickly, heart skipping a beat.

'You okay?' His voice at the other end of the line asked.

'Huh-oh, I'm great!  It's so great of you to call-I was just thinking of you!'

'Oh…right…'Ash replied, uncertainly.  Lila realised what she had said, and amended quickly,

'Oh…I wanted to call you that is, and ask if you knew what was happening.  About…you know…'

_Nice catch.  Phew.  _She thought.  She frowned slightly as the presence in her mind made sure to let its disapproval be known.

_Ouch.  Do you mind?  Stop giving me headaches!_

_If you would stay more focused perhaps I would.  _The voice replied, curt as ever.  Lila was having trouble getting compatible with her new friend and guardian, Tempest.

'Lila?' Ash's voice drew her out of her mental communication.  

'Sorry.  Having another voice in your head can drive you pretty crazy…ouch…okay, sorry…sorry Ash…go on.'

'Still not getting on?' Ash asked, surprising Lila by engaging in extra chat.  

'Oh.  You know.' Lila smiled into the receiver.  'I'm sure it'll work out in time.'

'Right.  Anyway.  Can you make it tonight?  We're meeting by the park at seven.'

'What?  Why the park?'

'One of Fleck's old friends asked us to all come along.  Figures he's found something.' Ash replied.

'What does he think he's found?' Lila asked, carefully painting a toenail.

'Not sure-something that'll help us maybe.  Listen, I can't talk here.  Can you make it?'

'Can you hold up while I go make sure?' Lila asked.  'Or I'll call you back.'

'No.  I'll wait.' His voice replied.  Lila nodded, and then placed the line on hold.  She grabbed a folded piece of paper from her desk and fanned the polish quickly.  When she was satisfied it was dry, she got up and bounded out of her room, and almost collided into her little brother, Mattie.  

'Hey squirt, budge.' Lila said, pushing him aside, and rushing down the stairs.  She entered the living room, where her mother and father sat together.

'Hi, mum, dad, I…' she was cut off by her father, who gave her a look.

'No you may not go out tonight.'

Lila stared, mouth open in a surprised 'O'.  'Uh, okay…so you guessed.  Why not?'

'You've been going out too much lately honey.  How on earth are you getting your schoolwork done?' her mother asked, peering around her husband's shoulder.

'I'm getting it done!  Come on, please!'

'I'm sorry Lila.  Tonight you stay in.' Her father replied, turning back to the TV.  

'Why do you need to go anyway?  What for?' Her mother asked.

'It's for my school…'

'Project?' her father intercepted.  'I am very curious to see it when it's finish.  We have a teacher-parent evening coming up soon don't we?  I can't wait to discuss it with your tutor.'

_Oh…crap!  That's just peachy!  _Lila struggled to keep her face neutral.  She managed to compose herself and gave a sweet smile.  'Oh I can't wait too, daddy!' she exclaimed.  'You and mum will love it.  I'm putting so much work into this project.  I'll probably be dead by the time I finish it because of the effort it takes out, ha ha!'

_… Watch your words…_Tempest whispered in her mind. 

Mr. and Mrs. Harvards stared at their daughter, mildly surprised, and confused.  Lila got a grip, and said hastily:

'Uh…so…can I please go out?  I won't be too long.  We just have to go over…the various different…layouts…' _I sound so lame; they'll never believe me…_ she worried.

'I'm sorry honey.  We aren't seeing much of you lately, and it'll only be a year from now when you can officially leave home if you wish-we'd like to feel we have a daughter until then.'

'Mother.' Lila put her hands on her hips.  'Don't you want me to pass my subjects?'

'Tell me Lila.' Her father sighed.  'Which subject was this for again?'

'Geography.' Lila said automatically.

'Darling.  You don't do Geography.' Her mother looked at her suspiciously.  

'I know that.' Lila said quickly.  'I mean it's a Geography aspect in my science class.'

'And what exactly is it on?'

'The…Earth.' Lila said, feeling terribly uncomfortable.  She felt terrible lying, but what could she say?  Somehow, 'mum, dad, I've been chosen to help save the world from monsters and that's why I keep going out' didn't sound too good to her.

'The earth as in the soil?' Her father pressed.

'Yeah.  The types of soil-we have to collect samples, and…measure the acidity levels, and then we have to relate it to rainfall and wind speed.'  It wasn't a complete lie.  After all, she was doing something like that in science class-just not a project.  Besides-the real project she was involved in had to do with the Earth, as a planet.  

'Sounds interesting.' Her mother remarked.  'It's sort of like a lot of field work then?'

'Yeah.' Lila hoped she had convinced them.

'Well, why don't you show us what you've done so far?'

'…' Lila went blank.  Show them what?  Oh no.  They were going to see through her act and ground her for a month. 

Your friends have the papers.  

Lila blurted out what Tempest had just suggested.  'My friends have the papers today.'

'Today?' Her father asked.

'Daddy, give me a break!' Lila cried.  'Stop interrogating me!  Yes, my friends, Vreya, Ash, and Gen. They're in my science class-okay?'

'…I want to see some work from you tomorrow.  Let's make a deal Lila.  We'll leave you to work on your project, if you prove that you are really working on it.  Now who's house will you be at?' Her father asked.

'…We're going to the library.' Lila replied.  She sensed victory was at hand.

'…I see.  Well, give us Vreya's number, so that we can make sure she's with you.' Mr. Harvards nodded.  He was a no nonsense kind of man.

'Yes.  We don't want you going out alone and staying out alone late at night.' Her mother agreed.

Lila sulked.  'Fine.' She replied, and scribbled Vreya's number messily on a scrap of paper, handing it over to her parents.  They finally seemed satisfied.  As Lila turned to go, her father called after her.

'Lila dear.'

Lila rolled her eyes and looked back to them.  Her father waggled a finger, and her mother looked on in amusement.

'Tomorrow, I want to see those papers.'

'Yes, daddy.' Lila said through her teeth, before bounding back up the stairs, this time knocking over little Mattie.  The seven year old blinked, and glared up at her.

'I'm telling mommy you pushed me!'

'Fine, go tell.' Lila slammed the door to her room shut in his little face.

'Ash!' she sighed down the phone.

'Took you long enough.' He replied, in the voice she absolutely adored.  Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she sighed again.

'Sorry.  Got the lecture from my parents.  I mean The Lecture.  The 'where do you keep going off to' lecture…'

'Everything clear?' He asked.

'I think so.  At seven did you say?  The park isn't too far right?  I'll walk it.'  She glanced at her watch.  She had little over forty minutes to get ready and make it to the park.

'It's kind of dark out now.' Ash said quietly.  'Be careful.'

Warmth filled Lila.  She thought about what Vreya had told her about telling Ash how she felt.  Maybe…maybe she had a chance after all.

'Ash.' She replied, giggling a little shyly.  'You're so sweet to worry.  But you don't need to.  I'll be okay.  I'm not alone remember?  Anyone tries to get to me and I'll blow them away with my strength.'

He laughed a little, and said he'd meet her there with the others.  She hung up, feeling as though she were flying and on top of the world.

-------------◊-------------

'Hey, Seifer, you're really good at this game!' Selphie clapped her hands excitedly.  'That's the third time you beat Zell!'

Seifer sat back with a huge smirk on his face, deep green eyes burning holes into Zell's thin wall of patience.  Finally the wall seemed to collapse completely, as Zell slammed his fist onto the table.  He did it hard; the magnetic chess pieces flew off the board, onto the floor.  A few people in the room jumped at the sound.

'Ouch.  You okay there man?' Costa asked, looking to Zell in surprise.  

'Hey, hey, that table costs money.' Rica called over from where she and the group of adults were huddled together.

'Yeah, you pay to play kid.' Bo chastised, before turning back to the others.

'Argh!  You cheater!  You dirty cheat!' Zell yelled, outraged.

'Oh dear.' Sara remarked.  'Maybe he shouldn't play Seifer anymore.'

'It's just a game.' Gen exclaimed.

'Oh no.  It's more isn't it?' Seifer sneered at Zell, and then laughed mockingly at the look on the young SeeD's face.

'Hey Zell, maybe you should take some time out.' Irvine suggested, grinning slyly at Zell.

'Ah, shut up you stinkin' cowboy!' Zell roared at him.

Vreya managed to suppress a laugh, placing a slender hand lightly on Zell's shoulder, in an attempt to calm him.

'Zell.  It's really just a game…' she said.

Seifer smirked to himself.  He got the better of Zell in everything, from fighting prowess to board games.  He knew how much Zell disliked him-the feeling was very mutual, and it felt satisfying to see the look of frustration on the SeeD's face.

'He cheats I tell ya!' Zell raged.

'Too bad Zell.' Selphie tittered.  

'Yeah, try and play someone who isn't better than you.' Irvine teased.

'Shut up!  Darn cheat!' Zell glared daggers at the blond young man who had beaten him yet again.  'How'd you cheat huh?'

Seifer raised a hand calmly, and placed an index finger to his temple.  'I use this.  Called a brain…which you obviously don't have Chicken Wuss.'

Vreya met Seifer's gaze, and smiled slightly.  Chicken Wuss?  That was interesting.  She hadn't heard that one before.  She gave him a look that questioned why he had used the term.  Seifer smiled slyly, and his eyes moved to Zell's hair.  Vreya was confused a moment longer, before finally getting the joke.  She giggled into her hand, finding it very funny.

Unfortunately, Zell didn't, and had never seen the funny side of the nickname.  He clenched his hands into tight fists and gritted his teeth.  

'You…son of a…' he seethed.

He felt a hand on his shoulder again and this time it was Costa.

'Yo man.  Don't let him get under your skin you know.  He's just playing with you.'

Zell didn't think so.  He glared as Seifer got up and went to sit on an empty couch.  It was never just 'playing'.  It was never a game.  Of course these people didn't understand-they knew nothing of his treachery.  Zell vowed he'd let them all know sometime.  As far as he was concerned, Seifer couldn't be trusted no matter what world they were in.

'Well, we should get going.' Tai announced, and then looked to Ash who had just finished his phone call.  'Is she coming along?'

'Yeah.  Roxy said she'd be coming too.' Ash nodded.  

'Okay, let's go, let's go!' Fleck clapped his hands, urging them along.  He paused a moment, and looked to where Squall quietly sat in the corner.

'You guys, at ease.' Fleck said.  'You don't need to come along this time.  We're just going to meet a friend of mine.'

Squall looked to the others.  Quistis shrugged, Zell just sat with his arms folded and a scowl on his face, and Selphie and Irvine were sitting very close together as usual.  Rinoa, who had been sitting beside Vreya, also shrugged her shoulders.

'Sure you don't need us?' Irvine asked, tipping his hat back to look at Fleck.

'We shouldn't run into any problems.' Tai replied, nodding to Fleck.  'You take a break.'

Squall nodded.  It was plain to him that they wanted him and his group to sit this one out.  Besides, a little rest wouldn't hurt.  They could keep an eye out here anyway.

'Let us hope we do not encounter any hostility.' Morgan said.  Bo grinned at him.

'Hey, hey!  No worried old man!  We got fighters here after all.'

Morgan scowled at the use of 'old man'.  It obviously made him remember his age, older than them all.

'We'll take weapons just in case.' Jez said stonily, nodding to Vreya.  'Go get yours.'

Vreya nodded and moved to do as her mentor asked.  Fleck clapped his hands, urging them to move.  It would be seven soon.

'Okay, grab your things, let's go!' 

-------------◊-------------

'My parents are so on my case.' Lila moaned to Roxy, frowning unhappily.  

'Oh.' Roxy looked gloomy also.  'Sorry.'

'Why can't parents, like ever, ever stay out of our business?'

Roxy shrugged.  She was lucky, since her parents weren't the sorts who really cared about what she did anyway.  It hurt her at times, she wished her parents cared and asked after her like most peoples did, but she guessed she couldn't complain.  From the sounds of it, she was better off than all of them in terms of her worries.

'Guess you'll know when you become one?' Roxy suggested, brightening.

'Yeah right.' Lila muttered, kicking a pebble angrily.  She checked the time on her cell phone, and sighed.

'What's the time?'

'It's past seven, and it's freezing.' Lila replied.

'Kind of cold for spring.' Roxy agreed.

'Well, I guess it's all in the package of world going crazy.'

'Heh.  It's so weird and fun at the same time.' Roxy said, rubbing her hands together, trying to warm them.

'Fun?' Lila stared.

'Well…yah!  Come on Lila…we all used to think this was all fantasy, but it's so real and isn't that great?'

'The monster aspect is not great.' Lila replied.

'But it's fun…like, exciting is what I mean.' Roxy said.  'Like, how does it feel to have that thing in your head?'

'Terrible.'

Roxy giggled.  'Aw, come on!  At least he's a cute guardian!'

Lila muttered again.  '…He's probably like, nine hundred years old.  I'd prefer a guardian like Krysta.'

'He's well preserved I'd say, ha ha!'

Lila shook her head.  Roxanne was obsessed with cute guys.  She looked around, shivering slightly.  It was dark, and she didn't feel too comfortable standing near to the park, with only Roxy for company.  Neither had their weapons, and in case anything did happen (which Lila was praying it wouldn't) all she had for defence was Tempest.  She half hoped a monster would attack if anything had to attack-a human seeing Tempest would not be good.

Roxy stifled a yawn.  'Well, my parents don't care as usual.' She said, getting back onto the topic of parents.

'Trust me, you're lucky.'

'Maybe.  But, you know…it's like, hey, I am here you know!'

Lila was silent.  She felt bad then.  Her parents were only doing what every loving and responsible parent did.  Nagging was just a way of saying that they cared about you.  

'Oh well.' Roxy sighed softly.  'Maybe saving the world will change them.' She shrugged her small shoulders.  Lila looked to her thoughtfully.

'I've been thinking about that you know.  We may have to skip school and stuff for this.  What will we tell our parents then?'

'…' Roxy blinked.  'Oh.  Oh, that's…you're right…how would we get out of trouble with our school?'

'I heard Quistis talking about a Sleep spell.  Maybe we can just caste it over the entire town.' Lila replied.

'Like, send them all to sleep, like in Sleeping Beauty?  Remember the Disney version?  I loved that movie when I was a kid…' Roxy said, smiling in remembrance.

Lila rolled her eyes.

'Okay.' Roxy giggled again.  'I still love Disney movies.'

'…'

'There's a new one coming out, but of course we'll miss, it, I mean, we don't even have time to grab a pizza together anymore, and oh, Squall is really cute, don't you think?  Actually, I think Irvine is more my type…a guy in costume…don't tell him I said that, because that's how he really dresses.'  Roxy sniggered.

'…' Lila's head turned away from her friend, eyes scanning the darkened street.

'But Zell is cute too, in that goofy way of his.  Seifer's just like, the tall, blond and handsome type.  You know they're all cute.  It's so great, because we have Costa who's cute, Gen who's attractive in his own way, and Ash of course, who you're still pining over, honestly Lila, when are you gonna tell him?  Oh well.  Then there's Zane, and he is _really_ hot, like all bad ass with an 'I don't give a toss unless it's me' attitude I think so many girls like that, but he could be like really sensitive underneath you know…'

God, she talked so much…chattered on endlessly…how was Lila supposed to hear anything with all the ear traffic that she was getting?

_Will you make her stop…_Tempest snarled in her mind, obviously as irritated as she was getting.

'But it's so cool.  So many cute guys!  Locky is cute, and Harris, and Tai, even if he is kind of too old for us, and…' she was cut off.  Lila clamped a hand over her mouth and hissed at her.

'Shut up!  I think I heard something!'

Roxy swallowed, and finally closed her mouth, as Lila pulled her hand away slowly.  

'Shhh!' Lila whispered, looking around with narrowed eyes.  Roxy looked about nervously, and coughed a little, uncomfortable with the silence.

'Uh…Lila?  What did you hear?' She whispered loudly.  Lila walked around, and Roxy followed, not wanting to be left behind.  When Lila didn't respond, Roxy spoke up, in an even louder whisper.

'Lila!  What is it, you're scaring me…?'

'Will you shut…' Lila caught her breath, as she saw it from the corner of her eye.  A quick movement-there it was!  But before she could work out what exactly it was, it snarled and a moment later Lila was floored.

'Ah!' she cried.  She finally managed to get a look at her attacker, and her face contorted in horror.  It was exactly what she hadn't wanted to encounter-a monster.  Except it was the most horrible looking thing she had seen to date.  It looked like a cross between some kind of wild dog and a wolf.  Its skin was wet and it stank like nothing she had ever encountered before.  Part of its skin was falling off in pieces and a bit of its ear was missing.  It was snarling at her and standing directly over her, huge and hungry, eyes red, bloodshot.  Its mouth was open, revealing rotting, disgusting, terrifyingly sharp teeth. 

'ROXY!' Lila screamed.  She hated dogs…no matter how much you tamed one there was still a chance it would attack you.  This was no ordinary dog-it was a bigger, savage looking breed, and she knew instantly it was unnatural.  All the monsters and strange creatures they were seeing…it was the result of the 'merging' and the doing of whatever evil had set up shop in their world.

'Eeep!' Roxy shrieked.  She jumped up and down, in pure panic, not knowing what to do.  She was far too frightened to go near to the creature, but Lila was in great danger and if she didn't do something soon, she'd be dog food.

'Help!' Lila's voice was sharp and heart piercing.

'What do I do, what do I do?  Get off her you…' Roxy grabbed a stick she spotted lying on the floor, and poked the animal as hard as she could.

The creature raised a huge paw, claws unsheathed, ready to slash at its prey.  Lila screamed again, and Roxy, in pure desperation, moved to throw herself at the monster, to try and get it away from Lila.  

Just as she stepped forward, terror making her heart race, something caught hold of her arm, and she screamed, thinking she had come under attack also.  She thrashed hysterically, and it took a moment for her to comprehend the sound that was coming from whatever had a hold of her.

'Hey…damn, it's okay!'

Roxy almost fainted in relief as she realised it was a human hand which had gripped onto her arm, and kept her from surely getting herself killed.  The voice was human, and male.  Gasping, Roxy looked to the face.  In the dimness, she could make out the features of a young man.  He had dark hair and was relatively tall and well built.

'Please…h…help her!' Roxy cried.  But someone had already acted.  Roxy jumped as she heard gunfire, and the creature howled in pain.

'Miriam, watch out!' the man beside Roxy shouted, and took out a gun of his own.  He shot with perfect accuracy, and the monster finally turned from Lila, snarling in rage at the two new threats.  Its eyes glowed an insane red, and it stepped forward, readying to lunge at the nearest target, a young woman.  But she fired shot after shot and finally the creature, yelping and wounded, tried to retreat.  But the young man who had stopped Roxy unsheathed a dagger, and tossed it in the air, catching it perfectly again.

'Oh no you don't.' he said, and then threw the dagger.  It pierced the creature right in its chest, and it howled again.  The young woman fired one final shot in its head, before it finally fell, defeated, motionless.

Lila scrambled up, screaming at Roxy.  'You stupid idiot, I could have died, oh my God, oh my God!'  She was crying and understandably shaken.

The young woman looked to Lila.  'It's okay.' She said, in a voice that was friendly, calm and pleasant.  'It's dead now.'

'Thanks to you!  Roxy, what were you doing, why didn't you attack it?' Lila looked to Roxy, who was also in shock.

'It's a good thing she didn't.' The young man replied.  'Unarmed as she was-it would have killed her.'

Roxy shook her head.  'Why didn't Tempest help you?'

'Because I was hardly in any position to summon him was I!' Lila snapped back.

'Lila…' Roxy said in a small voice.  'I'm sorry…I tried…'

Lila let out a huge breath.  She had been so close to dying.  'God' was all she said, shaking her head.  

'…Summons…' The young man said, looking to Lila.  She looked back, and clamped a hand over her mouth, realising what she had let slip.

'Uh…no…nothing.' She stammered.

But the young woman laughed.  'It's okay girly.' She said kindly.  'Lucky it's just us who heard you.  We already know about that.  But keep it down yes?  Other less friendly ears may be listening.'

Lila and Roxy blinked at her, confused.

'And watching.' The young man agreed.  'You two know Fleck don't you?'

'Yeah we…' Roxy began, but Lila shot her a look, cutting her off.

'He's…who are you?' Lila asked, cautiously.

'Smart of you to be cautious-I'm a friend of his.  Name's Ortega, and this is Miriam.' He gestured to the young woman, who had long, light brown hair and a rather lovely face.

'Hello.' She smiled.  'You must be some of the people he mentioned.  Where is he Ortega?  It's way past seven.'

'Always late…' Ortega sighed.

'Uh…thanks I guess.  For saving me…' Lila said, feeling terribly foolish.  She must have seemed so helpless.

'Don't mention it.' Ortega shrugged.  'But you should be armed you know.  You can't afford to be caught off guard.'

'I'll remember that.' Lila said quietly, rearranging her hair and brushing herself off.

'Don't blame your friend.' Miriam added.  'She was just about to jump onto the beast before Ortega stopped her.'

Lila looked to Roxy in amazement.  'What?  How could you think of ding something so stupid?'

Roxy winced, and shrugged.  'Uh, you needed help…'

Lila felt bad.  'It's not worth killing yourself…sorry for snapping at you.  That was just too close to call.'

Roxy nodded.  'It's okay.  I'm a wimp I know I am.  Sorry.'

'Shut up.' Lila shook her head.

'I don't know.' Ortega smiled slightly.  'Jumping onto an overgrown beast requires a certain degree of guts I'd say.  And madness of course.'

'What was it?' Roxy asked, frowning at the huge bulk that lay dead on the pavement.

'One of the many freaky things we've seen.' Miriam replied.  'It's amazing we never actually attracted any attention.'

'I don't know.' Ortega said again.  'It's kind of suspicious…someone should have heard that.  We should move away from here.'

Miriam nodded.  'Good idea!  Come on girls.'

The four walked away from the scene, and into the park.  Miriam spoke up after a short silence.

'So, what are your names?'

Lila decided it was okay to trust them.  After all they had saved her and Roxy.  

'I'm Lila Harvards.'

'Roxanne Jeffery.  Call me Roxy.' Roxy sad.

'It's a pleasure.' Ortega murmured, and then stopped.  'Hey-I spy people ahead.'

'We went to the wrong entrance?' Miriam rolled her eyes.  

'That's Fleck all right, with a group of teens.  They must be your friends.' He looked to the girls.

'Yeah.' Roxy nodded.  They made their way to the gate, and Ortega called out.

'Well, well.  How long has it been now?'

Fleck turned, face lighting up.  He was standing with all of the mentors, plus all of the chosen children.

'Hey!  Ortega!  It's been a while!'  The two shook hands, grinning at each other.

'How have you been?' Ortega smiled.

'Oh, good considering the circumstances.' Fleck shrugged.  He looked at the young lady standing patiently behind his friend.

'And this must be Miriam.'

Miriam shook his hand.  'Hello.' She smiled.

'When did you arrive?' Ortega asked Fleck.

'Just now actually-I know we're late.  Hey…I see you've met two of them already.' He noticed Lila and Roxy who stood beside Miriam.

'They were waiting at the other entrance.' Miriam explained.  

'Yes, and it's a good thing we went to that entrance first.' Ortega nodded.  'These two were attacked by something.'

Fleck blinked, looking to the two girls in surprise.  'You were?'

'Too right!  And we woulda been doggie dinner if they hadn't showed up.' Roxy exclaimed.

'It's lucky you were there.' Fleck said.  'You girls okay?'

'Oh, just a little shaken, and my jacket is dirty, but I'll live.' Lila replied.  Miriam smiled.

'They're all right.  We're not sure what it was that attacked-it's back there, if you really want to investigate it.'

'I think we should.' Fleck replied.  'Let me introduce you to the others first.' He said, calling on everyone's attention and introducing everyone.  

'Okay.' Ortega said, when all had been said and done.  'So which one's yours?'

'The boy standing by the van.' Fleck replied, motioning to the young man who stood alone.

'Oh.  His name is Zane isn't it?' Ortega smiled, looking to Fleck.  'You made him a mean green fighting machine yet?'

'…' Fleck chuckled.  'Oh, I don't know about a fighting machine, but he is definitely mean and green.  Well.  His eyes are.'  

A voice interrupted.  'Ortega, I believe you had something interesting to share with us?' 

Ortega looked to Morgan.  'Oh yes.  But before we show you, didn't you say there were others?'

'We left the kids from…the other place back at the base.' Tai replied carefully.  

'We don't really need them do we?  The rest are carrying weapons, and three of them can use magic.' Rica said in a low voice.

'Only three?' Miriam exclaimed, looking surprised.  

'It isn't easy locating elementals.' Jez replied matter-of-factly, arms folded.  Miriam shook her head.

'You mean three from the fifteen or so you have?'

'No…three from eight.' Tai explained.  'The kids from the other place all have their own.'

'Oh.  That's a relief.' Miriam said.  

'Are you all ready?  Let's show you what we killed.' Ortega said, leading the group back into the park.

'Are you two okay?' Vreya asked Lila and Roxy, who walked on either side of her.  In front walked Morgan, beside a talking Tai and Rica, with Fleck, Bo, Miriam and Ortega at the front.  Behind them walked Costa, Gen, Sara, Ash, Jez, Harris, and Locky, and last of all was Zane, who trailed at his own pace, behind everyone else. 

'It was huge Vreya!  It was an overgrown dog, all savage and snarling.' Roxy said, shivering impulsively.  

'It stank like one too.' Lila agreed.

'You should always carry something with you.' Vreya said, frowning lightly.  

'Well, what if my parents found my crossbow in my closet-I already have them on my case.  They want to see my 'project' tomorrow.' Lila shook her head.  

'You can borrow the one I showed to my parents.' Vreya replied.  'Just come back with me after this, and I'll give it to you.'

'Thanks.' Lila smiled gratefully.  

'Here's where we…what the hell?' Ortega faltered.  He and Miriam looked about confusedly.  It was the same spot where they had slain the beast, but it was nowhere in sight.

'Hey!' Roxy said, alarmed.  'Where did it go?'

'This is the entrance we came to…' Lila said, frowning.  

'You sure?' Ash asked, and Miriam nodded.

'Positive-Ortega, where is it?'

'Okay, so you slew a dog here, and it's gone?' Sara asked, staring at them, confused.

'It wouldn't just vanish into thin air.' Gen said.  'That's not possible…'

'Unless…' Harris began.  Bo finished his thought.

'Unless…someone moved it.'

'Moved?' A voice enquired from the back of the group.  They looked back, to Zane, who added 'Or collected?  Look at this.'

He pointed to the ground behind him.  They gathered around, and saw something they had missed-blood stains, streaked across the concrete sidewalk.  As if something large and bulky had been dragged away.  

'Well I'll be damned.' Locky exclaimed.  'This is too weird.  How big did you say it was?'  

'It wasn't your average domesticated dog.' Miriam folded her arms.  'More like…an overgrown bear.'

'It'd take a lot of men to move it.' Ortega said.  'I don't understand how anyone could take it so fast.'

'How is not the real issue…' Sara gestured.  'It's why.'

'I agree.' Locky said.  'Hey Zane, do those tracks lead anywhere?'

Zane shook his head.  'They stop right there.' He pointed again.

'Did someone grab a haulage truck and move it without anyone noticing?' Costa said.  

'…Freaky.' Roxy shivered.  

'This is strange.' Harris said.  He looked to Morgan.  'Hey do you have any clue?  You usually have a clue.'

'You said that you were alone when this happened?' Morgan asked, in a quiet voice.

'Yes.' Ortega nodded.

'Are you sure?' Morgan pressed, looking at the young man, who nodded again.

'It did seem strange that the girls' screams weren't heard by anyone else.' Miriam said slowly.

'Hey.' Ash began.  'What if…I mean, is it possible for the thing to be…lifted away by other means?'

'Other means?' Tai regarded him with a look.  Lila waggled her fingers suggestively.

'Oh!' Fleck exclaimed.  'I see…well, why not.  But we're the only magic users here…'

'Unless…there were other things with the thing you killed, who can also use magic.' Rica said.

'Unfriendly things.' Miriam gasped, looking to Ortega.  'What if someone is still here now and has heard all we've said?'

'…'

Vreya looked about her, as confused by the turn of events as everyone else was.  Everyone around her was talking together, and she took the opportunity to stray a little, trying to find something that would help.  Making sure she was still relatively close to the group, she peered about, frowning.  No one seemed to be about…what on earth could have moved the carcass of the beast they had encountered?

_I must caution you to be careful._  Krysta communicated to her.  _I sense a dark presence._

Vreya was not aware of what lurked in the darkness.  Nor was she aware of the eyes that she had attracted onto her.  They watched her now, curiously; watched the beautiful young woman who had strayed from her group.  The eyes knew she was coming closer, and their owner moved so as not to lose her attention. 

'…' It was too dark for her to really see anything too clearly.  Just as she was about to turn back, something caught her eye.  A movement.  She opened her mouth, but she didn't call out to the others-afraid that the thing would move, she edged forward, gripping onto her weapon.  Whatever it was had just gone around the corner, and entered the small space between two public buildings.  

_It's around the corner…it can't escape…I can trap it…_Vreya thought, walking slowly, quietly.

She sensed Krysta's discomfort.  She hesitated, looking back to the group, to safety.  They hadn't noticed she was gone yet.  She told herself to be brave-she didn't need backup-what she had seen had seemed small in comparison to what Roxy and Lila had described.  With a pounding heart, she swallowed nervously, and moved forward, sidestepping around the corner and turning quickly so that she faced the entrance to the small space.  She raised her arm simultaneously, ready to pull the lever of her weapon.

At first she saw nothing.  It was so dark, and her eyes were adjusted only to dim light.  Then her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened suddenly, as she thought she caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes.  Widened eyes…human eyes, staring straight back at her.  The scrape of a shoe against gravel confirmed that someone was there, but before she could respond, whoever, whatever it was, seemed to back up, and she heard a whisper.  A second later Vreya was coughing violently, as dark smoke fogged her vision.  She managed to raise her hands and caste Esuna, neutralising the dark effects of the magic that had been caste at her.  When she could see clearly again, she knew whoever it had been had left.  She stepped away, looking around, hoping she could catch whomever it was as they escaped, but it was obvious they had already left. 

_Damn…_she cursed, frowning.  Who had it been, and why hadn't he, she or it attacked her when she was all alone?  

An angry voice in her mind made her wince.  _That was careless!  To use magic so openly tells your enemies who you are!_

Vreya realised that she had made a stupid mistake.  But it was too late, and besides, she was hardly going to stumble back to the group blinded by darkness. 

'Vreya!' Voices were calling to her.  Vreya hurried back, and pointed as she reached everyone.

'Where did you go?' Jez snapped at her.  'You will not wonder off like that again, do you understand?'

'It's dangerous…' Rica agreed, but Vreya interrupted, waving her hands.

'I saw something-someone!'

'…What?  Where?' Locky asked.

'Back there-around the corner.' Vreya pointed.  

'Is it still there?  What is it?' Ortega asked.

'No…I think it may have been human…it had eyes like a human's…I couldn't see, and then when I snuck up on it, it caste Blind on me…'   

'Why didn't you call for help?' Tai exclaimed, frowning at her.

'Vreya…' Sara sighed.

'Let me explain.  I didn't want it to get away.' Vreya said.

'It's gone now?  It never attacked?' Miriam questioned.  Vreya shook her head.

'It used magic…then whatever, or whoever you saw…it was one on the dark side.' Morgan said gravely.

'Dark side?' Costa pulled a face.

'Yes.  In league with the threat.' Morgan replied.

'Oh.  Not good.' Lila murmured.

Fleck looked to Vreya.  'You didn't caste magic back did you?  Oh…no…you did…'

Vreya winced, readying for a verbal backlash.  'Ummm…sorry…but…it blinded me and I couldn't see…'

'Kid, you should have called us the moment you thought you saw something.' Bo shook his head.

'How many more times until you learn?' Jez snapped at Vreya.  'One of these days something will make off with you.'

'I can take care of myself!' Vreya said indignantly, placing her hands on her hips.  Gen placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her.

'Yes, and we know you can, it's just, be careful okay?'

'You're pretty important in case you didn't notice.' Tai added.  

'But it didn't attack.' Vreya protested.  'And it was gone by the time I got rid of the dark cloud, I don't think whoever it was stuck around.'

'It was a mistake to come out here in the open.' Morgan said, looking very unhappy.  'Malicious things hide in the shadows, and we are not to advanced in our training to detect them.'

'She noticed one.' Locky remarked.

'It could have wanted her to see it.' Harris suggested.

'Why would it do that?' Locky replied.  'It didn't even attack.'

'Okay, I hate to break up the fun, but that's not why we're here.' Fleck reminded them, cutting into the conversation.  He looked to Vreya.

'Look Vreya, try not to wander off alone okay?  It's dangerous, even if you can take care of yourself.  Now Ortega and Miriam here wanted to show us something.' He turned to the two, nodding.     

'Thank you.' Ortega said.  'Now though this is strange, it's going to have to go on hold for a moment.  We have a more important call to deal with.  Follow us.'

They followed after the two, entering the park again.  

'Hey.' Sara spoke up, as they walked.  'All these monsters…they're all from…other worlds right?'

'You got it.' Locky nodded.

'So…this entire merging…does that just mean that more and more monsters are going to start walking around?'

'Not just that.' Harris said, joining the conversation.  'The bad guy is using his power to pull all the other worlds around this one…to compress all the worlds together, and merge them all to join with ours.'

'Who says the bad guy is a guy?' Roxy demanded.  'It could be a woman.  Squall and the others had to save the world from a woman.'

'Bad guy, woman, who cares-I'll call it 'it' now, happy?' Harris said, looking back at her.  She nodded, satisfied.

'So what else will be happening apart from monsters?' Sara pressed.

'Well…we can't be too sure, but if other words are compressing into this one, I'd guess that a lot of our world will disappear, and a lot of things will die out.' Locky replied.

'Great.  Everything dies…so what exactly is this threat trying to accomplish?' Costa said, irritated.

'I'm thinking absolute power and dominion over all of humankind.' Locky replied.  'I guess whoever it is plans to make us all slaves.'    

'Well it can't be human then.' Lila said.

'Or it is and has a serious grudge on us.' Ash muttered.

'What'll happen to the moon?' Vreya asked suddenly.  Harris gave her a look.

'Why do you ask?'

The moon had always fascinated Vreya.  It was an object of absolute harmony and beauty; so high and unreachable in the sky, yet so close, always there at night, even when it could not be seen.  

'Well…if the worlds are all going to come crashing into ours…what happens to the moon?'

'I guess…it'll be destroyed in the process.' Locky's eyes widened.  'Oh crap-I totally forgot about the moon.'

'Destroyed?' Costa coughed.  'Uh, am I the only one who has a problem with that?  Last time I checked my scientific reference book, the moon is what keeps the seas under control.  Am I right Gen?' he looked to his friend.

'If only you remembered all other science facts as well, you'd have passed last year's test easily.' Gen replied.

'So the water will just wash us all away?' Sara said, looking horrified.

'Great-so we have a choice of slavery or drowning or getting eaten by monsters.' Lila groaned.

'Such variety.' Costa laughed dryly.  

'…' Tai, who had been listening along with Rica, decided to join in.  'There will be a way to get the moon out of range.'

'What makes you so sure?' Costa demanded.  'Are you gonna fly up to space and move it yourself?'

'I'm sure because no where in the scriptures we have managed to obtain does it mention flooding.'

'So how do we move it?' Vreya asked.

'We don't have all the answers right now.' Rica replied, glancing at her.  'Just give us time.'

'So what about the sacred scripture thingy?' Roxy piped up.

'Shut up.' Harris said instantly.  'No talking about that here.'

'But…'

'Ask later.' Gen advised Roxy. 

They finally came to a stop, beneath a tree, or what were the remains of a tree.  

'What the hell happened here?' Bo asked, stunned.

They were standing around the fallen trunk of a tree.  It was black and it looked as though it had been sizzled by fire or electricity.  Beside the fallen tree-trunk was a huge break in the ground, a violent fracture, with part of the earth raised up to create a crooked little hill.

'That doesn't look very normal.' Fleck said, rubbing his chin.

'Welcome to planet Earth, home of the wacky and weird.' Locky said sarcastically.

'The new home.' Rica agreed.  'What is that?'

'It looks like some kind of huge worm hole.' Gen said.

Miriam sighed.  'When we stumbled into this yesterday, it was all smoking as if something had been here.'

'Something big.' Ortega replied.  'We thought you should all take a look.  I asked you to bring them because I thought they all knew magic.'

Tai knelt down, tracing cracks in the earth with his fingers.  'From the way it's been pushed up, I'd say whatever did this spurted up from the ground in a violent haste.'

'What do you think it could have been?' Miriam asked.

'God knows.' Fleck replied, looking baffled.  'Then there's this fried tree next to it.'

'It's fairly obvious it was a monster that did this.' Jez stated.

'No prize there…but what?' Harris scratched his head.

'It is unlike anything we have encountered.' Morgan said slowly.  'I am afraid that the merging may be well into its later stages…the fruits of its development are scattered all across the town.'

'So what you're saying is that this is a new kind of monster.' Ash said.

'Indeed I am Ash.  It is alarming however…that unholy creatures such as the one likely responsible for this unnatural rise in the earth already walk the world.'

'You mean big nasties come later?' Costa asked.

'That means the merging has been going on longer than we realise.' Fleck said, understanding what Morgan was getting at.

'And the threat…' Tai began.

'Has been here for longer than we thought.' Bo smacked his forehead.

'And is currently ahead of us.' Rica sighed.  

'Oh perfect.' Jez snapped.  'We would have had ages, but no, we had to search for _them_, and now for these blasted elementals.'

'Don't blame it on them.' Ortega said to Jez.  'You guys delayed for months before you began looking.'

'Shut up.' Voiced chorused at him.

'Just reminding you.' Miriam smiled slightly.

'So what do we make of this?' Sara asked.  'Do we follow it up?'

'I don't know if it's significant.' Fleck replied, looking to Morgan.

'It seems strange to me Fleck, that something that resides in the ground would have the ability to reduce a tree to this burnt state.' Morgan replied.

'It would be an Earth element, and they can't crackle up trees.' Tai agreed.

'So…' Roxy said impatiently,  'It's cold…'

'It may have surfaced and attacked something that could burn up trees.' Ortega suggested.

'But why would it surface?' Fleck looked at him.

'It was hungry.' Lila said.

'…Maybe…maybe it was trying to get something.' Harris began.

They looked to him.  'What?' Costa asked.  'I'm not with you man.'

'Look…this big thing…right…it works for the big boss right?'

They stared.  

'So…so what if, right, the big boss ordered it to go after something, and here's where it found it, and attacked.'

'Oh!' Roxy clapped her hands.  'And it tried to defend itself by knocking the tree over.'

'I don't know.  Seems a drastic way to defend yourself.' Locky replied.

'Great theory.' Jez said to Harris, rolling her eyes.  'Next time keep your ideas to yourself.'

'He may have a point.' Zane cut in, attracting everyone's attention.  Though the young man rarely bothered to speak, when he did, he usually had something to say that was worth listening to.

'What do you mean tyke?' Bo asked.

Zane traced the crack on the remainder of the tree, its stump.  'The tree was toppled from something above the ground.'

'Huh?' Lila exclaimed.  'How can you tell?'

'Pressure indents that lead down and not up are a sign of an upward force acting on a object.' Zane stated matter-of-factly, as if it were something everyone should know.

'So I guess you aced you Physics class.' Sara said, looking back to Fleck.  'He's right.'

'Wow…I didn't notice.' Fleck looked to Zane, and smiled, impressed with his knowledge.

'I'm thinking it wasn't a plane that knocked down the tree.' Harris said, folding his arms.

'I know where this is leading, and I must say it is possible.' Morgan nodded.

'Wait.' Jez held up her hand.  'Are you saying whatever did this…was after something that was flying in the air and able to strike a tree down?  To burn it this badly?'

'I don't think fire did this.' Gen said.  'It looks more like a lightening bolt.'

'And that is my point.' Harris sighed.  'We are looking for elementals aren't we?'

'You think it's a lightening type?' Rica questioned.

'I think so.  But I'm pretty stupid right Jez?' Harris looked to the copper-haired woman who glared at him.

'That sounds possible.' Ortega said.  'We wouldn't have thought of that.  How many guardians did you say you have?'

'Three…wind, fire, and ice.' Locky replied.

'Then it's really probable.' Miriam said.  'I suggest you trace this thing.'

'That's another thing.  How do we trace it?' Tai asked.

'It'll be impossible to find it-could be anywhere.' Ash said.

'It obviously got whatever it was after.' Fleck said, looking thoughtful.  'Because it looks like there was a struggle here.'

'How can you be sure?' Jez demanded.  'What if whatever it was managed to escape?  It flies according to you doesn't it?'

'Uh…guys…' Lila called.

'Look Jez, we've taken chances with Ignatius and Tempest haven't we?' Bo gestured.  'Third time lucky.'

'That is a careless strategy.'

'Then what do you suggest?' Miriam asked, folding her arms.  

'Hello!' Lila shouted.  'Sara's found something.'

'What is it?' Morgan asked walking over to the girl.  She had been kneeling over something, close to the raised crack of ground.  She stood up now, and held up something in her hand.

'Is this proof enough?  This doesn't belong to anything you see everyday.'

Morgan took the feather in his hand, and examined it.  Fleck shined his torch on it, and frowned.

'What a weird looking feather.'

'I think that's proof enough.' Harris stated.  'You can all call me a genius now.'

Everyone ignored him.  They were all looking at the feather.  It was sleek and soft, and a bright yellow, with gold, red, green and blue inner segments.  It was quite pretty and Roxy said excitedly.

'Oh, if it is, I want it to be my one!  It's so pretty.'

'So if it is really what we are looking for…how do we trace the thing that took it?' Rica asked again.

'I think we need to ask the others about this.  In any case we can't trace it today.  It's too late for that.' Fleck said.

A cell phone went off.  Vreya excused herself and answered.  To her surprise, Mr. Harvards was on the line.

'Oh…hello Mr. Harvards.'

Lila's eyes widened, and she checked her watch.  It was almost nine.  She couldn't believe how long they had been here for.

'Yes…Lila's with me…we're working on…a science project yes…oh, we were so into it we didn't notice the time…'

She paused, and then held the phone to Lila.  'It's your dad.'

Lila, looking anxious, grabbed the phone.  'Hello daddy.  I'm fine.  Why didn't you call me on my phone?  You're using up her credit.'

'So you'll get back to us?' Ortega asked Fleck, who nodded.

'Yeah.  You're doing a good job.  Keep an eye out…the enemy isn't the only one with spies.'  

Miriam nodded.  'You can count on us.'

'I don't need to remind you to be careful.' Fleck said.  'How are the others by the way?'

'Fine.  Working in their designated areas.' Ortega smiled.  'Well, we'll be off then.  Let us know what you decide.'

Fleck nodded and the two turned and walked off together.  

'I'm leaving now dad.  Okay…bye…' Lila gave the phone back to Vreya.  She looked to the mentors.

'Could we get going now?  My parents want me home right now, and I'd appreciate it if you gave me a lift.'

'That's fine.' Tai replied.  'Our work here is done isn't it?'

'Yeah.' Fleck nodded.  'Let's get going.'

-------------◊-------------

The young man strode through the huge double doors, into the hall fit for kings.  His gait was confident and elegant-he was the nephew of one of the Master's most efficient and trusted soldiers.  The advantages of knowing how to use magic ensured his quick return from where he had been watching.

He stopped before where the Master sat, tall and proud and just now, relatively brooding.  Kane knelt down on one knee respectfully.

'My Lord.'

'I sent you out in the hope you would bring me better fortune than the worthless fools before you.  What news Kane?'

Kane raised his head, which was a dark, deep shade of foxy reddish brown.  He smirked, the way young people always smirked, arrogantly and confidently.

'My Lord, the creature has acquired what you asked for.  Even as we speak it is travelling underground, returning here.'

'How long will the cursed beast take?' Lorne demanded.

'Another two days at most, maybe three…it is a creature of darkness my Lord.  It travels only at night.'

'I see.  And have any others been found?'

'…' Kane smiled, taking permission to stand.  The Master would be pleased with his next bit of information.  Kane was a nineteen-year-old young man, well skilled with the sword and with the gun.  Like many who had pledged allegiance to the powerful Lorne, he sought rewards and the gift of life.  He served as one of the many Watchers, spies recruited to bring back useful information.  What he had seen tonight was very useful…he would return and watch again, and learn more.  The magic he had caste earlier in the night to make his escape back here had been dispelled by a human.   By a chosen one, by a beautiful young woman, who had been with a large group of people, who had discussed some very interesting matters, which Kane had heard with his own ears.  He had been watching for a while, and no one had been aware of him-until tonight.  He looked forward to returning and watching again.  

'No my Lord…but I have other news that may be of interest to you…'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

Well, I hope you liked that everyone.  Please let me know how you found it.  I hope you all had a great Christmas and got everything you wanted.  I have to wait another 2 months for FFX-2 here.  -__- Ah well.  Happy New Year in advance, and I'll update as soon as humanely possible! 


	34. Flying Without Wings

Wow, a really long delay and I apologise!  I've only just finished exams, and finally have time to upload the next chapter.  Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you like this chapter!  Thank you so much for your patience and I'm sorry for taking so long-hey Cute Kitty…this is for you-happy belated birthday!  ^ ~ ^

**Chapter XXXIV: Flying Without Wings**

Squall narrowed his eyes in thought, taking in the new information he had been given.  

'Underground?' he repeated.

'You got it.' Fleck nodded.  'Something that was clearly huge borrowed to the surface.'

'…' 

'That sounds like an Abyss Worm.' Quistis remarked, folding her arms.  

Squall glanced at her briefly.  'We can't be sure.'

'No, of course not, until we see it.' Quistis nodded.

'Yo, it'd have to be a really huge hole if it was one.' Zell commented.

'It was really big.' Sara replied.

'Huge!' Roxy held out her arms wide apart. 

'And you say it ate a bird?' Irvine enquired.

'Not ate.' Bo replied.  'Or maybe it did?'

'You think it's another guardian?' Selphie asked, from where she was perched on the edge of a table.  

'Well, the tree that had fallen down next to it was toppled from above.' Gen replied.  

'And it was totally fried, man.' Costa said.

'Ummm…what's that worm thing you just said?' Vreya asked, leaning forward slightly from her place beside Selphie.

'An Abyss worm.' Quistis repeated.  

'Huge, orange worm.' Selphie replied, and held up her hands, bending her fingers to imitate claws.  'With razor sharp teeth!'

'I thought they're only found in desert land.' Seifer said matter-of-factly.

'Hey-yeah, isn't that right?' Irvine looked to Squall.

Squall shrugged.  It seemed that anything was possible at the moment.  

'Maybe it's a relative of the Abyss Worm.' Rinoa suggested.

'Yeah, maybe-or maybe it's something new altogether.' Zell said.

'Whatever it is we have to find it.' Harris said.

'It's probably too late for that.' Jez replied flatly.  'It's probably an entire day ahead of us.'

'If it is an Abyss Worm,' Quistis put in, 'It only travels at night.'

'It can't see by day.' Squall agreed.  

'It'd still be miles ahead.' Ash muttered.

'How are we supposed to find it anyway?' Lila moaned.  

'You guys got any ideas?' Tai looked to the Children of Fate.

There was a pause, which was broken finally by Seifer. 

'Which one of you has the rat?'

'…' Squall, who was sitting back with his arms folded, caste a glance at Seifer, in irritation. 

_What's he talking about…? _

When he was responded by silence, Seifer frowned in anger.  It was so dammed annoying-they were stuck together and were all looking for a way to get back home, all fighting the same fight, and yet they wouldn't accept his help.  He knew they had a right to be cautious around him, but it was getting ridiculous.  He wasn't going to stab them in the back again!  He was here and he had a brain and he could help and work things out too.  Seifer slammed his fist on the coffee table, leaning forward and glaring at the rest of the orphanage gang, and Rinoa.

'Damn it, tell me, it's not too hard to answer!'

Zell huffed rubbing his fists together, like he wanted to punch something, and that something was Seifer.

The silence stretched on, before Squall said in exasperation: 'What rat?'

'Yeah there's only one rat here and it's…' Zell began, but Irvine elbowed him hard, cutting him off.

'The rat GF, Leonhart, what else?' Seifer said sarcastically.

Squall's eyes narrowed at his rival.  His arrogant attitude hadn't changed.

'Oh!' Selphie said suddenly.  'You mean Carbi!  He's with me!' 

'Carbuncle?' Rinoa said, looking to Seifer.  'Have you got an idea?'

'It's probably a stupid one.' Zell muttered.  Seifer, for once, ignored him, and went on,   

'It travels underground doesn't it?  You can use it to find the worm.'

Quistis pursed her lips thoughtfully.  'That is a good idea.'

'I'm for it.' Irvine agreed.

'He'd probably have no trouble sniffing it out!' Rinoa nodded.  

'But-but what if the worm eats him?' Selphie cried.  

'It won't.  He's quick isn't he?' Seifer said, and remembered the last time he had seen Carbuncle.  The rodent GF had materialised out of the ground in a flash and jumped up high into the air, casting a ruby light over Squall, Selphie and Zell, a light that would reflect all magic away from them and back at the opponent.  Seifer had dispelled over and over but the rodent had just kept materialising, and it had been fast.

'Okay then!' Selphie nodded.  'That's a great plan!'

Seifer was pleased.  Four out of six were siding with him.  He looked to Zell and Squall, daring them to defy the fact that it was a good suggestion. 

Squall had to admit it was pretty smart.  He looked to Seifer, reluctant to acknowledge the fact that it was the best option.  Only he and Zell seemed unhappy with the idea, just because it came from Seifer.

_I suggest you give him this chance.  _Bahamut growled in Squall's mind.

Squall spoke up.  'Even if we did do that-we've still got the problem of reaching it ourselves.'

'Want to fill us in?' Rica asked.

'Seifer was just suggesting we use a small rodent like GF we have to find the worm.' Quistis replied.  'It has a good sense of smell and naturally resides in the ground.'

'That sounds good.' Locky remarked.

'But the problem is, when it does find it-it can let Selphie know, but how do we get to it?' Rinoa said.

'Darn…I knew we should've brought Ragnarok.' Irvine sighed heavily.

'Flying would be good right about now.' Harris said.

'Can you not be transported to the location by another means?' Morgan said.

They looked to him. 

'What do you mean, man?' Costa asked, confused.

'It depends where the thing is.' Locky said.  

'If it's near a train station we could go by train.' Ash nodded.

'But we'd have to buy tickets and it'd take too long.' Vreya said, shaking her head.

'What about teleportation?' Morgan suggested.

They stared at him.  Fleck laughed a little.

'Okay…now we can do some amazing things here, but teleportation is not one of them.'

'Yeah you know.' Costa agreed.  'Kind of against the laws of…uh…the laws which keep getting broken.'

'It'd be cool if we could!' Roxy exclaimed.

'And perhaps you may.  Lila, I believe you possess the wind spirit.' Morgan nodded to Lila.

'Yeah so.'

'Perhaps he could transport you through the power he wields?'

'Whoa, now hold on!' Gen said.  'I doubt he'd be able to carry all of us.'

'I got a wind spirit too!' Irvine waved his hand, reminding them of Pandemona.

'Is it possible for yours to carry you to any location?' Morgan asked Irvine.

'I'll ask for y'all.' Irvine said, and closed his eyes.

_So you heard them Panda!  Can you do it?  _He thought to his GF.

_I may take four if need be._  Pandemona replied.

_Whoa, you can do it!  You never told me that!  _Irvine was surprised, but impressed.

_You never asked…_His GF replied.  

Irvine opened his eyes and flashed a grin.  'Three can come with me.'

'What?' Selphie cried.  'Panda can actually do that?'

'Yeah Seffie, you bet he can.'

'Cool.' Zell nodded.  'So why didn't you tell us that before?'

'I never knew before!'

'So that's how you always managed to sneak off.' Rinoa teased.  Irvine shrugged.

'And yours Lila?'

'Uh…he isn't too happy with the idea.' Lila replied, having tried to talk Tempest into it.

'Oh that is just what we need.' Sara rolled her eyes.

'He says he's no luggage carrier.' Lila frowned.  

'Stubborn…we aren't luggage!' Costa frowned.

Vreya spoke up.  'Tell him Krysta demands he agrees.'

Lila paused and then replied: 'He says he's disinclined to accept.'

'She says she'll let him know.'

'Who's he?' Lila asked.

'She's not telling me…she's just telling me that she'll tell him.'

'…' Lila shook her head.  'He's not going to agree.'

'…She says…he made a promise and he can't go against his word.' Vreya said.

Lila communicated this piece if information.  She felt Tempest's anger.

_Damned Ice-spirit!  I need no reminders of my obligations!  _Tempest hissed in Lila's mind.

_Please!  Why are you being so difficult?  Just this once-help me!  _Lila snapped at him, wondering why she had to be stuck with the temperamental one.

Tempest was silent.  Finally, and to Lila's amazement, he reluctantly consented to bear three.

'He says he'll only take three.' Lila said.  

'Okay, that's seven of us going.' Fleck nodded.  'Any others of yours fly?'

'They don't usually do things like this.  I don't think they're allowed to actually carry us are they?' Quistis pondered.

'They're only meant to help in battle.' Seifer replied.  

'Bahamut…can carry four.' Squall said slowly.

'Whoa dude-Bahamut is agreeing?' Zell looked to Squall in surprise, a look that was mirrored in all other faces, which knew and had seen the mighty GF.

Squall nodded.  

'Oh YEAH baby!  Bahamut kicks ass!' Zell punched the air with his fist.  'Quezacotl can carry me.'

Rinoa, who had been quietly pleading with Diablos, smiled suddenly.  'And Diablos says he'll take three too.'

'So that's…fifteen of us.' Fleck calculated.  'That's great!  Thanks Morgan-you're a real genius.'

Morgan nodded.  

'Okay!' Selphie jumped up.  'I'll let Carby go now!'

'How long will it take to find it?' Ash asked.

'Yeah because we have to get home preferably before ten pm.' Lila said.

'Well, can you speed your GF up?' Tai asked Selphie.  She thought a moment, and then nodded.  Closing her eyes, she summoned Carbuncle, which didn't take long, since she had a high compatibility with him.  Roxy screeched as a hole appeared in the ground suddenly.

'Oh my-look, it's the worm!'

'Heh heh.' Irvine chuckled.  'Easy-it's just Carbuncle.'

A small, bright green head popped out of the ground-rodent like and keen eyed.  It looked about its surroundings and gave a little squeak, and jumped up into the air, landing snugly in Selphie's open arms.

'Hello Carby!  Say hello to my new friends!'

The rodent-like GF barely glanced at the others, as Selphie caste Haste over it.

'That is so sweet!' Vreya smiled, looking at the small creature, which was truly adorable.

'AWWWWWWW I WANT IT!' Roxy screeched and Carbuncle gave another squeak.

Rinoa, Selphie, Zell and Irvine sniggered.  Even Quistis smiled a little.

'Calm down-you have to respect that thing-it's a guardian spirit not a pet!' Irvine said.

'Tee-hee!' Rinoa giggled. 

'It's…really small.' Rica said.

'And fast.' Ash commented, as the creature jumped out of Selphie's arms and bounded over to the door.

'And bouncy.' Gen added.  Selphie lead her GF outside, followed by everyone else.

'Okay Carby, you know what to do!  Find the worm!'

'Find anything which may be holding another guardian.' Quistis added.  Selphie patted the small creature on its head, and stepped back.  Carbuncle jumped into the air, and as he did so, a small hole appeared in the ground again.

'Let me know when you find it!' Selphie shouted after him.  'And be careful!'

Carbuncle dived into the ground, disappearing as the hole closed up.  

'He'll be okay.' Irvine assured Selphie.  She nodded, smiling.

'Well.' Bo said.  'Guess we just wait now huh?'

'I guess so.' Fleck agreed.

'I have a good way to pass time.' Jez said, folding her arms.  'Training.'

'Oh no.' Costa groaned.  'Come on…can't we take a break?'

'You haven't trained for a while and you are still far from mastering both your weapons and magic.' Jez replied.

'You know…she has a point.' Tai said.  'You have to keep up the work.'

'You can rest after you save the world.' Locky smiled.  'We can all throw a huge party.'

'Can't wait.' Lila muttered.

'Hey Fleck, where's Zane?' Rica asked the blond man.

'…Uh…' Fleck scratched his forehead.  'Not sure…'

'He should have been here for the meeting.' Morgan said.

'Hey, hey, what do you want me to do, keep him on a leash?  You know I can't keep tabs on the kid all the time.' Fleck said.

'That tyke is always sneaking off.' Bo sighed.

'I saw him.' Gen said.  'He was training downstairs.'

'Well at least someone is taking it seriously.' Jez said.

'Okay, okay we'll go train!' Costa said.  'Gee!'

'And we'll help.' Rinoa nodded.

'Okay.  Let's go then.' Fleck sighed.

-------------◊-------------

Zane twisted shut the top of the bottle of water.  He had no idea how long he had been here, just training.  It wasn't like he had anything better to do.  He certainly preferred training to spending time with everyone else.  At least he could be alone here-at least he was untroubled by anyone else.  

On the other hand, he needed someone to spar with.  Everyone was upstairs; having some kind of talk, which he knew wasn't important enough for him to attend.  If it were, someone would have come and gotten him. 

Zane examined the sword that he was using for battles.  It was solid, but looked pretty ordinary, pretty dull.  He would have loved to wield a sword like Squall and Seifer's-a gunblade.  Such power and skill rested in their blades.  He knew that to use one required years and years of practice, something he did not have-the weapon did not exist in his world.  If he could not have a gunblade, Zane really wished he could carry something that looked more impressive than the one he was currently using.

_Oh well.  I'll get one eventually…it's practising that's important-and it's better that I'm alone to concentrate…_he thought.   

He heard voices and realised he had spoken too soon.  It sounded like they were all coming downstairs to the training room.  He turned at the sound of footsteps approaching him.  Fleck greeted him.

'Hey boy.  Why didn't you come up?'

Zane shrugged.  

'Practicing?  That's good.' Fleck said, and filled him in on the events of the talk the rest had had.  

Tai approached them, Ash following.  'Hey Fleck.  What do you say we get these two to spar?'

Zane glanced at Ash, who looked back at him evenly.  The sword he carried was similar to Zane's.  

_Is Tai serious?  I'll crush this idiot…he's a novice!  _Zane thought, and said aloud:

'It's better he practices against the others-he's a beginner.'

Ash blinked.  'Oh you think so?' he said flatly.  Zane gave him a look.

'If you want your ass kicked be my guest.' He said curtly.

Fleck chuckled.  'Now now, let's just get along.  Ash can't improve unless he has someone similar to his age and build to spar with.  It'll be a good experience for him-he can learn from the master.'

Zane glared at Fleck.  'I wouldn't hold back.'

'I've been practicing.' Ash said, looking at Zane angrily.  'You won't need to!'

Zane smirked.  It would feel good to wipe the floor with this pathetic loser.

'Fine.  Get ready to lose.'

'We'll see.' Ash said simply.  Fleck and Tai stepped back, giving the two young men space.

Lila, who had been looking at Ash as usual, realised that he was about to spar with Zane.  

'Oh!' she said excitedly, 'Go Ash!'

Vreya, who was kneeling beside her friend, looking for her weapon in the box they were rummaging through, looked up.

'Huh?'

'Ash and Zane are sparring.' Lila informed her, standing up, and skipping over to where Fleck and Tai, and now Squall, and at a distance, Seifer stood.

'Lila!' Vreya called after her.  'We should be…'

'Let's just watch this first!' Lila replied, beckoning her over.  Vreya sighed, and walked over to where Lila stood.  Luckily for Vreya, Jezebel was too busy discussing something with Locky and Sara to notice.

Zane and Ash circled one another.

'Remember your training up to this point Ash.' Tai told the blond-haired young man.  Ash nodded, watching Zane's movements.  They were deliberately slow and precise.

Lila clasped her hands together.  'Oh he looks so cute!' She whispered to Vreya, who rolled her eyes.

'Li…promise me you'll tell him before this is over.'

Lila glanced at her.  'Maybe I will…if you promise to tell **him**.' She nodded at Zane.  Vreya shook her head in irritation, eyes moving back to the two young men.  

Ash took a deep breath.  He instructed himself to be calm, and to remember all he had learnt up to that point.  It was only Zane he was fighting.  

_That's the exact problem…it's Zane.  _Ash thought, and noticed a small crowd were gathering.  Amongst them were Lila and, more importantly for Ash, Vreya, who stood with her slender arms folded, waiting.

_This is my chance…to prove I can be better than Zane-even if he has years more experience…_Ash thought. 

An icy voice cut through his thoughts.  Zane was standing with a hand on his hip, and his sword in the other.

'You gonna take all day?' he demanded.

Ash responded, by darting forward quickly.  Zane moved a split-second later, parrying the attack with ease.  Ash thrust his sword forward, but Zane once again deflected with ease, and sidestepped away.  He tilted his head tauntingly at Ash, motioning for him to try again.

Ash took up the invitation, attacking again.

'That's it-keep it up!' Tai encouraged.  Ash's hits were getting more accurate, as he was making Zane block at an awkward angle.  

Fleck smiled slightly.  'Don't get too excited Tai…Zane's just seeing what he's got.' 

Tai shot him a look.  'Ash can give Zane a run for his money.  He's really improved.'

Fleck chuckled.  'Ah…but so has Zane…' he nodded with his head, looking back at the two boys.  'Just wait.'

Seifer spoke up.  'He's sizing you up Ash.  You need to take it a little slower.'

Squall silently agreed.  Zane was holding back, seeing just how strong Ash had become.  He was waiting for the right moment; the perfect moment to surprise Ash.  

It finally came.  Ash attacked again, and Zane came to life.  He blocked the swipe and twisted down, making Ash twist his own hold to an uncomfortable angle. 

'Here it comes-show him what you got.' Fleck cheered.

Zane complied-he drew his blade back and attacked.  His movements were faster, his hits stronger and more accurate than Ash's.  He didn't relent.  Ash was now on the defensive, trying desperately to anticipate Zane's next moves.

'C'mon Ash!  Hit him hard!' Lila jumped up and down.

'Kick his ass!' Costa shouted.  

'Vreya!' 

Vreya winced at Jez's voice.  

'What are you doing?  Get over  here and start practicing!'

'Oh Jez let her watch.' Locky said, smiling at Vreya.  'This is entertainment for you girls huh?'

Roxy giggled.  'Oh yeah.  Two cute guys working out!'

Vreya tried hard to suppress her blush, but it was beyond control.  She turned her face away, and watched as Zane continued his ruthless assault on Ash.

_Damn…he's too quick…_Ash thought.  His arms were tiring, and Zane was succeeding in confusing him.

'Is that all you got?' Zane mocked.  'Am I too fast?'

Squall's eyes narrowed slightly.  Zane was good…really good.

Vreya felt someone stop next to her, and looked to find Rinoa.  She smiled.

'Well, this is a good fight.'

Lila was punching the air.  'Come on Ash!  Just hit him really hard…go round him…yes!'

Ash managed to deflect a strike and launch one of his own.  

'Good!  Your enemy won't give you a chance-you have to make one.' Tai said. 

'Not bad…' Zane said, in a low voice only Ash could hear.  They circled each other again, and this time Ash was more cautious.  He didn't like Zane, but he had to admit that perhaps this was the best way he could improve-by training with someone who pushed him to his limits.  He didn't have time to work up in small stages.  He had to get better and fast.

'C'mon Zane-make him work!'

Ash attacked again, forcing himself to ignore the pain in his muscles.  Without warning he dummied, and struck at an angle Zane hadn't been expecting.  The green-eyed young man managed to block at the last moment, but it was a weak one as a result.  Ash didn't back down-he quickly brought up his sword, and brought it down.

Zane looked surprised, and momentarily confused and Vreya was calling out before she could stop herself.    'Watch…' She abruptly stopped, and was embarrassed to find both Rinoa and Lila looking at her.

'What?'  Lila asked.

'Ummm…nothing…' Vreya muttered.  Rinoa's eyes narrowed slightly, and she smiled.

'You were going to say…watch out.'

'No…'

'Yes you were.' Rinoa teased.  Vreya glanced at the raven-haired girl.

'No…I wasn't.'

'Of course she wasn't.' Lila put in.  'She wants Ash to win don't you?  We've known him much longer.'

Vreya nodded.  'Yeah…that's right.'

Rinoa gave Vreya a knowing look and nodded.  'Okay.'

'That's it!  Excellent!' Tai clapped; he was proud of his charge's determination.  He had managed to catch Zane off guard.

Ash was now forcing Zane on the defensive.  He sneaked a look at Zane, and deep-green eyes locked onto blue ones.  

'Enough games.' Zane said, and to Ash's amazement turned the tables with one move.  A second later Ash found that he had to do the defending.

Seifer smirked.  Zane's style was a mix of his own and his greatest rival.  He glanced at Squall.  He would have loved to spar once again, as training partners, but he knew Squall would never view him in the same light again.

Zane's blows were stronger than before, and Ash could feel the strain.  He wasn't used to such a vigorous workout, and he knew he couldn't keep it up.  He didn't need to hold up any longer.

'Ash!  Come on!' Costa urged.  But Ash couldn't…Zane quickly spun and delivered the final blow.  Drawing back his sword he charged, and then sidestepped, dummying Ash senseless.  A moment later he brought his sword up and Ash lost his grip completely-Zane had moved much too fast for him, and the sword flew out of his grasp, falling a distance away, at Lila, Rinoa, and Vreya's feet.  Zane held the tip of his blade at Ash's throat.  Ash was on his knees, and glared up at Zane.  To lose to Zane, and be at his mercy-it was infuriating and embarrassing.  And Vreya was there to witness it all.  It just emphasised the fact that Zane was better, in every department it seemed.  Ash wasn't used to being second best, especially not this much.  

'You don't want to lose like that.' Zane told him curtly, and drew his sword back.  To Ash's surprise, he offered his hand.  Ash hesitated, and then took it.  Zane pulled him up, and turned away.

'Not bad.  Keep practicing.'

'Oh.' Lila folded her arms in disappointment.  She snatched up the sword Ash had lost and glared at Zane.

'You jerk.  You didn't have to be so hard on him.'

Zane glanced at her.  Ash shook his head.  'Lila…' But she was going on.  

'If I knew how to use this I would kick your ass senseless.'

Zane gave her a scornful look.  He seriously doubted it…she couldn't even hold the sword properly.

'It's useless Lila.  That stuck up ass always has to show off.' Costa said angrily.  Vreya shook her head.  Zane had just done what was best for Ash.  She was sure Ash had learnt much from the little session, and besides, he had been sportsman enough to help Ash back up.

'Yeah I know.  Ash will improve and then you'll be the one on the floor, JERK.' Lila said, and turned, pushing the sword into Vreya's hands.  Before Vreya could protest, Lila stalked off, to train.  

The sword was rather heavy, and Vreya managed to lift it enough to carry it over to Ash.  He smiled and took it from her.

'You did well.' Vreya said, encouragingly.  'Just practice a little more, and you'll see the difference.'

'She's right.  You got the moves.' Tai nodded.  'You'll get there.'  

'Thanks…thanks Vreya.' Ash nodded at her.  

Vreya nodded, and smiled back.  She glanced at Zane, her smile disappearing.  He didn't even look half-tired.  He needed to be pushed too…he couldn't just keep encountering easy opponents.  No sooner had Vreya thought this, than she heard Squall speak up.

'You up for another round?'  

Zane glanced at Squall.  He looked surprised again, and then shrugged.  'Can you use a regular sword?'

Squall nodded, and Ash handed him his sword.  Squall stepped forward.  Seifer laughed to himself.  Vreya noticed, and walked up to him.  'Hey…what's funny?'

'He's going to get his ass kicked.'  Seifer replied, referring to Zane.  Vreya looked back to where Squall was readying himself.  He had his back to Zane, and Zane was eying him cautiously. 

'You ready?' He asked.  Squall nodded, back still turned.

'Come on.'

 _How good is Squall?  _Zane wondered.  He still hadn't seen the full extent of Squall's skill, and wondered if he was as accurate and aware as he seemed.  Zane snuck up and drew back his sword-he wasn't going to wait for Squall to turn-he had said he was ready.

As Zane raised his blade, Squall turned suddenly, reflexes as quick as a snake.  He blocked Zane's attack, and Zane barely managed to keep hold of his sword.  He met Squall's gaze, blinking in surprise.

'Quick…light…unpredictable.' Squall said, and drew back his sword quickly, attacking straight away, not even giving Zane a chance to size him up.

Zane parried and deflected, and managed to get out of the trap, launching into a series of his own attacks.

Vreya stared, wide-eyed.  They were both so graceful, especially Squall.  They moved with such skill and elegance-like dancers.  The sight was impressive.  

_He's stronger than I thought…_Squall thought to himself, a faint smile gracing his lips.  Zane had a determined look on his face, as he pushed forward, forcing Squall back.  But Squall was in total control.  The fight didn't last long.  After a swift and fierce exchange of blows, Squall got the upper hand, and moved quickly, darting to the side and striking Zane hard.  Zane lost his grip and stumbled back, staring wide-eyed at Squall.  He was stunned.

'Not bad.' Squall nodded, echoing Zane's words to Ash.  'Keep practicing.'

Seifer laughed out loud.  Costa was taunting Zane.

'Shame in your face!  Ha ha hah!  Not so full of yourself now are you?'

Zane glared at Costa.  He wished more than ever he could knock the annoying idiot out.

Fleck burst out into laughter.  Zane looked completely gutted.  Ash smiled.  It was satisfying to see the look on Zane's face-he had needed to be brought back down to earth.

'Well Zane, looks like you are no longer the best…best start working harder eh?' Fleck chuckled.  Tai laughed, and nodded to Ash.

'Let's work on your defence.'

Vreya felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Jez.  

'Have you quite finished?' the copper haired woman demanded, and before Vreya could speak dragged her along to a separate corner of the room, handing her her weapon.

Jez pointed to the target board.  'Now get to work.  I want you hitting moving targets…show me you are improving!'

-------------◊-------------

'My lord…we have yet to locate the…'

'More excuses?'

'I assure you my lord…we are doing our utmost to…'

Once again he was cut off.  His nephew stood quietly behind him, not daring to interfere.

'This is not good enough!  If I do not acquire the guardian then the cursed chosen will always have a chance!' Lorne snapped, glaring at the highest-ranking general of his spy army.

'My lord…please understand, that the guardian has yet to appear…'

'I have given you all you need to trace and capture it!  I cannot acquire the guardian king, this one is the next most important…'

'My lord…who is to say that you cannot acquire the guardian king?' A younger voice enquired.  Lorne glanced briefly at the general's nephew, the young Kane.

'What do you suggest boy?' Lorne demanded.

'Kane…' His uncle tried to silence him, but Kane was going on.

'Well…if we find who the One is, they can lead us to where the guardian king sleeps, and we can extract him.'

'Find the one…' Lorne sneered.  'You have yet to bring me any chosen, let alone the One!  Is it so difficult?'

'My lord…' The general intervened.  'Please forgive my nephew…'

'No…he has a mind he is not afraid to use, unlike you!  I want the firebird found!  It has the power to resurrect, and could turn the tide in an instant, if it is commanded!'

'But my lord…' another spy spoke up, a woman: 'It is as the general said…the firebird has yet to appear…it has yet to be called…the chosen all live…'

'You can trace it you fools!  It rises from the ash…you can find its resting ground and gather the ashes…that is how to capture it!' Lorne snapped.

'My lord…I will continue to watch the girl and her friends.' Kane said.  'She is no doubt one of them…'

'Why have you not brought her to me?' Lorne's eyes rested on the young man.

'My lord…I believe that I may learn much by watching, which we would not learn if we interrogated her…I will watch her and her friends, and in time, find out where their meeting place is…once we know enough…we can move in, and take her and any others…one of them is bound to be the One you're looking for…' 

Lorne folded his arms angrily.  'That is a long process.  I want them dead!  I need only the One brought to me alive!'

'Kane's idea is reasonable lord.  Watching and learning could reveal who this One is.' The general replied.  

'I do not want them meddling in my plans!' Lorne replied, eyes narrowing, hand rising to touch the glowing silver pendant he wore.  'I believe that this pendant was meant for them.  It has the power to heal.  The Earth is not idle.  She will do everything in her power to aid her beloved chosen.  That makes her unpredictable…She may strike at any time…the ground you stand upon may open up beneath your feet if she wills it, the heavens may part and lightening may strike you down if you are careless…I do not yet yield enough power to silence her completely…and so you must be on your guard…do you understand?'

'Yes lord…' The general nodded.

'Continue your search for other guardians…they already possess one, if that girl can wield magic.' Lorne nodded at Kane.  'You will continue to watch her and report to me.' He blinked, and looked at the general again.

'What of the lightning elemental?' 

'It has been acquired lord, and should be reaching us tonight.' The general replied. 

'Excellent.  Inform me when it has arrived.  I will seal the spirit and add its power to my own.  Leave now.'

The general bowed and turned away, followed by the other spy.  Kane also bowed, and just as he was about to turn away, Lorne spoke up again.

'Do not lose the girl.' 

Kane nodded, and smiled.  'Don't worry.  It's easy to find her…she stands out from the crowd…' Bowing again, he turned away, leaving Lorne frowning at his words.

-------------◊-------------

'I can't…we've been going non stop for hours now…I need a break!' Costa complained, setting his shot gun aside and sitting on the matted floor.

'I can't believe you're complaining!  You have the easiest weapon to handle…you just pull a trigger…the other have to use their arms…' Harris replied.

'It's still tough…c'mon man, my aiming has improved…please can I stop now…my magic is fine…'

'It's sloppy and all over the place.  Vreya's much better at managing magic, and even Lila is better than you.'

'You really know how to boost a guy's confidence.'

'This is serious man…battle is a matter of life and death.' Harris put his hands on his hips.

'Yeah…I know, I know…but I can fight…' Costa huffed.

'Guess you can prove me wrong today…when Selphie's little pet finally comes back…'

'It has been ages…' Costa agreed.  'She said it was fast…'

'Maybe it got lost?' Gen asked, having walked up to Costa, slumping down on the floor beside his friend.

'Oh that's just great…' Costa said.  All around the room, people were resting, with the exception of Roxy, Sara and Zane.  

Costa stifled a yawn.  'You know, my school work is suffering big-time.'

'It's a problem.' Gen replied.  'I have a test next week and I haven't even started studying.'

'Did I hear that right?  Gen hasn't started studying three months in advance?  Wow, the world really is losing it.' Costa joked.

Gen shot him a look.  'Shut up Costa.  At least I bother to study…it's not a problem for you who never studies.  Do you even know where the school library is?'

'Of course I do!  I pass my tests don't I?' Costa protested.  Harris shook his head, smiling slightly at their exchange.

'Yeah, because you ask me two days before for MY notes, by which time I've finished with them because I studied well in advance…' Gen pointed out.

'Okay, okay!  Gee…thank you Gen-Ray, for your awesome notes.  I couldn't pass without them or you.  Happy now?'

Gen grinned.  'Very.'

'HEY!' Zell came jogging into the room.  'We've struck gold baby!  Carbuncle's found your worm!'

'Oh right!' Roxy cheered.  

'Okay everyone, pack it up!' Fleck clapped his hands.  'Everyone upstairs so we can decide on the parties leaving…let's go!'

It wasn't long before everyone was gathered upstairs, in one of the leisure rooms.  Selphie was jumping up and down anxiously.  

'Come on!  I have to get Carby back quick!  He's telling me to come quickly!'

'Bahamut will lead us to him right Squall?' Quistis asked, looking at Squall, who nodded.  

'Everyone just follow his lead.'

'Okay, let's decide who's going.' Fleck said.  'Three of us will have to come with you at least…that means twelve of you can come along, and a few have to stay behind.'

'Three to be exact.' Tai said.

'Okay…let's make this easy…who doesn't want to come?'

'…' People looked about at each other.  Rica rolled her eyes.

'Who does want to come?'

Silence.

Bo chuckled.  'Who'd rather be asleep right now?'

'Okay, look.' Vreya said.  'This…worm…how do we defeat it?' She looked to the person closest to her, Seifer.  

'You need wind magic, and fire magic.'

'Not ice?  I can stay behind then, if you don't need me…'

'No princess, you can still use magic…we need as many magic users as we can.' Bo replied.  

'I'll stay…' Gen said slowly.  'I went last time.'

'Okay…anyone else?' Locky asked.

'Oh…I guess I'll stay…' Roxy pouted.  'I mean…I'm pretty useless against something that big anyway.'

'One more needs to stay behind.' Harris said.  'Come on, make up your minds quick!'

'Hurry up!  Carby's telling me it's getting away!' Selphie urged.  

There was a silence.  Finally Fleck shook his head.  'Oh forget it.  Two of us will go, and we can keep it like that.  Okay, now all those with guardians get in line and choose people to take with you.  Quickly now!'

Sara instantly moved over to Irvine.  He smiled back, wrapping an arm around her waist.  'Why hello little lady…'  

Sara glared, and slapped his arm away.

'Irvine!' Selphie said, and grabbed his arm.  'You're taking me!  Teehee!'

'All right…two lovely ladies!  There's room for one more girls!  Don't all rush at once!' 

Zell sniggered as Quistis moved to Rinoa, and Vreya moved over to Squall.

'Hey, hey ladies!'

Lila gave Seifer a gracious smile, and took his arm.  She also grabbed hold of Ash before he could move.  Rinoa called Zane over, and Tai stepped up beside Selphie.  Costa and Jez moved over to Squall, and once all the teams had been formed, Roxy and Gen said their goodbyes, and the large group moved out of base. 

Outside, the sun was setting, and Seifer said 'By the time we make it, the worm will be movin' again.'

'They can take us quickly right?' Tai asked.  Rinoa smiled.

'Oh…you need to have more faith…hold on tight!' she took hold of Zane's arm, and Quistis's hand.  She closed her eyes briefly, and a dark ball of light materialised above her.  A moment later it swirled about her, Zane, and Quistis; Diablos swept them up into the air effortlessly, and they disappeared into a swirling vortex of black, hurtling through the air at high speed.  

Blue light surrounded Squall.  Jez took hold of his arm, and Costa took hold of hers.  Vreya clutched onto Squall's other arm, as a violent wind swirled about them.  Vreya felt the cold air wrap around her, and Costa shouted in surprise as he felt his feet lift from the floor.  Vreya panicked, and loosened her hold on Squall's arm.  It was a bizarre feeling and it was making her feel sick.  Squall's gloved hand closed about her arm tightly in response.

'Don't let go!' he shouted over the howling of wind.  

'What is it?' Sara gasped, as a mighty growled filled the air.  

'Bahamut.' Zell grinned, before being swept up in yellow light by Quezacotl.  

Squall's group shot up into the darkening sky, and quickly overtook Rinoa's.  Zell followed, and Irvine grabbed onto Sara and Selphie, grinning.

'C'mon Panda!  Let's fly!'

Tai gripped onto Selphie tightly, as he felt the ground give way beneath his feet.  He looked down in amazement, to see that it was getting further and further away from him.  He closed his eyes as wind swept past him, and he was surrounded by purple light.  

Lila closed her eyes.  She felt the same wind rage, and a moment later she felt her guardian materialise.  She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and Seifer and Ash grabbed hold of her in turn.  The feeling of being lifted into the air was terrifying, and silently Tempest soared to the sky, a raging funnel of pure energy, following the other guardians to their destination.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Sorry people, I had to stop there!  That was probably boring, but the next one won't be!  I'm getting a little worried about how long this is all gonna be!  : ( I hope it'll be okay, and I hope you liked that chapter!  I'll try and update as soon as I can!  _ 


	35. Thunder Bird

Thanks for all the reviews!  Glad you all liked the last chapter!  Noacat-lol, you're just a sucker for romances aren't you?  If anyone doesn't understand any plot aspect, don't be afraid to ask-I'm nice, really ^ ~ - Okay, next one-get reading!

Chapter XXXV: Thunder Bird 

****

Vreya had never felt so free in her life.  She was literally flying, and loving it.  The initial sickness had long disappeared, and she now longed to ride the wind faster.  She turned her face up to the sky, smiling joyfully as cold air hit her everywhere, whipping her hair behind her head like a banner.  She had no idea how long they had been travelling for; time had stopped, all she knew was that the entire experience was amazing.    

The creature that was carrying them was certainly most impressive.  Vreya had managed to make out brilliant, magnificent blue scales, of different hues, and a mighty head, and impressive wings; a dragon-like guardian, one she now knew was called Bahamut.  She clung onto the beast tightly, and cast a look back at the others.  Jez didn't look too impressed-in fact; she looked as though she were about to be sick at any moment.

Bahamut dove down, and Vreya laughed out loud as her stomach tickled.  

'You maniac!' Jez yelled over the air.  'Stop it!  I get air sickness!'

Squall, who sat above them, holding onto Bahamut's neck, took little notice of her complaints.

'Squall!' Vreya called up to him.  He looked down at her, and she smiled a wicked smile.

'Make it go faster!'

'WHAT?  What are you trying to do you stupid girl…' Jez snapped at her, which sent Vreya into a fresh round of giggles.  Even when high up in the air, Jezebel was still telling her off about something.  Squall smiled briefly, and whispered to his guardian.  The guardian picked up speed, sending Jez screaming.

'Woohoo!' Vreya cried, boisterously.  'What a rush!'

'Argh too fast!' Costa screamed.  He agreed with Vreya; it was one hell of a rush, but he was really starting to feel sick.

'Hold on!' Squall informed them 'We're going down!'

-----------------◊-----------------

It wasn't long before Bahamut finally set foot on the ground.  The mighty guardian released his riders, and promptly dematerialised in a flash of blue light.  Diablos soon arrived, a dark cloud that dropped Rinoa and her group.  Rinoa was smiling silly, but Zane and Quistis didn't look so pleased.  Zell hit the floor with a thud, and immediately jumped to his feet.

'Yeah baby!  What a ride!' he grinned.  Vreya spread out her arms, smiling back at him.  

'That was so great!  Now that is what I call flying!'

They laughed together with Rinoa.

Irvine's group arrived, shortly followed by Lila's.  Once everyone had gathered around and regained their sense of direction, Selphie spoke up.

'Okay, X marks the spot!  This is it, right?'

'This is where we were dropped, so I'm guessing it is.' Tai replied.  

'Where are we?' Sara wondered, looking about at their location.  It was an empty, barren piece of land, and none of them had any sense of location.

'Your guess is as good as mine.' Ash replied.  'This place is really…deserted.'

'There have to be residents nearby…' Sara pondered.

'It's just as well there aren't.' Tai cut in.

Jez, who was still rubbing her throbbing forehead, frowned.  'Well, where is the little rat?'

'Hey!' Selphie stuck out her lower lip.  'Don't speak like that about Carby!  He's nearby…oooh!' she skipped forward a little, and then stopped at a spot, her usually cheerful face scrunching up into a frown.

'What's up Seffie?' Irvine asked, walking over to her.

'I…HEY …where are you?'

The other stood, waiting, as Selphie moved about a little more.  She took quite some time, and a few people had decided to sit down in wait.  

Finally when she turned back around, Zane addressed her, a hand placed on his hip in exasperation.  

'You're going round in circles.'

'I can sense him-but I don't know where!'

'Calm down Selphie.' Rinoa said.  'What's he telling you?'

'He says…something about…' suddenly her green eyes widened.  'Woo!  Earthquake-the biggy worm…'

'Uh…can someone translate…?' Costa began.

'Selphie…' Quistis said, putting her hands on her hips in irritation 'Just spit it out!'

'…' Selphie started jumping up and down.  'Guys!  Guys it's close…really close!'

'For Hyne's sake…' Seifer said, impatiently.  

'What?' Squall demanded.  

'Carby's leading it to us…oh…be careful!'

'Selphie!' Zell got up from where he was sat, and waved his hands at Selphie.  'We are here you know!  Let us in!'

'What's it?' Lila asked.  

'This is ridiculous.' Sara said, folding her arms.

Jez was muttering to herself, and Tai kicked some dirt.  

Ash huffed, sticking his sword into the ground.  As soon as he did so, the ground shook suddenly, and a rumbling sound erupted from deep within.  He snatched back his sword, looking to the others in confusion.

Vreya cried out as the ground began to shake more violently.  'What's happening?'

'Selphie!' Irvine called to her.  'Get back here!'

The ground close to where the petite girl stood began to crack and part, and fall in on itself.  

'It's collapsing!' Lila shrieked, and ran back a few paces.

Selphie quickly ran away from where the floor was parting, but it was difficult as the entire ground was shaking, sending many falling to their knees.  

'Damn!' Zell yelled.  'It's all falling apart…'

'What's coming out of there?' Quistis shouted over the commotion.  'Selphie!'

The Instructor didn't have to wait long for the reply.  A huge piercing, inhuman cry exploded from beneath the now gaping hole in the ground, and something small and turquoise in colour sprang up from the hole, bounding out towards Selphie.

'Carbuncle!' Selphie cried, as the small creature leapt into her arms.  As soon as her arms closed around it, Carbuncle disappeared in a flash of red light.  

'Let me guess…' Costa said.  'The early rat has caught the worm…'

Pieces of broken, dry, hard mud flew into the air, and debris and dust scattered everywhere as the creature finally came up to the surface.  The sun had only just completely disappeared, and the humans gazed in horror at what was towering above them. 

Lila screamed.  'Oh my GOD what is that sick disgusting…yuck!'

The huge worm was very wide in diameter and a sickly orange in colour.  Its head was truly ugly to behold, and the hookers it had as teeth were both sharp and from them was dripping a kind of saliva that was making patches of soil dissolve.

'That is…not an Abyss Worm…' Seifer said in a low voice.  

'Yo, I reckon it's another kind of Worm!' Zell said.  'Like-a mutated form!'

'Maybe.' Squall agreed.  'But it'll have the same weakness!'

'Someone stop the ground…' Costa tried to speak, but kept falling to his knees.  'Stop it from shaking!'

'We'll need to caste Float…' Quistis began, when the huge worm attacked.  It was clearly furious that it had been disrupted in its journey, and struck out at the person closest to it-Jezebel.  

She screamed-she hadn't been expecting it to move so quickly considering its size.  But it was hit before making contact with the copper-haired woman.  Jez gasped, and looked to the person who had attacked-Vreya lowered her arm and managed to move over to her mentor, and grabbed her arm.  'Let's move!'

'It's making cracks everywhere!' Sara cried.

'Haste!' Seifer yelled.  'Use Haste!'  

They took his advice.  All those that could use magic caste the spell, and then caste on others who couldn't do it themselves.

'We have to slow it down-it's moving too fast!' Ash coughed over the dust.

'How BIG is that thing?' Lila cried sickened by what she was saying.  

'Big enough-Zell-can you slow it down?' Irvine asked Zell, knowing he had the highest number of Slow spells stocked.

'Worth a shot!' Zell caste the spell at the worm, but it broke midway in failed attempt.  

'Say what?' he exclaimed in surprise.  The worm was not about to wait around however.  It twisted suddenly, and let out another horrible cry.  The entire ground shook even more violently.  A crack below Quistis gave way unexpectedly, and she cried out in surprise as she felt herself falling.

'Instructor!' Zell yelled.

'Quistis!' Selphie and Rinoa cried in dismay.

Quistis felt a hand grab her arm at the last moment, and pull her up to safety.  It was Seifer, and she blinked at him in shock.

'Seifer?'

'We can't stay in the same place for long!' Seifer shouted.

'I've had enough of this creep!' Lila yelled angrily, and summoned Tempest.  'Take this!'

Tempest materialised and delivered his spectacular attack.  He sent a violent funnel of wind energy directly at the worm, and it smacked into the creature, which emitted a rumbling growl of pain!

'Scan!' Squall shouted.  Rinoa called over to him.

'Done!  It's weak against Fire and Wind!'

'Fire?' Irvine frowned.  'But I thought…'

'Water heals it!' Rinoa replied.

'That's…SO the reverse of the Abyss Worm.' Selphie said.  'All right!  C'mon Ifrit!'

The fire spirit materialised within three seconds, and slammed a huge ball of flame into the creature.  However, it counter-attacked, sending a Thundara spell right at Selphie.  She shrieked, taking damage.

'Ow, ow ow ow!' 

'Seffie!' Irvine immediately retaliated, summoning Pandemona, who delivered a devastating wind attack.  Rinoa healed Selphie, and the worm let loose another ground shaking attack.

'This is…getting us…no where!' Vreya cried.  The attack was damaging and her entire body was aching from all the falls.

'Damn it-everyone, cast Float!' Squall instructed.

The people able to caste magic did so, and once again caste onto those who were unable.

'Whoa-this is…' Costa didn't have long to wonder at the strange feeling of floating.  The worm was attacking yet again, this time directing an elemental attack at Lila.  Just as it struck her however, Tempest materialised, taking the blow for the young woman, shielding her life force with his own.  Lila cried out fearfully, but Tempest was not badly hurt by the attack-only angered.  Once again he let loose a devastating attack.  The huge monster was becoming even angrier, and Tai yelled over the commotion.

'Listen up, we came here to look for another guardian-does that thing have it or not?'

'Let's just take it and get the hell out of here!' Ash agreed.

'It's got a GF!' Zell replied.  'Quezacotl's picking up on a similar energy!'

'That must be why it keeps using Thunder and Lightening attacks!' Sara said.  'But we can't hit it with close range weapons!'

'Attack with magic and projectile weapons!' Jez snapped at them.  'It's obvious what you have to do!'

Rinoa, Vreya and Lila were the three who possessed weapons that could be fired from a distance.  They nodded to each other.  

'Squall!' Vreya called over to him.  'Rinoa, Lila and I will attack from a distance-magic users stay behind and back us up!'

'…' Squall nodded, looking back to everyone else.  'Those of you with relevant GF's keep summoning!  Irvine, leave the far-range attacks to them!  Everyone else, get to the back!'

Costa finally managed to call out his guardian.  Ignatius materialised, roaring, in an impressive explosion of flame, and slammed a fire attack into the monster.  Rinoa, Lila and Vreya let loose shots from their weapons, and Squall, Quistis, Selphie, Costa, Zell and Irvine attacked with magic and GF's from behind.  Seifer, Tai, Sara, Zane, Ash and Jez held the last line, being unable to use magic or summon guardians.

The monster was taking a lot of beatings, but it seemed to possess remarkable vitality.  It also seemed to be more intelligent than average monsters; having realised that it's ground shaking attack was causing no damage, it was now resorting to using powerful Thunder and status spells.  

'Damn, what does it take to kill that thing?' Costa cried.  The battle was certainly lasting longer than any could have anticipated, and those not so experienced were tiring.  

'Instructor!' Zell yelled over to Quistis.  'Doomtrain can wear it down!'

Quistis looked uncertain.  'But they have to draw the GF from it-Doomtrain may very well finish it off!'

'I've tried to draw it, but I think only they can!' Irvine informed them.  

'Yah!  Me too!  It's not coming!' Selphie agreed, letting loose an explosive Firaga spell as she spoke.  

'Hey…Costa, Lila, Vreya!  Try and draw the GF!' Irvine called over to them.

'Draw?' Lila looked confused.  'How am I supposed to do that?'

'Just concentrate on extracting the spirit inside it!' Quistis replied.

'It's the same as…' Zell swore, narrowly dodging a flying bit of earth.  'Using magic…'

'Will it to happen!' Rinoa shouted, firing another round off her Blast Edge.  

'Try Lila…we'll distract it…' Vreya nodded, as the effects of her Float spell wore away.  Her feet set on the earth again, and she ran around the worm, firing at it.

'Hey!  Over here!'

Rinoa followed, firing from the other direction.  

'Rinoa!  Vreya-come back!' Squall yelled after them.

'It's too dangerous to go around!' Seifer shouted.  

Lila concentrated, trying to make the spirit 'come' to her.  But no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't draw it.  Finally she gave up.

'I can't do it-Costa-you try!'

Costa attempted, frowning in the effort to draw the spirit he knew was being held captive by the giant worm.  However, although he felt as though he were coming close on a few occasions he finally gave up also, mentally exhausted.

'Can't…do it…not coming…'

'Vreya!  Try to draw it!' Selphie called out, having just cured herself and Zell.  

Zane cursed.  He couldn't just stand and do nothing.  They needed to distract the worm, but the others were too busy casting spells or attacking with weapons and guardians.  He looked to Ash and Sara.

'We can distract it.'

Ash gave him an uncertain look.  'They said it's too dangerous to go around.'

'You just gonna stand here and watch?  They're all too busy to distract its attention-it's up to us.'

'But we can't get close.' Sara said, shaking her head.

'Well we'll just have to use the traditional method.' Zane replied, and picked up a small rock from the floor.

'You aren't serious...' Ash began.  But Sara was smiling.  

'Good idea Mr. Brain!  Let's go!'    

The three moved quickly, having just had Haste caste over them again by Zell.  

'Draw the guardian!' Zane instructed.  'We'll distract it!'

Vreya and Rinoa, who had run back around with the worm's attention fixed on them, nodded.  Meanwhile, Squall was readying his deadliest weapon-Bahamut.  

'Vreya!  Get it out!' Jez hollered at her.  Vreya concentrated as hard as she could.  She could sense the guardian-it was definitely there, and it wanted to escape, confined in a space against its will.  

_I'll…get you out…_Vreya sent a message to it, focusing her magical abilities.  Krysta helped to refine them, and finally Vreya felt a shift in pressure in her mind, and something dragged at her.  She dug her feet into the ground, and gritted her teeth in determination, struggling in a tug of war for the spirit.  Zane, Ash and Sara had successfully distracted the worm up to that point, but suddenly its huge, slimy body writhed as if in pain.  Its huge head, with its sharp hookers whipped around, and its demonically red eyes focused on the person that was causing it mental pain.  It let out a terrifying cry, just as it felt part of its skin pierce from the pressure.  The girl was tearing at its mind, and it did not understand what was happening.  It relied only on instincts, and instincts told it that when being threatened it had to attack and eliminate the threat.  It knew only that it could not let the creature it had captured escape.  

'Look!  It's working!' Rinoa gasped.  The worm's upper torso was ripping, and a bright, intense yellow light was struggling to pierce through the tough skin.  

Vreya yelled angrily, as the worm momentarily tugged back at the guardian.  She stepped forward, outraged.

'LET…IT…GO!'

Her mind felt as though it were on fire from the sheer effort she was putting in, and her chest hurt from restricted breathing.  The worm gave another cry, and then sent a lightening attack, right at her.  However, someone had anticipated this.  Zane, Ash and Sara had run back around, and seeing what the worm planned to do, Ash grabbed hold of Vreya, pushing her out the way.  He narrowly avoided the attack himself.  Zane threw rock after rock at the worm, which cried out again, and lurched forward, its hooker teeth bristling in anticipation of blood.  Zane's eyes widened, and he managed to side step at the last moment.  The worm's head crashed to the earth, sending most to their knees again.  Zane didn't hesitate and plunged his sword into its neck.  It let out a cry so loud that Zane stumbled from shock, barely managing to remove his sword.  Sara grabbed him, and dragged him away from the worm, which was now badly wounded.  However it would not give up, and managed to rise again.  A ball of red light began to form from its gaping mouth.

The guardian was still struggling to break through, though it desired very much to go to the human mind that was trying to extract it from its confined space.  

'The hell's it doing now?' Zell exclaimed, as puzzled as the rest of them.  

'Ooooh noooo, it's a final attack…they always hurt!' Selphie winced.  

'Not if I can help it…' Squall whispered, and released Bahamut.  The mighty guardian force materialised, and hovered high above the worm.  Tai, Jez, Ash, Costa, Zane, Lila and Sara stared up in astonishment.    

'Oh…awesome!' Lila breathed.  

'Man…that is one kick ass guardian…' Tai agreed.

'So that's Bahamut…' Costa grinned.  'Not bad…'

The ball of red light throbbed, and without warning the worm released it straight at them all.  The great Bahamut was ready for it.  The GF took the blow, shielding the entire party, roaring angrily from the pain.  He retaliated quickly, directing his devastating Mega Flare attack at the worm, which was sure to finish it off.  Pillars of deep blue light slammed into the worm, and Vreya finally succeeded in drawing the trapped spirit.  It shot out of the worm, leaving a huge gash in its abdomen, and blood splattered everywhere.  The blood was poisonous, but Bahamut was still shielding the party.  

The spirit flew into the air, and materialised, with an infuriated screech.  Feathers of gold, blue, red and green streaked everywhere, and everyone started up in awe at the guardian.  It was a great, eagle like bird, huge and spectacular in colour.  The sky darkened considerably, and lightening crackled in the sky at the guardian's command.  It surrounded it, and with an ear-piercing cry the creature released its attack-an extremely huge and damaging, very dangerously charged lightening bolt struck the worm and mixed with Bahamut's attack.  Bahamut dematerialised, and smoke obscured all view of the giant worm. 

Vreya fell to her kneed, exhausted.  Everyone had ducked down low, and it began to rain, clearing the smoke slowly.

Jez coughed.  'God…is it dead?'

'Anyone for fried worm?' Costa answered her question.  The worm was indeed fried-completely destroyed, reduced to charcoal black.  

'Everyone okay?' Squall asked, looking around to make sure.

'Nothing's broken…I think…' Selphie said in a small voice.  'Stupid worm…' she sniffled, and then sneezed.  

'Wow…that guardian…' Tai looked up.  It was still hovering in the air, high above.  As if sensing gazes, the huge bird turned fiery eyes on the group.  Then it suddenly gave another cry, and shot down from the sky.  

'Oh…what the hell is it doing?' Sara cried.  Lightening was crackling all over it, and it looked like a bomb about to explode on impact.  

Zane stumbled up, slightly disorientated, and winced.  He touched a gloved hand to his cheek, and when he pulled it away he saw dark liquid, informing him that he was bleeding, as a result of being caught on the cheek by a sharp flying object.

He looked up suddenly, seeing that the guardian was flying in his direction, full speed a crackling ball of pure electrical energy.  

Zane didn't want to be hit by it.  He didn't want to be knocked out either.  He glanced behind him, to see Ash looking was staring with a look of fear in his eyes.  

_If I step out the way, it'll slam into Ash…_Zane thought, pleased with his idea.  But it was far too late-when he looked back in front of him the guardian was just about to slam into him.  

'Shit!' he shouted, shielding his face.  He expected to feel pain, and when he only felt a rush of wind and warmth, he opened his eyes again.  Yellow light streaked around him, and he looked back to find that the guardian had chosen Ash anyway.  Zane was relieved as Ash yelled in pain and then fell motionless to the floor.  

_…That must have hurt…_he thought, smirking to himself.  _What a…shocking experience for Ash…_

Lila smiled happily.  'Oh right!  Ash gets a guardian too!'

'That's half of you with one now.' Tai said.  'Good job.'

'That fight lasted WAY longer than it had to.' Irvine said, sitting on the ground.

Seifer rubbed his head, displeased when he saw debris fall out of his hair.  

Jez put her hands on her hips.  'Well aren't we a mess.' She said flatly.

Vreya looked up at her from where she was still recovering, and then giggled.  

'What's so funny?' Jez demanded.

'N…nothing…just…we have to fly back home now…'

Jez stared, and then blinked, face whitening.  '…Oh no.'

-----------------◊-----------------

'Is it just me, or are they really late?' Locky asked.  Roxy and Gen had long gone home, and it was now approaching ten o'clock pm.

'I should have gone with them.' Fleck said, worriedly.  'What if they're in trouble?'

'Not as much as we are-I'm going to have to pick up those phones sooner or later.' Bo said, nodding to the cell phones, which had been left behind.

'How many times have their parents rang?' Harris shook his head.  

'They have a right to be worried.' Rica replied, stifling a yawn.  

'I believe they are back.' Morgan said quietly.  

'Huh?' Harris got off the desk he was sitting on, and went to the door.  

'Hey yeah…they're back!' he called.  

'Thank God!' Fleck said in relief, as the large group finally entered the room.  They all looked a mess, and Locky burst out laughing.  

'Whoa…we asked you to get a guardian…not clean a chimney…'

'Shut up.  We got it.' Jez snapped at him.  'I am showering right now to get that disgusting stuff off me.' With that she left the room.

'Guess we'll have to wait until we can all get cleaned up.' Tai sighed.  

'How did it go?  Everyone okay?' Rica asked.  

'That was some giant worm, man.  It was tough too.' Costa said, collapsing on the sofa.  

'God, my parents are going to kick my ass.' Lila moaned.

'Oh yeah, your parents have all called on you at least twice…' Harris notified them.

'Great…' Lila said.  'I'm grounded for the rest of my life.'

'Who'd the guardian junction to?' Fleck asked.

'Ash…help me lay him down…' Tai replied.  

'Damn, is that the time?' Costa exclaimed.  

Vreya frowned.  'Not good…'

'Okay, don't panic…can't you all tell them you're staying at Gen's house?  His parents aren't in town are they?' Rica suggested.

'I believe they have used the excuse many times.' Morgan put in.  

'Too right.' Sara replied.

'Well in any case you can't all go home looking like that.  Get yourselves cleaned up first.' Fleck replied.

'Anyone in need of curing?' Selphie said brightly, putting up her hand.  'I'm your girl!'

'Yeah…I feel pretty battered…' Costa grinned at her.  'Work your magic lady!'

Selphie healed Costa, then Vreya, then Quistis and Lila, and finally herself.

'There!  All better!' she smiled.  

'Wow…I feel as good as new!' Lila exclaimed, stretching her arms out.  

'Uh…say…' Zell began slowly.  'Got anything…to eat?'

Locky laughed.  'Yeah you must be pretty hungry…'

'As long as it isn't worm…' Sara shook her head, and moved with Locky to the kitchen.  In a short while they enjoyed pizzas together, and after resting for a little longer, Vreya slowly gathered the weapons, stifling a yawn.  

'Someone help me carry these back downstairs…' 

'I will.' Lila replied, taking the rest up in her arms.  They moved downstairs together.

'That was tiring.' Lila said after a short silence.

'I know.' Vreya replied.  'But we made it.'

'I guess you've got extra motivation don't you?'

Vreya was silent.  Finally she sighed.  'What do you mean?'

It was her friend's turn to be silent.  'Well.  I mean…Kat.  You're not alone in it Vreya.  Every monster I hit I do it for the scumbags that hurt you.'  

Vreya turned her face away so that Lila would not see the tears that threatened to fall.  They walked the rest of the way in silence, until they finally reached the large training room.  Lila dropped the weapons she carried into the storage box, and after Vreya did the same, began to walk back out the room.

'Lila…' Vreya said slowly, without turning back and joining her friend.

'Hmmm?  You coming?'

'…I'm staying down here for a bit…but…thank you.  Thanks for being there for me all the time…I never got to tell her…that…'

There was a silence.  Vreya felt arms wrap around her, and a moment later Lila was holding her in a warm and comforting hug.  She willed herself not to be weak and cry.  The time for tears was over.  It was time to get to serious work.  

'She's with us Vreya.  With you…and I bet she's so proud of you.  And I'll always be around…you've been stuck with me for over a decade…another won't hurt will it?'

Vreya smiled at her friend's words.  'Thanks Li.'

'No problem.  You coming up now?' Lila pulled back and looked at Vreya.

'I think I'll stay here for a bit.  Just…need a little time you know?'

'Okay.  You want me to stay?'

'No…go ahead…' Vreya replied.  'I'll be up shortly.'

'Okay.  You know to call if you need.' Lila told her.

'Thank Lila.' Vreya replied, watching as her friend left the room.  If it hadn't been for all of them she knew she would have crumbled.  She's been through much, and it was remarkable how she was still going.  She couldn't quite believe it.  She guessed she was stronger than she had realised.  

Sighing, Vreya rearranged the weapons more tidily.  She examined each one carefully, looking at the structures and carvings.  She still didn't know where they had come from.  She guessed it didn't really matter.  Like the guardians they were slowly picking up, these weapons were gifts not to be questioned.   

Vreya noticed that one weapon was missing.  She then realised that Zane hadn't eaten with them, and had made himself scarce ever since they had gotten back, almost an hour back.  It was really late, and Vreya had tried to call her parents, but it was just her luck that they had not been in.

_I wonder where he is?  Did he go home? _She wondered, and then noticed something else.  The far door to the main storage room across the training hall was slightly open.  Vreya got up from where she was sat, and quietly made her way over to the door.  She hesitated, before knocking slightly.  When no one answered and nothing happened, she gently pushed the door open, relieved when it didn't creek.  Curiously, she poked her head around the door, to find a few large crates filling up the main space of the room, which was neither large nor small in size.  

_What are in those? _Vreya thought, stepping into the room, thinking she was alone.  She rounded a crate, and nearly cried out in her surprise.  A figure was sitting on the floor, back resting on a crate, long legs drawn out, arms folded, eyes closed.  

Vreya put a hand over her mouth, afraid to breathe, lest she should waken him.  She had never seen Zane asleep before, and hadn't expected to find him asleep here of all places.  Why hadn't he gone home?  

She then saw that he had a nasty cut on his right cheek, and it still seemed to be open.  

_Well, that's like him to go running off when he needs to be healed I guess…_she thought to herself, placing a hand on her hip.  She debated over whether waking him would be a good idea…he was probably really exhausted because he hadn't been cured.  She supposed she could heal him then and there, but she swallowed nervously at the idea…she needed to get closer to that wound on his cheek, and he would wake up for sure.  

_And what if he does?_  Krysta questioned.  Vreya had noticed that Krysta seemed to find her exchanges with Zane amusing and interesting.  

_I don't know.  He'll be mad at me.  _Vreya thought back.  She didn't like anyone getting mad at her, especially not Zane.  Then she shrugged off her doubts.  He was probably starving anyway, and if he woke up, she'd just tell him she was here to ask him if he wanted to eat anything.  

With a nervous nod of the head to reassure herself, and with a fluttering heart, she stepped forward carefully, and managed to make it to the other side of him fairly soundlessly.  She knelt down carefully beside him, inspected the wound, and gulped.

_Why do I get so nervous around you?  _Vreya thought to him, for a moment forgetting her task, and simply staring at his features.  She found herself admiring him all over again, and stifled a laugh.  She knew the answer to her own question of course.  _You know…you made quite an impression at that dance…_she thought to him, and struggled to hold back a laugh.  It was entirely inappropriate to laugh, and besides he would wake up at any moment.  Vreya finally got her act together, and raised a hand, holding it above his wound, being careful not to touch him.  Concentrating, she closed her eyes briefly, and felt warm magic radiate from her hand, healing him.  When she opened her eyes, she saw that the wound had healed completely, and no trace of it was left.  She also saw that he had woken up, and was staring straight at her with an unreadable look on his face.  

A surprised little gasp escaped Vreya's lips, and she snatched her hand back guiltily.  The intensity of his gaze took her breath away.  She hadn't been this close to him since…since she had gazed into those eyes at a fairytale ball, so long ago.

He blinked, and finally broke the uncomfortable silence.  'What are you doing here?'

'…' Vreya had the excuse ready in her mind, but her voice failed her.  After a few seconds of voiceless lip moving, she finally managed to talk.

'Uh…looking for you…'

He stared at her.  She felt terribly guilty and finally blurted 'Have you…been awake all this time?'

'…No.'

'…Well…you were injured…you had a cut and I…I healed it.' She said, voice trailing off.  Her eyes lowered to her hands, which now rested in her lap, and she felt awfully self-conscious of the fact that she probably looked a mess.

'…' Zane just stared at her.  He couldn't think of anything to say apart from thanking her, and he didn't want her to think he was getting friendly.  So he said nothing, and looked away from her.

'We…we ate…do you…want to eat a…anything?  There's some left over and I could…' she stopped as he cut in.

'I'm not hungry.' Zane replied matter-of-factly, turning his eyes to look back at her.  

'Oh…' Vreya said, twiddling her fingers.  'Oh…so…why are you here?'

'Waiting for Jez to finish.' He replied curtly.

'She finished ages ago.  You must have fallen asleep.' Vreya replied.

He raised a brow at her.  'You think so?'

Vreya couldn't believe how embarrassed she was.  He was making her feel stupid…she was saying such stupid things…of course he had fallen asleep…of all the unintelligent things to say…

'Ummm…do you need…anymore healing?' she asked, averting her eyes.

There was a long pause.  Finally he replied:

'…I'm fine.'

'Okay.' Vreya nodded, and knew it was high time she made her escape.  She stood back up, brushing herself off, and nodded at him, too aware the entire time that he was watching her.  

'Ummm…well…I'm go…we're going now…so…see you tomorrow.' Vreya said, and moved away hurriedly, thankful that she managed to make it out the room without tripping over.  He hadn't answered of course-she hadn't expected him to.  It seemed their 'conversations' were becoming increasingly more awkward.  

_God…I am such an idiot…_Vreya thought, feeling terrible.  He hadn't been particularly nasty in that exchange, but she had stuttered a lot, which was just as bad.  She hurried across the training room, and disappeared around the corner.

-----------------◊-----------------

Zane listened to her walk away, and let his head fall back to rest against the crate.  He closed his eyes briefly; he felt exhausted.  Still, at least the pain in his cheek was gone.  He raised a hand, and touched the place where the cut had been.  All he felt now was smooth skin.  He had her to thank for that.  Except he had chosen not to thank her-well it wasn't as if he had asked her to heal him.  She was just being her normal, forward, irritating self.  Zane opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling, and let out a huge sigh.  He frowned afterwards…he didn't usually sigh so openly or loudly…what on earth was the matter?

_Just tired…_he told himself, reassured himself.  _Feel better in the morning…_

All he needed was sleep…but the dreams were getting worse, and he was only getting about four hours a night, if he was lucky.  Zane let his head fall into his hands, another gesture he wasn't used to using.  But he thought nothing of it then, closing his eyes once more, and wondering when it would all end, when he would be really able to rest.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Hope you all liked!  Noa, hope you liked too, lol.  Anyway, review, review and I will update soon!  Peace and love everyone! ^ ~ ^_  


	36. The Gift

_Finally I'm back with the next chapter!  Sorry it took so long-I blame it on the excellence that is Final Fantasy X-2!  You could all punish me and not review which would just make me cry.  I know it's been ages and I apologise!  Welcome to new reviewers DBH and Biminator!  DBH, I agree that I'm making Seifer seem brilliant and shall take your advice into consideration!  But what did you mean about Squall sorry?  Biminator lol Square would kill me if I did publish it-it's not that good lol, but that's a sweet compliment.  And Kitty, yes the worm had a very big mouth lol!  Thanks to everyone else (Noa more goodness for you coming) and Nique.  Okay read on!  _

Chapter XXXVI: The Gift

Everything was groggy and hazy.  The young woman felt as though she hadn't breathed in a lifetime.  Taking a breath of air felt foreign to her lungs.  Her vision was blurry and everywhere she looked she saw hazy lights.  

_Where am I?  _She thought, lifting her heavy head, and blinking to clear her vision.  It seemed like she was…floating somewhere.  What had happened to her?  She didn't remember.

It was then she realised in alarm that she was naked.  Her skin was unblemished and smooth, as young as it had been in life.  The young woman hugged herself, feeling terribly ashamed and afraid, confusion taking over in her mind.  She suddenly felt cold, as the rest of her senses came back to her.  

Then in the distance she thought she saw a figure approaching.  

_God no…where are my clothes?  Why am I naked?  _She thought, panicking.  But the figure was drawing closer.  She realised in horror that it was a man, and as he came even closer, she realised it was a young man, and a very handsome one.  

_This is SO embarrassing!  _But as the young man finally reached her, he seemed indifferent to the fact that she was clothed in nothing but her skin.  His eyes fixed on her, and the young woman lost her breath.  They were a blazing gold, luminous and piercing.  Wise, knowing eyes.  The rest of his features were just as breathtaking.  He seemed young, four or five years older than she had been in life.  But something about the way he looked at her, the way he carried himself suggested he was older than she would ever understand. 

When he spoke, it was like music to her ears.  The sound of his voice warmed her and filled her with awe.  It was smooth and full of wisdom.  She stared up at him-no, gaped up at the mysterious young man with the fiery red hair.  He had a strange symbol on his cheek, and on the centre of his forehead.  They were strange tribal marks.  He was dressed in the clothes of warriors of old, a long mantle wound about his shoulders trailing back behind him.  He wore a silver necklace with another strange tribal pendant on it, and small silver hoops were in his left ear.  He was gloved, one hand resting on the hilt of an extraordinary looking sword.  

'You have been returned to life, and yet are not amongst the living.'

The girl stared up at him, trying to hide her decency, hugging herself tightly.  Who was he?

'I have come to give you a choice.'

'…' She could only stare at the finely chiselled features in wonder.

'You many rest amongst the dead…or you may join us.'

Finally she found her voice.  'Who…are you?'

'…' The eyes narrowed.  'You need not know unless you consent to joining us.  My kind are guardians of those chosen to fight for the future of the planet Earth.'

'…' Something about his words…they were stirring up memories…someone…someone had told her something very similar, but she had forgotten what…it seemed so long ago…who had told her?  Why couldn't she remember?

The man standing over her seemed to read her thoughts.  'Do not strain yourself attempting to remember.  You memories will return to you once you make your choice.'

'What happened to me?' She asked, feeling tearful, and yet no tears fell.

'You were an unfortunate victim of the dark powers.' The man replied matter-of-factly.  'One of many who have fallen.  Except that you are different.  She is offering you the chance to return to the living world, though you will not go back to your old life ever again.'

'…I…I'm dead?' The young woman whispered, eyes lowering in shock.  She didn't remember dying…how had it happened?

'To humans, yes.  But you have a choice.  You may become a guardian and watch over those you love.  The planet is prepared to offer you her gift.'

'Gift?' The girl said, in a choked whisper.  She had to be dreaming…this wasn't really happening was it?

'The gift of silence.' The young man replied.  She was confused.  What did he mean by that?  

'She has seen you worthy of wielding such powers.  You are…kin to the Chosen One.' He went on.

'Chosen One?' The girl repeated.  'This doesn't make any sense!'

'Make your choice and you will remember.  You may choose to join the dead…in which case, you will never see her again, nor the rest of those you love.'

'Who…?'

'Make your choice.' He folded his arms expectantly.

The girl stared at him.  He wasn't making anything any clearer.  It didn't seem to her that she had a choice-either die or go back in a different form…and what was this gift he was talking about?  How could she trust him?

'I want my old life back!  Who was I?' she asked.  

'You cannot have it and I cannot say.' The red-haired man replied.  

'How do I know this isn't a trick?' She demanded.  She wanted to stand but she was naked.

At that particular moment another figure appeared.  It was another young man.  This one, like the red-haired one, had long hair, but it was golden, such a pure sunshine colour.  He was dressed in strange clothes also, and wore a silver necklace with a tribal mark similar to the one on the red-haired man's cheek.

_What's up with the long hair? _She thought.  Hers was relatively short.  

The red-haired man didn't even turn around to know that another had appeared.  He spoke with his eyes still on the girl.

'Why have you left your quarters?'

'I bring news.' The blonde's voice was low in tone.  He wore a strange mask over his eyes, which covered half of his face.  

'Well?'

'The dark one desires to find the ashes of the fire-bird.'

'Is that so?' The red-haired man's eyes narrowed and he looked at the blond man.  

'Yes.  He wants to contain the ashes so that the fire-bird may never gather itself and unleash its power.'

The girl looked back and forth between the two men, confused.  What were they talking about?

'Then you must never suffer evil to reach the sacred ground.  You are his protector.' The comment sounded more like an order.

The blond bowed his head.  'Yes my lord.' His head rose again, and he regarded the girl.  He undid a piece of material, which was wrapped about his waist, and threw it to the young woman.  She took it gratefully, wrapping herself with it.

'Now go.  Wait for them.  They will soon come.' The red-haired young man said.

'Yes my lord.  They have just recently acquired Aquila.'

'I have knowledge of this already.  Return to your post.' The red-haired man said bluntly.  The blond bowed his head again and was gone in a flash of golden light a moment later.

'Who was that?' the girl asked, dazzled.  She stood up, now covered decently.

'One of my subjects.'

'Are you…a king?' She asked.

'…' He ignored the question.  'Have you decided?'

To trust or not to trust-she didn't want to die…what he was offering sounded better than just going out completely.  Then again she was uncertain about this gift.

'Will the…uh…gift hurt?  What does it involve?' She questioned.

'It will hurt when you first receive it.  Embrace it and feel its power.  Feel her love.  The planet would that you know her love for you.' He replied.  'You will have the ability to grant your wielder the power of silence, reflection, and status inflicting magic.'  

'Silence and…what?' She was confused.

'Silence…your song will prevent the enemy from using magic to harm your junctioner.  Reflection…all harmful magic will be reflected from your junctioner unto the caster.  Status infliction…the ability to blind an enemy, turn them to stone, stop them in their tracks, to confuse them, to curse and cause them pain and death amongst other things.' He explained.

'What?  I…I will be able to do all that?  Magic…exists?' she squeaked.  

'Indeed.  Now make your choice.  Quickly now!'

All that power…crazy power…all her own…plus the fact she would be able to see her 'loved' ones again…how could she refuse it?  It was better than just dying.  She had always been a daring soul.  

'I accept it.' She said.  'It sounds too good to turn down!  Now who killed me?  Can I get my revenge?  Will I look the same?  What's a junctioner?'

'Peace, do not ask so many questions!' The red-haired man glared at her.

'Okay…sorry.' She was instantly silenced by his command.  

'You wish to remember.  Here are your memories.'

He held out a gloved hand, and extended it to her.  Warm pink light surged from his hand, and into her own outstretched one.  It coursed through her body, filling her with warmth and…her memories.

An unnatural thing had murdered her; a huge lizard like creature she couldn't identify.  Her curiosity had been the death of her.  The girl fell to her knees, sobbing, remembering everything.  The pain of death, the flames and the screaming of her colleagues, her family, their pain at the knowledge…the young woman touched her hair, and out fell a green ribbon…it was all that remained of her previous life.  It was tattered, but she clutched it as if it were life itself.

'Oh God…' she sobbed.  'I didn't know…it's not fair.'

The young man's voice was hard and unsympathetic.  'Life seldom is.'

'Then it's true…everything she told me was real…'

The red-haired man was silent.  The girl looked up at him, face tear-streaked.  'I want to help her fight.  I want to help them.'

He nodded.  'Before you receive the gift you must know that you cannot reveal yourself to those you once knew as friends.  Those that you love…you cannot betray your identity until the final blow has been delivered.' 

'But…they'll recognise me.' She was confused.

'No.  The process will alter your appearance enough for you not to be recognised.  You must keep a silent tongue at all times.  You are young…the youngest we will have, and so I will have the others watch over you and safeguard you.  But you are sworn to silence.  Swear before me now.' He instructed.

'I…I swear…' she said, knowing how difficult it would be.  

'I will hold you to your oath…' his eyes narrowed.  'Never cross me child.'

'…' She swallowed, afraid.  He suddenly seemed centuries older than she was.  

'I am the ruler of the realm's spirits, your master and superior.  For centuries I have guarded the realms secret, and the time will soon come for me to give the burden to the Chosen One.'

_Oh God…I never…I never realised she had such a burden…_The young woman was weeping again.  There would be pain and much suffering.  

'No knowledge will pass without my knowledge of it passing.  No word will you utter which betrays your oath to me.  You shall be known as Elyria to all you junction to.'

'Who are you?' The young guardian-girl now to be known as Elyria asked.

'I am Aurion.  The guardian king, greatest of the sacred three; and now child, it is time for you to embrace your gift…'

---------------◊---------------

'So how do you like our world?' Roxy grinned at Seifer.  He glanced at her, opened his mouth and then shut it abruptly.  

'I think he doesn't.  I bet yours is so much more exciting.' Gen said.  'I mean, magic and stuff is an everyday event for you isn't it?'

'You don't like our world?  Well sure it sucks ninety nine percent of the time but it's okaaaaay.' Roxy frowned.

'It's good.' Seifer said, less than enthusiastically.

'Seifer, complimenting something?' Quistis asked, placing a tray of drinks on the table.  He scowled at her.  He didn't like to, but he didn't want to offend these people.  They were different to the 'gang' he had grown up with.  

'Hey Quisty where are the…oh!' Selphie arrived in the leisure room, plopping down on the other side of Seifer.  'These drinks are SO delicious!  What flavour is this?' she pointed to the red one.

'Cranberry I think.' Gen replied.

'What's a cranberry?' Selphie asked, pulling a face.  She tasted the drink and then coughed. 'It's dry!'

Quistis took the glass from her hand, sipping the rest of it.  'I like it.'

'It's…a kind of berry!' Roxy grinned.  

'This one is better!  Yummy!' Selphie swallowed down some blackcurrant juice.  

'You guys don't have apple and orange juice where you are?' Gen asked in disbelief.

'Uh…no?' Selphie asked, reaching for another glass.  Quistis slapped her hand.  

'Selphie, there'll be none left for them!'

'But Quisty I'm thirsty!'

Quistis rolled her eyes.  Gen laughed.  'It's okay. We have a lot.  She can drink.'

'She's Zell without the hotdogs.' Quistis shook her head at a grinning Selphie.

'Speaking of Zell, Costa took him and Irvine out to try some hotdogs.' Vreya picked up on the conversation, entering the room, carrying a tray of snacks.  She set it down on the table in front of them, and stood back, placing her hands on her hips.  

'Did he?  Oh no.' Quistis laughed into her hand.  Seifer smirked.

'What?' Vreya asked.  'Is there a problem?'

'Do you know how many that pig eats?' Seifer sneered.  'He won't be back until he finishes them all.'

Vreya smiled.  'Oh.  He really likes hotdogs?'

'Loves!' Selphie said, through a mouthful of marshmallows.  'Mmm, all this food is so great!'  She offered Seifer a marshmallow.  

'Try!' 

Seifer gave her a look, rather surprised she was offering, and shook his head.

'He never gets any at home.' Quistis said.  'They always run out.'

'Aww.' Roxy giggled.  'Then he should have as many as he can to compensate.'

'I'm sure that's what he's doing.' Gen said, and the group laughed.

Lila and Sara were sat with Squall and Rinoa and Ash, who were talking.  The mentors were all busy downstairs, leaving the young people alone for some time out.  Vreya now found herself looking at Seifer, at the scar that bridged across his nose.  

_I dreamt of you…you and Squall…even before I met you…_she thought, remembering the dream vaguely of two men slashing each other's faces.  Seifer caught her eye, and raised a brow.  Vreya just smiled at him, and moved away, taking some snacks with her, to where Sara and Lila and Ash were seated, in heated debate over something with Squall and Rinoa.

'So you guys went to the future?' Lila exclaimed.

Rinoa smiled.  'Yeah.  It was a really horrible one though.'

'That's not possible.' Sara folded her arms.  'Do you guys have time travelling machines there or something?'

'Time Compression.' Squall replied.  'It's…unnatural.  The sorceress Ultimecia was able to distort time.  The future aligned with our present and we were able to face her.'

'Wow.' Ash said.  'That's…complex.'

Squall nodded.

Vreya placed the snacks on the table in front of the group who sat across where Roxy and Gen sat.  Rinoa smiled at her in greeting, patting the space next to her, in invitation.  Vreya took it, and immediately got involved in the conversation.

'How did you get back?  Or is time still distorted?'   

'We're still not sure of the effects.' Squall said slowly.

'Yeah.  There's no way we can be sure of what happened exactly, but it seems like everything is okay.' Rinoa agreed.

'Maybe time naturally aligned itself again?' Ash shrugged.

'Maybe.' Rinoa agreed.

'You mean…the time loops separated again and fell into how they were before?' Vreya asked.

'Maybe.' Squall shrugged.  'We also had Ellone.'

'Who?' Lila asked.

'Ellone.  She's a girl who has the power to go back and forth in time.' Squall said.

Sara gaped.  'Oh my goodness!  She can change the past?'

'No, no, no.' Rinoa waved her hand.  'Not the past.  She can't.'  

Vreya was disappointed.  She would have liked to change her past.  Losing interest in the conversation, she looked down at her hands.  A few minutes later, she looked up again, and blurted out:

'Can you tell me…can you tell me why Ultimecia wanted to compress time?'

Squall looked at her.  'She was an evil and corrupt sorceress.  He had no knight to shield her from her own dark powers.'

Vreya swallowed.  So sorceresses turned evil without a knight for definite.  

'We don't even know why really do we Squall?  She was just so crazy…' Rinoa shook her head.  'She possessed me once.'

'What's it like…being possessed?' Vreya asked.

'I'm guessing it's like going crazy.  Having voices in your head.' Lila said.  She looked to Ash.  'I guess you're feeling pretty possessed with that Aquila bird in your brain.  Ha ha Ash!  You've got a bird brain!'

Ash gave her a look.  'Ha ha Lila.  Very funny.'

She smiled and looked back to Rinoa.  'Is it like that?'

'Sort of…except the voice really does drive you crazy…you're kind of…pushed back to the back of your mind…you lose control of your body and reasoning.  It's like being in a trance.  You're made to do things you wouldn't want to do.  And all you can do is…watch through your eyes as you do things…terrible things…hurt people…just…screaming inside but you can't stop it…' Rinoa closed her eyes and hugged herself.  'I never wanna be possessed again!'

'You won't be.' Squall said quietly.  She opened her eyes and looked at Squall with an open love in her eyes.  Vreya thought it was beautiful.  A knight and sorceress bond seemed to be such a beautiful relationship based on trust and love.  

'That sounds horrible.' Sara said.

'It is.  That's why a knight is so important.' Rinoa said.  

'But going crazy doesn't happen straight away though does it?' Ash asked, looking interested.  

'Depends.' Squall said.  'There are two kinds.'

'The slow way and the sudden way: you can slowly lose your mind over time, or it can just happen all of a sudden.  Sorceress powers can be passed onto any young woman suitable to take control of them.' Rinoa replied.  

'So you're never born one?' Lila asked.

'I'm not sure.' Rinoa said, uncertainly.

'Hey Rin, listen to this!' Selphie waved Rinoa over to her side of the room.  Rinoa excused herself, getting up and going over to Selphie.

'What are they up to now?' Sara sighed.  She got up.  Lila stood up after her, and so did Ash, who looked at Vreya and then Squall.

'Coming?'

Squall opened his mouth to answer, but Vreya got there first.  She wanted to ask Squall something.  

'In a second.'

Ash nodded, getting the hint and followed after the girls.  Squall turned his eyes to Vreya, who was fidgeting with her hands, slightly nervous.  She'd never been alone with Squall, and she still didn't really know him all that well.  Besides he reminded her too much of Zane.  

'Ummm.  I have to…can I tell…ask you something?' she asked.

'Sure.'

Vreya's eyes rose and looked at the scar that bridged Squall's nose.  She swallowed and then said hurriedly 'Did…did you get that scar from…from fighting?'

Squall looked away, the look in his eyes frightening.  _Damn you Seifer_ he thought.  'Yes.' He replied.  'Training.'

'Training…with…Seifer…?' Vreya asked softly.  Squall blinked, and looked at her curiously.

'He told you?'

'No…I…I had a dream before we all met…you and Seifer were fighting on this…outside somewhere.'  Vreya said.  'I don't remember much…just that he hurt you first…?'

'He cheated.' Squall said through his teeth.

'You two don't seem to get along.'

Squall laughed but it was not genuine or amused.  'No.  We don't.'

'…Why?' Vreya pressed.

Squall shook his head.  'It's not your problem.'

Vreya knew that he was telling her to drop it.  She shrugged.  She didn't know him well enough she guessed, and it'd be better to ask Rinoa she decided.  She stood up.  'Do you want anything to drink Squall?'

He shook his head.  As she turned to leave, he called after her, remembering something.

'Vreya.'

Vreya glanced back at him.

'How did you know my name?' Squall asked.

'What?'

'When we first met here…how did you know?'

Vreya frowned, and finally remembered what he was referring to.  But she had no answer.  'I…I don't know.' She replied, uncertainly, and walked away from him.

Costa, Irvine, and a grinning Zell entered the room.  

'Oh YEAAAAHHHH.' Zell grinned, rubbing his stomach in satisfaction.  'I downed seven hotdogs baby!'

'Is that it?' Selphie raised her eyebrows.  

'The restaurant owner wouldn't give him anymore.' Irvine grinned.

'Man, I'm not taking him again.' Costa exclaimed.  'What an embarrassment.'

'Seriously!  They're better than our cafeteria ones!  What sauce do they use?  Yo, you gotta give us the secret man.' Zell grinned.

'Wow, I want to try!' Selphie said enthusiastically.  

'Yeah baby, it's on me!  I'll take ya!'

Selphie grinned.  'Tee-hee-hee!'

'No wonder they get on so well.' Lila shook her head.

'They have a passion for food.' Sara said dryly.

'And even better news guys.  We get to go home early.' Costa said.  'Fleck just shouted it up to me when we came in.'

'It's like…eight…how early is that supposed to be?' Gen asked.  

'Aw come on guys, stay with us a little longer.' Irvine said.  'It's too early.'

'Yeah!' Selphie nodded.  'Please!  We can have a pillow fight!'

'Sorry…heh heh we have parents.' Lila laughed.  

'Bummer.' Selphie pouted.  Irvine grabbed her into a bear hug and she instantly cheered up.

Vreya saw that Zane was sitting in the corner of the room, alone as usual.  He seemed to be busy with something…Vreya realised it was his cell phone.  She also realised that he hadn't had anything to eat or drink.

_Doesn't he ever get hungry?  _Vreya walked over to where he sat.  He didn't look up until she cleared her throat, and even then he took his time.

'Ahem.'

He finally spared her a glance.

'Want anything to drink?  There are some snacks left…'

He shook his head, eyes lowering to his phone again.  Vreya stood there a moment, frowning lightly.  Then she sighed, and turned away.  Every time it was the same…why didn't she just give up?

Then to her surprise he called after her.  She thought she was hearing things.

'Vreya?'

He hardly ever said her name outside of battle, just like everyone else.  But God, it sounded good on his lips.  He had the most gorgeous voice.  

She glanced at him, surprise all over her face.

'Yes?'

'…' He was looking at his phone screen, but when she turned back to him he looked up at her.  '…The field where we got Tempest…'

'Yes?'

Zane started at her a moment.  The question had been bugging him for a while and he saw no harm in asking.  Last night's dream was still stuck in his mind…he had been in a vast field full of flowers, and he had met a girl who had not faced him, had stood with her back to him, warning him to stay away from the field.  Warning him not to protect her, but to save himself.  The girl had had brown hair.  Zane needed to know whom the girl was because he wanted to make sense of the crazy dreams he was having.

'Was it familiar?'

Vreya blinked at him.  He held her gaze, waiting for her response.  Vreya wondered why he was asking.  No…she couldn't remember thinking it had been anything special.  

She shook her head.  'No…' she replied slowly.  'I've never been there before.'

His eyes lowered at her answer and he didn't reply.  _So it isn't you…but she seems to be like you…who is she…?_  He was rather relieved it wasn't Vreya.  

'Why?' her voice came to him.  Zane didn't look up again.

'Nothing.' He replied dismissively.  Vreya started at him, and opened her mouth to ask him something that had just occurred to her when Sara's voice came to her.  

'Vreya!  We're heading out!  Coming?'

'…' Vreya looked back at them.  Squall and the others were leaving the room; all who remained were Sara, Ash, Costa and Roxy.  Lila and Gen had left with the others.  

'Ummm…sure…' She glanced back at Zane, and hesitated.  Then she said 'Are you going to go now?'

_Why are you always worrying about others?  No one else cares…can't you see that?  _Zane thought mentally, and glanced behind her, seeing that Costa was approaching.

'Come on Bonita!  I have to do some studying before tomorrow!' He glanced at Zane 'Don't you have a home to go to?' he asked rudely.

Vreya gave him an angry look.  Sara joined them, grabbing hold of both of their arms.  'Come on people…oh.' She looked at Zane, and gave Costa a glance.  

'Zane, do you want a lift?' she offered politely.

Costa opened his mouth to object that there was no space but Sara kicked him in the leg before he could say anything, silencing him.

Zane looked up at Sara, expression unreadable.  Vreya thought she saw something flicker in his eyes, but it was gone a moment later.  

'Yeah there's room!' Roxy called cheerfully.  'Right Ash?'

Ash shifted uncomfortably.  He met Zane's gaze.  Zane's lip twitched but he said nothing, instead looking back to Costa.

'Hey man, will you answer already?  Just because your parents don't care where you're at, don't mean ours don't!' Costa said impatiently.

Zane opened his mouth at this, and then shut it tightly.  He gave Costa a murderous look.

_Asshole…he has no idea…none of them do…well I'm not gonna say anything.  I won't have them feeling sorry for me._  

'We're wasting our time!' Costa said.  'Come on guys!'

'Really Zane, we could give you one.' Sara added kindly.

_I'm not…a charity case…_Zane thought, outraged.  He hated people acting out of pity.  

'…'

'Sara!  He probably doesn't get on with his parents and he'll leave later okay!' Costa said, and then muttered 'Don't blame them.  Having an ass like that for a son...I'd sooner be dead.'

Vreya glared at Costa.  Roxy frowned.  'Costa stop being rude!' the red-haired girl said.

Zane stood up and Costa went on 'Let's go!  Maybe he doesn't want to leave now…maybe he's had a row…maybe…'

Zane stepped round everyone quietly, and Vreya called after him.  'Zane?  Don't listen to him…if you want a lift you can come with us.'

He heard her, but didn't respond.  As he passed Costa, he stopped briefly and gave him a look.  It was so detached and unreadable that Costa wasn't sure how to react.

'What?  You coming or not?'

Zane merely stared a moment, and then silently walked on ahead, leaving the room without a word.  Ash was glad.  Costa did a good job of deterring the young man.  

Once he had left, Vreya punched Costa as hard as she could on the arm.

'OWCH!  What the hell was that for?' He yelped.

'I can't believe you were so rude!' Vreya snapped at him.  'That was really mean!'

'I agree.' Sara folded her arms.  'I think we should give him a chance.'

'Stupid Costa.' Roxy sighed.  'Oh well, he's gone now.'

'Idiot.' Vreya glared at Costa.  'If you insult his family again he'll kill you.  I bet he wanted to just now.'

'Sorry to listen in, but what your friend just said there was completely rude and completely ignorant.' A voice came from the hallway.  It was Fleck, and he didn't look pleased.

'You heard?' Ash asked.

'Sure.  Costa, you might not feel so smart if I tell you why he's in no hurry to go back home.'

'Why?' Roxy asked.  'Are his parents abusive?'

Fleck laughed a harsh laugh.  'He wouldn't like me telling you, but Costa, you better watch your mouth.  Give him a break will you.  You've all had easy lives.'

'So they are abusive?' Sara gaped.

'How abusive can parents who have been buried for over ten years be?' Fleck pondered.  The young people stared at him, and then Vreya put her hands over her mouth.

'Oh…oh my God…they're…dead?' She whispered, feeling terrible.

'…'Sara blinked.  'He's an orphan?  Oh no!  Who does he live with?'

'Alone, kids.  He has no family, none he knows about or who want to know about him.  It's just been foster care all his life.  Now imagine how hard that must be, having to constantly move, not forming any attachments…' Fleck shook his head, and pointed at Costa.

'So you just watch your mouth.  And a word of advice idiot.  Don't go feeling sorry for him either.  He never had time to know his parents.'

'But how does he get by?' Ash asked, thinking of Zane's expensive car.

'His parents were wealthy.' Fleck shrugged.  'He has people who care for him…'

'Like…servants?' Sara asked.

'Something like that.  Anyway, get going now.' Fleck said.

'No…wait…where is he?' Vreya asked, stepping forward.  

'Vreya…he just said…' Costa began, but Vreya whirled and punched him again.  

'Shut up you.'

Costa snapped his mouth shut.

'Leave it Vreya.' Fleck advised.  'Just go home.  Leave him alone.'

'But…' 

'Costa will have to apologise sooner or later.' Sara said.  'We should leave it now.'

'But…why didn't he say anything?' Vreya asked softly.  

But Fleck had gone, and Roxy shrugged.  'That's so sad…maybe that's why he's like that…'

'Probably is.  Poor guy.' Sara clucked her tongue.  She glanced at Costa who was quiet.  He looked embarrassed.

'Happy now?'

'…Whatever man.' Costa mumbled.

Vreya was frowning unhappily.  Then…Zane had known little love and friendship in his years…that was so sad…Vreya's determination to get him to open up was renewed.  She'd always been suspicious of his aloofness to people.  So God help her she'd break down those walls with a bulldozer if she had to.  A life as cold and lonely as that was hardly worth living…and despite what he said and the way he acted she was convinced he wasn't happy.  How could he be?  To trust only to be left alone again…he had to realise that life had just been unfortunate up to this point and that it could get better if he just allowed himself to rely on others.  If he just let people in a little more.      

Vreya sighed.  Now was not the time, Fleck was right.  But she would wait for the right time.  She didn't know why she felt so responsible, but she was a good-natured girl and besides, they hadn't seen what she had seen when she had danced with him.  She believed there was still something there, a hope.  She would just have to work hard with her friends to get it out from under all those suppressing layers.  

'Let's go.' She gave in, and followed her friends outside.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

Hope you liked!  Not very action packed, but hey, there you go!  Anyway, read and review and I'll get on with the next one for you all okay?  Thanks for your patience all!


	37. A Siren's Song

Thanks for all the reviews!  You guys have been very patient with me and I appreciate it!  Welcome to the new ones:  Sammyalex and Chargone and Queen of Shadows!  Thanks for jumping on board the wagon and for your great comments.  DBH-lol, your reviews are awesome and very helpful, but I still don't get it-when did Seifer use his own names? Sorry, I reread and couldn't find where you meant.  Me feels very sheepish.   Now, let's go on with the story!

Chapter XXXVII: A Siren's Song 

****

'Wow I think if I get back early enough, my parents will actually not say anything to me!' Lila said, glancing at her watch.  

Ash signalled a left, and nodded.  'We are pretty early.'

'Great.  Early is good!  Early is very good!' Lila smiled at him.  Vreya caught Lila's eye in the front side-view mirror and smiled slightly.

They were driving back from the base.  Lila, Vreya and Sara were in Ash were in Ash's car, and Sara, Roxy and Gen were in Costa's.  Lila was very happily sitting at the front with Ash, chattering away happily.  

Vreya stifled a yawn and looked out the window.  The sky was dark, but it was turning out to be a relatively clear night.  

'You people do realise our exams are now less than two months away.' Sara said suddenly.

Lila glanced at her, worriedly.  'We are so going to fail those aren't we.'

'Well hello, zero study time, totally preoccupied with these crazy events.' Sara waved her hand.

'Our parents will still be mad at us.' Lila muttered.  'Damn.'

Vreya sighed.  She was going to have to repeat the year.  They probably all were thanks to their 'special responsibilities'.  

'Why is Costa driving so bent?' Ash frowned, sounding the car horn at Costa.

Costa beeped back from in front of them as he swerved right.  Ash frowned again.  

'What the hell is he doing?'

'Roxy's house is left…' Vreya peered over the front seats.   'It's only a few roads away from Sara's…' 

'No, look there's loads of traffic the other way.' Lila pointed.

'Weird.  Has there been an accident?' Ash asked, glancing at where Lila was pointing.

'Costa's taking a short cut.' Sara said.  They drove on a little more, before she spoke up again, realising that Costa wasn't taking a short cut.

'Where does he think he's going?  Ash, why did you follow him?'

'I…don't know…thought he was taking a short cut …' Ash replied slowly.  

'We should have just gone the other way.' Sara said.  'Ash, take a left from here and we can get to my house quicker.  Costa is taking the long way round.'

'All right.' Ash replied, and sounded the horn again, signalling to Costa that they were separating ways.  Costa blared his own horn loudly, and Roxy rolled down her window, waving back at them, grinning.  

'Bye guys!' she yelled.  'See ya all tomorrow!'

Ash took a left and they drove on for a while longer.  But as they reached the road which lead to Sara's street, they were surprised to find it closed for roadwork.  

'What?' Sara exclaimed.  'That was so not there this morning.'

'They're always working on roads.' Lila groaned.  'They may as well dig up all the streets and start anew.'

'And when they relay the surfaces they look no different.' Vreya agreed.  'It's just for the sake of causing disruption…'

Ash looked in the driver's front mirror and met Vreya's gaze, smiling slightly.  'That's cynical of you.'

Vreya shrugged.  'Well it's true don't you think?'

'Probably is…' Ash agreed. 

Lila yawned.  'I'm tired.'

'Which way now Sara?' Ash asked.  Sara considered.

'Uh…hey, take the path which goes around the park.'  She decided.  'It's always dark and empty but there's no other way and I do not want to walk to my house.'

Vreya gave her a look.  'Like we'd let you.'

'Well Costa would probably make me.' Sara rolled her eyes.

Lila sniggered.  'Considering how much he loves women, I wouldn't call that cherishing…'

Ash laughed slightly as he turned the car around, and Lila was thrilled that she was the cause of it.  They drove through various roads before reaching the road that wound around the old park.  As Sara had said, it was relatively abandoned and very dark.  

'Careful Ash.' Sara advised.  'No street-lights here…'

Ash drove slowly, and his passengers looked out at the old park curiously.

'I wonder why they never bothered to fix the play area?' Vreya wondered.  

'Yeah.  That is such a waste of space.  The council should so redo it.' Lila agreed.

'Rough kids hang out at night there.' Sara said.  'During the day it's not really used much.  It's not too big you know.'

'It looks like it is.' Lila remarked.

'Then again, it is dark-oh!' Vreya gasped in surprise as she caught sight of something.

'Oh-I saw that too…' Lila cried.  Ash slowed, glancing at her.  

'Huh?'

'What?' Sara asked.

'Something just…you know when light hits off the eyes of an animal…' Lila said.

'It's probably just a stray.  There are lots of them.'  Sara said casually.

'That was bigger than a stray dog or cat.' Lila said. 

'So what…a fox.' Ash said.  'Calm down.'

'Hey I'm not scared it's just that I never expected-argh!' Lila cried again, as the car suddenly rocked to the left on uneven ground.

'Okay calm down!' Ash told her.

'Jumpy are we?' Sara said to Lila.  'It's just a small break in the ground.'

'Look…I just…it's dark and…' Lila shut up.  Vreya frowned.  

'Ash what happened?'

'I think we've fallen into a small ditch…' Ash replied.  'I'll get us out.  Wait…'

'Maybe I should have walked home?' Sara sighed. 

'Damn.  It must be deeper than I thought.' Ash said, and stopped the car.  He opened the door and got out, walking around to the Lila's side, and examining the wheel of his car.

Vreya and Lila both rolled down their windows.  'Is it deep?' Lila asked.

'Kind of…damn.' Ash touched the front passenger door of his car.  It was slightly scratched.

'Not good.' Lila moaned.  She got out of the car and examined the wheel with Ash.

Sara sighed.  'I could call my neighbour, he could help us.'

'No, I think we can push it.' Ash stood up, rubbing dirt off his hands.

'Okay, Lila you drive, we push.' Sara said, getting out of the car.  Vreya followed, and Lila walked back around to the driver's door.  

'Okay, can you guys manage?' She asked.  

'Yeah we should be okay.' Ash replied.  But as Lila got in the car moved again, falling even deeper into the ditch.

'Oh…crap.' Sara said in exasperation.  'Lila!'

'What?  It wasn't me!' Lila exclaimed.

Vreya frowned.  'How did that just move?  It's so heavy.'

'I don't know.' Ash replied.  'But it'll be harder to push it out…'

'Wait…hey, the ground is fragile here!' Sara realised, pointing to the spot just beneath the tyre.  'Look…can you see it's giving way?'

Ash squinted.  'Huh?'

'Is that why it moved?' Lila got out the car again, walking around to join them.  

'I think so.  Can you see?' Sara pointed again.  

'…' Ash stared, and felt the ground soil beneath him move.

'…' Vreya also felt it.  

'…' Lila swallowed.  

'What?' Sara said, confused.  

'What if…it's not the ground…what if…it's one of those worm things again?' Lila cried.

'That wasn't like this…' Vreya began.

'…' Ash looked behind them, and his eyes widened.  'Look!'

The girls followed his pointing finger and gasped in surprise.  The grassy ground of the abandoned park was shifting behind them.  

'I think we need to get off this piece of land, and fast.' Sara said.  

They stepped back, feeling the earth growing weaker and weaker under their feet.  

'This is so weird!' Lila cried.

'Come on before I lose my car!' Ash hurried round to the back of the car.  'Lila, get in!'

'No…Vreya's lighter than me…she should get in.' Lila said.

'I think we should just release the hand brake…' Vreya began stepping back to go round the back of the car.  'And then push it up all together.'  

'That would put less weight on it…' Sara agreed.  'Okay, I'll do that.'

'What the hell is making it move?' Lila whispered, staring at the ground, which was still slowly shifting in.

'I think it's just really unstable.' Ash replied.  'Got it Sara?'

'Yeah…okay, let's do this!'

'It's like quick sand…' Lila observed.  

'Lila…don't look at it and…hey, get off there!' She reached over, trying to move Lila away from where the ground was shifting.  Lila stepped back two steps, not realising the danger she was in until she felt the earth give way beneath her feet.

She screamed as she felt herself falling.  But Vreya was close, and grabbed hold of her friend's hand.  

'Lila!'

'Oh my God!' Sara cried.  'What's happening?  The ground is caving in…'

'No wonder it's abandoned!' Ash said, grabbing hold of Lila's other hand, pulling her up with Vreya.  But he felt the earth beneath him begin to move and he swore.  

'It's falling…!' Lila cried.  'Don't let go of me!'

'We're not…pull!' Sara grabbed hold of Lila's top and helped haul her up.  Finally when she was on ground again, the group immediately stepped back.  

But the entire patch of land was crumbling and Vreya felt her foot sink through the earth.  She screeched in horror, as she found herself falling.  In her panicked mind she realised that they should have cast Float on everything, including the car.  

'Vreya!' Ash reached out to grab her but he felt the ground give way beneath him, making him fall off balance.  He missed Vreya's hand by inches, and Lila and Sara made a dive forward, but their added weight only made the situation worse.  The ground completely gave way, earth crumbling into a huge black hole, taking a screaming Vreya with it.  It wasn't long after she fell that her panicking friends joined her.    

---------------◊---------------

'Ha ha!' Zell pointed at the television screen.  'Hey cowboy!' he glanced back at Irvine.  'They're messing with your kind!'

Irvine looked bored.  'You wouldn't be laughing if I blew your head off pig!'

Zell just fell back on the sofa, laughing wickedly.  'Ha ha ha!'

'Zell shut up!' Selphie frowned at him, throwing a cushion.  When he caught it and continued to laugh, Seifer glowered at him.  It wasn't even that funny.  What was so hilarious about throwing cream cakes into the faces of people wearing cowboy hats?

Selphie stamped her foot angrily, and then charged at Zell like a mini-missile.  She slammed into him and started punching him as hard as she could.  Zell winced and cried out, but still he laughed.  Eventually he got the upper hand over the petite girl and wrestled her to the floor, jumping back up on the sofa and throwing cushions at her.

Quistis rolled her eyes at the scene, sezing the chance to change the channel.

Seifer huffed in irritation.  Zell's manic laughter was definitely irritating him…finally he couldn't take it and spoke up.  

'Know what I'd find funny? Throwing eggs at a chicken.' 

Zell stopped laughing and twisted his head to look at Seifer.  'Say what?' he demanded.

'Oh.' Seifer averted his gaze, in the way he knew would drive Zell crazy.  'Nothing.'

'No.  What did you say?' Zell roared at him.

Selphie giggled.  'Tee-hee-hee!  Take that Zell!' She threw a cushion up at him.  Zell forgot all about Seifer and began throwing cushions at her again and again.  Selphie squealed, and jumped up, pounding Zell as hard as she could with a significantly larger one.  Irvine caught a cushion as it flew his way, and grinned, raising his hand to pelt Zell.  But he caught Seifer's eye, and his grin widened.  He tossed the cushion to Seifer, and motioned for him to hit Zell. 

Selphie caught sight of this, and giggled even more, nodding frantically at Seifer.  Seifer raised an eyebrow.  They all obviously wanted him to do it.  Even Quistis was struggling not to laugh.

Seifer grinned suddenly and drew back his arm, and the cushion went hurtling towards its target.  It slammed into Zell's head with deadly accuracy, so hard that Zell fell over, onto the floor, howling.

Selphie doubled over laughing, and Irvine pointed at Zell, imitating a gun with his fingers.  'Bang!'

Zell shook his head, and got up, looking dazed.  Then he frowned at the fact that they were all laughing and turned on them, raising his fists.  

'Who was that?  Who wants some?!'

Quistis laughed.  'Calm down Zell.'

'Was that you Quistis?' Zell roared.  'No…it was that cowboy!  Why you…!'

'No Zell it was…Seifer!' Selphie giggled, tackling Zell before he could kill Irvine.  

'Wha?!' Zell fell to the floor, and looked at Seifer in surprise.  Seifer smirked back at him.  Zell went red with rage.  He threw Selphie off him, and grabbed a cushion in a move that was lightening quick.  Without warning he threw it at Seifer.  It hit him right in the face.  

'Ha!  Yes!  Slam!' Zell punched the air with his fist, but he didn't have long to celebrate.  Another cushion hit him in his face, and Seifer was readying another.  Selphie grabbed hold of one and hit Zell as hard as she could.  Zell cried out.

'No fair!  You're supposed to be on my side you little…' he pushed one into her face, but Irvine hit him again.  Seifer's shot hit Irvine who had gotten in the way, and he whipped his head round.  

'So that's how you wanna play!' Irvine threw one at Seifer, who dodged and chucked one at Selphie who fell back into Quistis.

'Oh grow up!' Quistis cried, and was cut off as Irvine ducked Seifer's shot and it slammed into the blonde woman's face.  They all froze, staring at Quistis, waiting for her reaction.

'Uh…sorry Quisty!' Selphie began.  Quistis retained an expressionless face, as she stood up, holding the cushion Seifer had thrown at her.

'This…' she said flatly, placing a hand on her hip.  'Is hardly the behaviour I would expect from students at Balamb Garden…'     

'Aw…' Zell said.  'Come on…'

'However…' Quistis went on, 'We are no longer in Balamb…' she grinned suddenly and threw the cushion back at Seifer.  It hit him directly and he stared in surprise at Quistis.  He'd never seen this side of her before…

'Why Instructor…' he drawled.  'I am shocked at such behaviour.  I can only think of one suitable punishment…' 

Quistis raised an eyebrow at him.  'That is?'

'Detention!' Seifer said, and threw another cushion at her.  She laughed hard, and grabbed another cushion.

'That's it, you're all expelled!' She gasped.  'For a week…no, a month!'

'Oh YEAH baby!  No more classes EVER!' Zell yelled, grabbing another cushion.

'Pillow fight!' Selphie cried, and suddenly they were all hitting each other, laughing and shouting and making a lot of noise.  It was at this moment that Squall and Rinoa entered the room.

Squall froze, staring at the scene in shock.  Zell was hitting Selphie, Irvine and Seifer were hitting Zell, Quistis was throwing cushions from a distance at Irvine and Seifer while Selphie was trying to hide behind sofas.  They were all out of control, and Squall could see that Seifer was laughing with them as much as he was at them, and they were also laughing with him as much as they were at him and each other. 

Rinoa was surprised, but she quickly saw the funny side, and grabbed a cushion that landed close to her.  

'Rinoa…' Squall began, but she smiled at him.

'Come on Squall!  Where's your sense of fun?!' she charged forward and began hitting Irvine.  He turned around and laughed.  

'You'll regret that!'

Zell spotted Squall, and cried out for help.  'Yo, Squall, they're mauling me!'  

Squall rolled his eyes.  How immature…  

Rinoa squealed as Quistis hit her, and Quistis in turn yelled at Seifer as he hit her again.

'That's…10 detentions for you!  11!  12!'

_They've lost it…_Squall folded his arms, looking away.  But he looked back again, seeing how they were all actually getting a long for once.  

Finally he gave up.  They were all obviously having a great time, and he wasn't going to spoil it.  Plus, he had always wanted to get Seifer back after the last major pillow fight they had had, many years ago back in the orphanage…

At that moment Selphie came running out of the chaos, and hid behind Squall.

'He's gonna hit me, he's gonna hit me Squall, don't let him!'

Seifer had now turned to pelt Selphie, but he lowered his arm when he saw whom she was hiding behind.

'Chicken.' Seifer muttered, and turned his attention away.  Squall looked at Selphie, who grinned.

'Teehee!  Thanks!'

'Give me that.' Squall snatched the cushion from her, and looked at Seifer.  

Selphie giggled like mad.  'Oooh get him Squall!'

Smiling very slightly, Squall drew back his arm and tossed the cushion at the young ex-knight.  

Seifer felt a cushion hit him hard at the back of his head, and he whipped his head around, looking for the source.  But all he saw was Squall, his arms folded, and a glare on his face, with Selphie pointing at him and laughing.  Squall's frown quickly disappeared though, as he sneered at Seifer.

'You deserved that.' He informed him. 

Seifer smirked.  'Never knew you had it in you Leonhart.' He picked up the cushion and drew his arm back to send it back at Squall, but Selphie ran forward and rammed into him, hitting him again and again.

'Argh!' Seifer howled as Selphie assaulted him with cushion after cushion.  Finally he managed to push her back, and she stumbled falling into Rinoa.  Both girls collapsed and laughed together, exhausted.  Quistis sat down and Zell fell to the floor, gasping.  Irvine also sat back and Seifer smirked at them.

'Last one standing.  I win.'

'Ah shut up will ya.' Zell said, closing his eyes.  

'Well that was fun!' Selphie giggled, resting her tired arm around Rinoa's shoulder.  

'I'm glad you all found it so thrilling.' Squall said sarcastically, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Quistis smiled, fixing her hair.  'Well…we haven't…lost control in a while have we?'

'It's not the SeeD way is it?' Rinoa giggled.

'Ah, I'd say we deserve it after all the butt kicking we've had to do…' Irvine stifled a yawn.  

'Right on!' Selphie agreed.  She let out a huge sigh.  'Whoa, I am drained!  Hey…now I'm…'

'Starving!' Zell's stomach rumbled.  

'Last one to the kitchen's a…!' Selphie began but Zell had already jumped up.  The young girl stumbled up after him shouting.

'What a pig…he ate an hour ago.' Irvine muttered.  

'That's Zell for you.' Quistis sighed, and then looked at Seifer.  She put on a strict face and cleared her throat.

'Seifer.  Don't think you've escaped detention.'

Detention…alone with Trepe…not such a bad thing… 

Seifer met her eye, and smiled slyly.

---------------◊---------------

Her head was pounding.  She knew it before she fully came round.  Vreya groaned and opened her eyes, blinking, forgetting for a moment where she was and how she had gotten there.  It hit her a few seconds later however, as she realised that she was lying on cold, hard ground, and that she was in some kind of huge, dark underground cave.  She rolled onto her back, wincing at the pain in her sides and her back, and just about every other bone in her body.  As her eyes adjusted, she saw a distant hole very far up above her; the hole she had fallen through.  A cold draft was coming in through the gap in the earth above.  

Fear gripped her as she saw that she was alone; Ash, Lila and Sara were not with her.  She had thought that they had all fallen in, but if they had surely they would have been here with her?  Vreya coughed, her throat feeling dry, and remembered that she had given her voice a vigorous workout when she'd screamed while falling to what she had been sure would be her death.  She had lost consciousness somewhere in the process and she couldn't believe that she was not dead.  Surely a fall that high and onto solid ground was forceful enough to break every bone she had?   

'Lila?' Vreya called out, in a voice that was pathetically low.  Her throat hurt, but she forced her voice, and her tired body, to rise.  'Lila!  Ash!'

She listened to the silence, her heart beginning to pound.  'Sara!  Ash!  Lila!  Hey!  Can anyone hear me?  Hey up there!  Help me!  HELP!'

After continuing like this for a few minutes more Vreya gave up and slumped to the floor again.  She ran her hands through her hair, which she was aware had dust and bits of soil in it.  She shook her head wildly, trying to clear it out, and winced, regretting the movement as pain seized her.  

'Ouch…' she moaned, holding her throbbing head.  Then she looked around, and summoned a Fire spell.  The flame blazed in her palm, and she saw that she was in a very empty and damp cave.  She quickly extinguished the light, trying to feel for a piece of wood to light.  She wondered how the ground had crumbled like that.  Shouldn't the council have had a warning that the parkland was unstable?  Children could fall and hurt themselves.

_Oh great.  Worry about yourself falling in, not kids.  Where am I?  Where are the others?  _Vreya thought, standing up slowly.  There was no way back up, and she wondered with panic how she was supposed to get back to the surface.  

---------------◊---------------

Sara cursed, trying to pick the dirt out of her hair.  She had somehow managed to lose her hair-clip during the fall, and she guessed she looked a state.  Beside her Lila was equally as unhappy about the state she was in, and Ash was just coming round.  

'Perfect.  Just peachy.  Why oh why do we always get ourselves into stupid situations!' She snapped.  

'Life sucks.' Lila muttered in response.  'I can't believe we're still alive.'

'Well I bloody wish I wasn't.' Sara said angrily.  'And where the hell are we anyway?  The ground never just caves in like that…something is responsible for this, and it's finding it funny no doubt…'

Ash sat up, shaking his head, wincing at the pain.  'Oh man…' he breathed.  'My head…'

'Ash!' Lila cried in relief.  'Thank God.  We fell through that hole up there.' She pointed.

Ash looked up and saw what she was referring to.  He muttered, and said 'Everyone okay?'

'Fine.  Perfect.  I just fell right through the ground.  That has to be on everyone's 'do before you die' list.' Sara snapped at him.

Lila frowned.  'Stop yelling at us.  I'm worried.  Where's Vreya?'

Ash realised Vreya wasn't with them and his stomach twisted in tight knots of fear.  'I don't get it…we fell in together.'

'What if…she didn't…?' Lila whispered, hand rising to her mouth.  

'No.  Shut up.' Ash snapped at her.  'She's fine.  We'll look for her.'  He stood up, and helped Lila up.  Sara kicked a stone and cursed, saying:  

'Well I hope you have ideas on what we do once we find her.  Because there is no way back up there, in case you didn't notice.'

---------------◊---------------

_Krysta…where am I?  I'm scared.  _Vreya thought, seeking comfort from the only presence with her.  Once again she was thankful that she had the ice-spirit with her.

_I don't like being alone…_She added, hugging herself, looking around, not knowing what to do or where to head.  

_You are not alone. _ Krysta's voice was the epitome of calm and reason.  Vreya instantly felt better.

_Move Vreya.  Seek your friends.  _Krysta encouraged gently.   

Vreya nodded.  First things first she had to find the others.  She could do this.  Krysta was with her…she would protect her.  

Vreya began to walk forward, feeling along the rough walls.  She prayed that she would not encounter any hostility along the way.  She could fight off one or two, but the fall had severely weakened her and she wasn't sure how long she would last if more than a few attacked her.

She wished the others were with her.  She wished Squall and the others were here, or Zane.  She never felt afraid when Zane was with her in battle.  He always knew exactly what he was doing…unlike her, who seldom had a battle plan.  She wished that one day, she could become like him, like Rinoa, like the others, confident and fearless in the face of danger. 

It was so dark and she hated darkness.  She saw it so often in her dreams.  Light was very important to her, and there was none of it now.  Darkness and silence; she couldn't see anyone; she couldn't hear anyone.  

Hear…no…there was something…it was gradually getting louder as Vreya continued to walk slowly forward.  The sound was just out of reach; she strained to hear it, to identify it.  Her heart was racing in fear and anticipation.  She was approaching an opening in the wall ahead, a small crevice that she could walk through.  As she neared she saw a faint glow radiating from beyond the gap, and she heard…music.

Music and song-a sweet voice was singing and she could hear an instrument but she was not close enough to the source to identify which instrument it was.  Vreya stopped before the gap and peered through.  The light was soft and green, and through the opening there was another smaller cavern, which had more rocks and natural indents than the one she had woken up in.  Taking a deep breath Vreya stepped through, and edged forward, slowly, cautiously, readying magic just in case whatever it was had an unfriendly nature.

As she walked on, she saw something sitting on a rock, which was naturally shaped for sitting.  Around the rock were crystals, which were the source of the light; they shimmered green, and a small pool of water reflected the light, throwing an enchanting glow about the entire room.  As beautiful as it was Vreya hardly saw them as her eyes fixed on the figure before her, plucking the strings of her lyre, singing harmoniously; her gift.  

The apparition was beautiful, her skin was of golden hue, and she was slender and delicate in build.  Her hair was chestnut brown in some places, and streaked with gold in others; short cut yet long in other places; it was plaited near the front, and tied to strands were golden feather like ribbons on either side of her head, which streaked down, looking like graceful wings.  The woman's eyes were closed, but Vreya could see they were painted with blue and gold designs.  There was a mark on her cheek, the same triangular design that all the other guardians they had acquired had carried.  She was dressed in gold; her clothing was slight but enough to cover her modesty.  Feathers trailed from her skirt and there were golden bell bangles about her ankles.  Vreya gazed in awe; the singing stunned her into silence and the magic she had been readying dissolved away into nothing.  It was such a pure and beautiful voice; Vreya wondered whether she was dreaming.  She crouched behind a rock, peering at the lovely figurine, which sat singing so serenely, a melody that was so sad and captivating. 

Vreya didn't want the figure to stop singing, so she was careful not to make a sound.  She was scared her own breathing might disrupt the song.  She found herself clutching onto her cousin's necklace, holding the small ring in the palm of her hand tightly.  She did it when she felt nervous or when she felt she needed strength.  

The soothing sound of the lyre stopped suddenly, as did the singing.  Vreya prayed she hadn't been detected, but unknown to her, her own guardian spirit was betraying her exact position.  

The sweet voice spoke, and it was like a dreamy breath, full of music.  Yet in the musical depths lay strength and knowledge.  The voice spoke to her.

'I have been waiting for you…Vreya.'

---------------◊---------------

'I think we should take a right now.' Lila suggested.  They had been walking for quite a while and they still hadn't found Vreya.

'What's the use?' Sara sighed.  'We're so obviously lost…we'll die in here.'

'Will you stop that?' Ash glanced back at the blonde young woman.  'At least we're reaching two openings at a time now.  We must be getting to the centre.'

'Uh but is that good?' Lila wondered.

'We have to find Vreya first.  Then we can think of how to get out of here.' Ash replied.

'Okay, let's go right.' Lila said, and headed in that direction.

_Stop.  _Lila was surprised to hear Tempest's voice in her mind.  He hardly ever bothered to talk to her, and when he did he usually had something important to say.

_What?  _She asked back to him.

_Take the left._  He instructed.  Lila questioned him and felt his irritation.

_Just do as I say _he snapped at her.  Lila decided to comply and turned back.

'What are you doing?' Ash asked, puzzled.

'Tempest says take a left.'

'Oh so now he's ready to help.' Sara said in exasperation, as they took a left.  Lila paused.

'He says taking a right from here will take us to the room Vreya woke up in.'

'How does he know?' Ash asked.

'Him and his ghost friends are probably playing a joke on us.' Sara muttered.

'Sara you're annoying him and I don't want him to stop giving us directions.' Lila snapped.

'Oh.  I do apologise.'

'What now?' Ash asked, as they entered the cave.  

Lila looked about, and spotted a soft glow up ahead.  She grabbed hold of Ash's arm, and pointed.  

'Hey look!  What's that light?'

---------------◊---------------

Vreya swallowed.  Okay, there was no use in hiding anymore.  The woman had obviously seen her, or sensed her somehow.  But still, Vreya felt so messy, like she didn't look presentable enough to face the beautiful singing woman.  

But what if she was a bad spirit?  What if she was a fake?  What if…?  Vreya's doubts were melting away however.  She realised she was keeping the woman waiting and taking a deep breath she stood up from behind the rock she had been crouching behind.

She faced the apparition directly and realised that it wasn't really a woman…it was a young woman, almost…almost Vreya's age, but it was so hard to tell, because something was happening as Vreya looked at her.  The eyes rose and met with hers.  They were honey coloured and something in them caught Vreya's attention and held it fast.  

'I have been waiting…' the voice was gentle and soft, and there was a sadness in the tone.  Vreya suddenly felt as though she wanted to cry, but she wasn't sure why.  Maybe it was because…something about the young woman made her think of…something, someone else.

Vreya found her voice.  'You're a…are you a guardian spirit?'

The eyes were looking her over, studying her.  Vreya felt very self-conscious.  When she got no response, she gave the woman a strange look, and stepped back slightly, uncertain for the first time.  

'W…what?  Why are you staring at me…?'

The golden skinned young woman blinked, and smiled slightly.  She had a dimple in her cheek as she did so.  Vreya blinked at her, finding herself studying the face in her turn.

'Are you frightened of me?' The young woman asked.

'…' Vreya swallowed.  'Should I be?'

'No…and yes.'

_Krysta, do you all speak in riddles?  _Vreya asked Krysta silently, but got no response.  

'What do you…?' Vreya began to demand when she heard familiar voices.  God, she had completely forgotten about her friends.

'Vreya!  Thank God!' She felt arms wrap around her, and realised it was Lila.

'You scared us silly.' Sara's voice came to her.  Vreya felt Ash's hand on her shoulder, and he was looking at her, studying her.

'You okay?' 

The siren was silent, watching the reunion of familiar friends.  How her heart ached, as she had watched arms wrap around the figure of the young brunette girl.  It was a gesture of affection the young siren longed to give.  It was more difficult than she had expected, resisting the feelings, the happiness, the sadness, and the anger amongst other things.  But this had been her choice and it was better than never seeing familiars again. 

'Oh…' Lila breathed, catching sight of the woman with her lyre.  They fell silent, staring at her, as Vreya had done.  Once again the siren questioned her ability to do this, to hide the truth, but she remembered her master's words.  She had given him her word and to cross him would mean the retraction of her gift and a permanent life amongst the dead. 

'Who are you?' Sara asked at last.  'Are you another elemental?'

'I am.'

'You brought us here didn't you?' Ash asked.

'…' The young woman did not respond, but they knew that she must have.

'So…do we have to fight you?' Lila asked.  'Because you look so pretty and we…we really don't have any weapons so we'll just be going now…'

'Wait Li.' Ash hissed at her.  He looked at Sara.  'She must be yours, you're the only one who doesn't have one out of us.'

'I am Elyria.' The woman stood gracefully.  'I will give the power of reflection, silence and status change to the mortal worthy enough to junction me.'

How am I doing Krysta? 

_Very well.  _Krysta replied to the novice.  

'Please, we don't have to fight.' Vreya pleaded.  Her body was hurting and she hadn't bothered to heal herself.  

'Yeah.' Lila nodded.  'If you don't want to join us that's fine…well…no it's not but you know…'

The woman ignored her.  She was looking at Vreya.

'You don't have to fight me.' She said softly.  'You've hurt enough.'

Vreya stared at her, mystified.  What a strange meeting this was!  The woman's eyes lowered from her face, and rested on her necklace.  She reached out as if to take it.  

'This does not belong to you.' 

Vreya's hand closed around the ring and she stepped away.  Her friends watched, confused by the exchange between Vreya and the woman.  

'It…it belonged to…my cousin.' Vreya stuttered.  'You can't have it…'

The smile was slight and sad.  'And where is your cousin now?'

'…' Why was she torturing her like this?  Vreya didn't understand, but the urge to cry was worse than ever.

'Where is she Vreya?' The woman's eyes met hers and Vreya swallowed.  

'Hey, you're mean!  You all know what happened to Kat…' Lila began.  The woman silenced her with a look.  She had to do this.  The girl in front of her had to realise it was not her fault.  She had to move on.  

'…Dead.  I couldn't save her…I...'

'You mustn't blame yourself.' The woman interrupted.  'She…would not want you to.  And she is with you always Vreya…' The siren reached out and Vreya felt the light touch of fingertips on her cheek.  She was crying.  Vreya knew she was crying.  

The touch was slight and the woman drew her hand back almost instantly.  She held it out to Vreya, and spoke to her in her mind.

_Accept my gift Vreya.  I came back for you._

She didn't understand…she had Krysta…why wasn't Elyria junctioning to Sara?

The voice whispered that she needed the extra protection.

Vreya's arm was rising and she was reaching out before she knew it.  Her fingertips met with the Elyria's and Vreya felt the world disappear.  The junction did not hurt the way Krysta's had hurt.  Vreya felt the soft golden light wrap around her and give her warmth, soothing away her aches and pains, and putting her mind at rest.  She heard sweet laughter that sounded so familiar and welcome, that Vreya tried to fight the unconsciousness, tried to open her eyes and grab and question the woman before she disappeared into her mind.    

That voice…Katrina…? 

But the laughter was gone and so was consciousness.  Vreya fell back to the floor and was still.

Lila was the first to speak.  'Uh…what just happened?'

'I don't get it.  Sara doesn't have a guardian and now Vreya has two.' Ash said, kneeling beside Vreya, ready to carry her.  

'Well I'm sure there's an explanation.  I don't quite fancy being knocked out right now.' Sara said.  

'It's like…does she need the extra protection?' Lila said, confused.   

'Who knows?  Now how do we get out of here?' Ash asked, secretly thrilled that he got to carry Vreya in his arms.

Lila turned, and gasped, as she bumped into someone.  Tempest glowered at her, clearly unimpressed with her clumsiness.

'God!  Give me a heart attack why don't you?  What are you doing here?' She demanded.  'I never called you.'

'Yeah where did you come from?' Sara asked, looking at him.  'Were you here the entire time?'

'I have my own will.' Tempest replied coldly, and then added 'Do you not want to leave?'

'There's no way out.' Ash said.

'There wasn't.' Tempest corrected, and motioned for them to follow him.  They walked back for a while, until they stopped beneath the hole that Vreya had fallen through.  Tempest turned to them.  

'Wait here.' He instructed, and disappeared abruptly in a spark of blue light.

'Okay…so what now?' Sara said, after a while of standing in silence.  

'You know Tempest can be really-whoa!' Lila cried as the rocky ground beneath them shook.  A moment later they found themselves being carried up by the piece of ground they had been standing on.  

'Wow!' Lila exclaimed.  'Is this really happening?'

'It is…and careful or you'll fall.' Sara grabbed her arm.  It carried them up to the surface, where they stepped off.  Then, in front of their amazed eyes, the platform fell back into the dark abyss below, and the hole closed, replaced by grass.  The floor was no longer unstable, but normal, everyday grassy floor.

'Well that explains it.' Ash said.  'That guardian opened up the floor because she wanted us to find her.'

'Well she never had to scare us like that.' Lila muttered.  'Moving floors and all.'   They stood for a while, still absorbing all that had happened.  Finally they realised that they still had to get Ash's car running again, and that their parents were waiting for them.

'So much for getting home early!  Look at the time!' Sara cried.  'Ash get me home now!'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

Well, now I am so worn out lol.  I hope that was a nice chapter for you all.  Please review and I'll be working on the next one!  See you all soon!


	38. My Mind?

So many reviews this time round! I'm pleased! Thank you all so much! DBH I FINALLY get you. Sorry about that! Thanks Noc for your wonderful comments. And Kitty, hang in there! Hope you can catch up soon! Chargone, thanks for the advice, also to Noa, Queen of Shadows, Aryssa, Cute-Kitty and lendme5dollas! Hope that's all of you! Now continue!

Chapter XXXVIII: My Mind?

Zane slumped into his usual seat, located at the back of the class. He was glad he wasn't late. He'd been turning up to so many lessons late in the past week. The teachers weren't too happy, Zane knew it, and they knew he knew it. They never complained, but he knew that if he kept it up they would eventually. He didn't need them on his case. 

He had enough to worry about.

Placing his books on the desk, he then proceeded to search for something to write with. He was very irritated when he finally realised that he had forgotten his writing equipment at home.

Since when had he become so disorganised? No, he knew the answer to that. It was ever since he had been told about the end of the world. 

Zane was aware of someone sitting in the desk beside him. One glance informed him that is was Kara Walters, a dark blonde haired, tall and slender girl, who, he also knew, had a crush on him. Though, to her credit, she certainly didn't fall apart at the sight of him as most others did. She smiled at him, and two of her friends sat on tables next to her, also smiling at him. Today, Kara's hair was braided, and she wore a light, yellow coloured top. It was a warm day. Her friends were dressed in similar clothes. 

Zane gave them nonchalant stares, and looked back at his books.

'Hello Zane.' Kara said brightly. Zane responded with a very inaudible mumble. 

The girl didn't give up though. She noticed that Zane had his books but nothing to write with. 

'How are you?' She tried again.

She wasn't expecting a reply, so when she got one, it surprised her.

'Fine.'

She exchanged looks with her friends, who smiled excitedly. This was progress. Zane usually ignored her greetings.

Zane rubbed his eyes tiredly. He hadn't gotten much sleep as usual. The damn dreams weren't stopping, and the girl he kept seeing in them was driving him crazy. It wasn't Vreya as he had thought, as she had told him she didn't know of any fields. Then who was it, and why did he keep seeing her? The latest vision was one of the mysterious girl telling him to stay away from the field. Zane was confused…and he hated being confused.

'Have you got a pen?' Kara asked politely.

_Damn…I guess I'm going to have to take one from her. _Zane realised. So he blinked, and looked straight at Kara, who was even further surprised at the eye contact. This had to be her lucky day. This was the answer to her many days of prayers: prayers of Zane finally noticing her. 

'No.'

'…' Kara laughed a little. 'So how will you write?'

'…' Zane shrugged. Kara's friends giggled.

'Would you like to borrow one of mine?' Kara asked, her heart pounding. 

Zane shrugged again. He wasn't going to be too friendly. She might get the wrong idea. Kara was a pretty girl, but Zane had seen prettier. 

_Much prettier_…

'Here you go.' Kara held out the biro pen to him, pleased that her hand was steady.

Zane looked at her again, and then took the pen. He really didn't have a choice.

Kara blushed as his fingers brushed against hers. 

'Thanks.' He responded, trying to mean it. She smiled, looking delighted.

'It's okay. Great weather today isn't it?'

'Yeah.' Zane replied. But he was already thinking ahead. The teacher had entered the class.

'Zane.' Kara was going on, seeing just how far her luck would take her. Zane blinked, and glanced at her. 

She exchanged looks with her friends, and then nodded, and looked back at him. 'There's a party tomorrow. Anna's holding it at her place, and a lot of people are invited. Want to come?'

Anna, who was one of Kara's friends nodded. 'It'd be great if you can make it.'

Zane almost laughed at them. If he had it would have been disastrous. They'd really think he had changed when he hadn't. He was still the same Zane, even if he had talked a little more than usual. 

_A party huh? What a joke. I don't have the time. There are more important issues at hand here, kids. _He thought, smirking slightly. Also, he was no party animal. He'd already been dragged to one, months back, and he wasn't going to go through that again. 

Kara caught the smirk and she was full of hope. She didn't know why Zane seemed to be more talkative today of all days, but she wasn't going to complain. 

'So will you come?'

'Thanks but no thanks.' Zane replied, deciding to put an end to the conversation. He didn't like the way it was going, or the way she was getting her hopes up.

'Huh?' Anna asked. 'Why not?'

'Too busy.' Zane responded flatly, and was relieved when the teacher finally began to speak, silencing them all. 

---------------◊---------------

'This is the life eh?' Lila breathed, as she and her friends piled out of Ash's car. They had finished lessons early. It wasn't even one in the afternoon. 

'I wish school would close all together, until after we deal with this mess.' Gen said. 

'Well, Costa, Sara and Roxy are still in lessons. Spare them a thought.' Lila sniggered.

Vreya stifled a yawn. She'd had a rough night. Not to mention how late she had gotten back home. Her parents had actually lectured her pretty badly. They had asked her to be home by six today. Her father had said that he wanted to talk to her when she got back.

'Sleepy?' Ash smiled at her. In response, Vreya linked her arm through his and groaned, resting her head on his shoulder.

'I need to get back by six.'

'Or else?' Gen asked.

'Else her parents, and mine, kick our butts.' Lila replied, linking onto Ash's other arm, and grabbing Gen by his. 

'Don't worry.' Ash told Vreya. 'I'll take you back by six.'

'Thanks.' Vreya replied, stifling another yawn. 

'Such a gentleman!' Lila smiled up at Ash. He was in a good mood, and so he smiled back.

'Knock knock.' Gen touched the earth stone, to open the door to the base. Sure enough it glowed softly and the door opened.

'Neat trick.' Ash commented.

'Figured out how it works?' Lila asked Gen.

'Nope. I gave up since science is clearly wrong about so many other things.' Gen replied.

Vreya laughed slightly. Then she regretted it. She'd had a splitting headache since she had woken up after Elyria had junctioned to her. 

What was even stranger was when Vreya had tried to speak to her new guardian she had been greeted by silence. Vreya had been trying on many occasions, but with no success. Finally Krysta had snapped at her to stop trying and to get on with her life.

They entered the inconspicuous building, and walked down the now very familiar floors and stairs. When they reached the first floor down, they were greeted by the sound of laughter.

As they entered the main leisure room, they saw a few of the mentors sitting and sharing pizzas. 

Locky was the first to notice and greet them. 'Hello!' he smiled. 

'Hi.' Lila smiled back, walking to the coffee table, and grabbing a slice of pizza.

'You're welcome.' Rica said in surprise. Bo laughed. 

'There's plenty for everyone.'

'Good because we haven't had lunch yet.' Vreya said, taking a piece for herself.

'And we need to be home by six.' Ash added.

'Oh. Parents?' Harris asked, munching on a pizza slice.

'Don't talk with your mouth full.' Locky said, doing the exact same thing, and grinning.

'I think we need to take a few days off.' Lila said, as Rica handed her a can of coke.

'Yeah. Our parents are seriously getting suspicious.' Ash said.

'Well, they were bound to.' Rica responded. 'I'm surprised it took them this long. They're very tolerant.'

'Not too tolerant.' Lila muttered. 'My parents are still furious with me. They're going to ground me again.'

'And all the lessons we've been skipping. The teachers are going to call home anytime soon.' Ash said, frowning.

'Maybe taking time off would be good.' Locky said.

'Yeah. The others can handle it for a few days.' Harris agreed. 'Until you feel confident enough to come here again.'

'Where are they?' Gen asked. 

'They've gone out to see the town.' Bo responded.

'Is that a good idea?' Lila asked.

'Yeah won't they get lost?' Vreya asked.

'Nah. I gave Selphie a map. They were eager to get out.' Locky replied. 

'Who can blame them. This is probably so exciting. Being in a different world.' Rica said thoughtfully.

'Plus I gave Quistis my phone.' Harris added. 'So they can just call here if they do get lost.'

'Okay.' Lila said, convinced. 

'So did you kids get back early yesterday?' Bo asked, gulping down some drink.

'No.' Ash said. 'We uh…ran into…'

'Fell into…' Lila put in.

'Uh…fell into some trouble.' Ash finished.

'Oh?' Rica's brows rose. 'You didn't get hurt?'

'No.' Lila said. 'It was a shock though.'

'What kind of trouble?' Harris asked. 'All of you?'

'No. Sara, Ash, Vreya and Lila.' Gen said. 'We didn't run into anything except a load of traffic lights.'

'Not bad trouble. It wasn't really trouble.' Lila waved her hand. 'We just got another guardian elemental or whatever they're called.'

'Huh? You did?' Bo's eyes widened. 'That's great! You mean on the way back?'

'What happened?' Locky asked. 

'Oh just the ground caving in under us, taking us to creepy underground caverns where we found her.' Lila said. 'You know, the average everyday weirdness all teens encounter.'

Harris laughed. 'Sounds fun.'

'Underground?' Rica exclaimed. 'You mean really deep?'

'Yeah.' Ash said, taking another slice of pizza. 'Real deep.'

'But we didn't get hurt. And anyway, we got out.' Lila said.

'How?' Bo asked.

'I don't know. Tempest did something.' Lila shrugged.

'That's weird. Falling through the ground to find one I mean.' Locky said. 'Obviously Earth wants you to hurry up.'

'Hah. Yeah, she'll be dragging you to the guardian king next.' Bo grinned. 'You won't need to look for him.'

'Who is this guardian king?' Gen asked curiously.

'We hardly know anything except he's a he.' Harris replied. 'That's all Morgan told us.'

'Where is Morgan?' Vreya asked. 'I wanted to talk to him.'

'He's busy with Fleck and the others downstairs. Can we help?' Rica asked.

'Ummm…' Vreya's eyes shifted. 'No. It doesn't matter.'

'Well, see him later if you want babe.' Locky said. 'Where are Sara and the others?'

'Still in lessons.' Gen replied. 'We finished early though.'

'So which one did you find? Water or Earth?' Rica asked.

'Or Holy?' Harris put in.

'Uh. It's neither is it Vreya?' Ash looked to Vreya, who shook her head. 

'She doesn't have an element. Ummm…I think she said her powers focus around status changes.'

'Like…reflection.' Lila said. 'And uh…all the rest.'

'Interesting. Did she junction to Sara?' Locky asked.

'Must have. The rest all have guardians.' Bo remarked.

'No.' Lila said. 'And that's what's so weird! She junctioned to Vreya!'

Bo, Harris, Locky and Rica all looked at Vreya.

'Oh really?' Rica said at last. 'That is strange.'

'Are there going to be enough to go around?' Harris asked. 

'There are only three elements left.' Locky said. 'For four chosen ones.'

'Yeah.' Harris said. 'Those being the ones we just mentioned; Earth, Water and Holy.'

'I have a funny feeling that the guardian king knows how to distribute his subjects.' Rica said slowly.

'What?' Vreya blinked. 'Is he responsible for who junctions to who?'

'Probably. Why not?' Bo said.

'I have a question.' Ash said. 'So far we haven't run into that much trouble. Didn't you say that the worlds are going to merge together?'

'Heh, you want some action Ash?' Locky smirked. 'You should be thankful not much has happened.'

'Actually, maybe it's a bad thing.' Harris muttered. 'Who knows what the Threat has up his sleeve.'

'You know what I really want to know?' Lila said. 'I want to know who exactly we're up against.'

'Me too.' Gen agreed. 'Because being clueless isn't fun.'

'Something tells me we're going to find out soon anyway.' Rica said.

'Yeah kids, but the most important thing for us is to stay low!' Bo folded his arms.

'Yes. I bet the Threat has spies all over the place. So be careful to whom you talk to. If it's not a chosen one, keep silent.' Rica said.

'We've found all of us though right?' Ash asked.

'We hope so. But I have no idea how we're supposed to know.' Rica replied.

'Hey, I heard Tai saying something about us knowing when we get all the guardians.' Harris looked at Rica.

'…' Rica shrugged. 'In any case, the guardian king will know.'

'It seems to me that a lot rests on our meeting with him.' Locky remarked.

'Well that's because it does idiot.' Harris told him. 'Then we'll know if we have all the chosen, all the guardians, and more importantly, who the 'One' is.' 

'Lets just hope it's one of you tykes, and not someone we've still yet to find!' Bo said.

'Yeah…the Threat will be searching for the 'One' too.' Harris sighed.

'Why?' Vreya asked.

'Well, you know that when the 'One' meets the guardian king, Earth's secret will be given to that 'One'.' Rica said. 'So the Threat will be looking for the 'One', so that he can obtain the Earth's secret.'

'Which is how to obtain total control over everything.' Ash said.

'You got it.' Bo nodded.

'But…you said they were scriptures.' Gen said. 'So does the 'One' have to carry them wherever they go? Just carry them and keep hiding?'

'We don't know for sure.' Locky glanced at his watch. 'We don't know what'll happen. We just know that once we do find out which of you it is, that person is going to need constant protection.'

'We lose one of you, it's sad, but not over.' Harris said. 'We lose the 'One' and it is over.'

'So the Threat wants to find whoever it is, take the scriptures and then kill them?' Vreya asked. It was all so clear now. And terrifying. The burden could be any of theirs. 

'Yes. He just needs to kill the 'One' and it'll be over.' Rica sighed. 'Which is why we need as many of you to survive as possible too. He's probably looking for all chosen ones, because he wants to find the 'One' quickly. But he won't be able to tell anyway, until the Earth gives her secret to the 'One'. And if he kills the 'One' before obtaining the secret to ultimate power…well, he loses the same way we do. He'll be prone to being vanquished again.'

'It's like a cycle.' Locky traced a circle in the air with his forefinger. 

'Well he's not going to get anyone, including the 'One'.' Lila said. 'And we'll kick his behind back into space where it belongs.'

'Actually, we're hoping to really kill him this time round.' Harris said.

'But isn't he immortal?' Gen asked.

'Nothing is immortal Gen.' Rica said. 'His powers are what give him his abilities. Strip him of them and he is essentially human.'

'The secret can be used to destroy humankind…or save it. If it's with the 'One' in the final fight, the Threat will die in battle. If it's with him…well. He can kill us all. The scripture has the knowledge on how to obtain absolute power…but it also gives its holder the power to do many other things.' Bo explained.

'Like, for example, the power to take the Threat's powers from him, and kill him permanently.' Locky said.

'But why didn't they do that the last time he was here?' Lila waved her hands.

'Yeah?' Ash said, frowning. 'Why did they give him a chance to come back? Why didn't they end it then?'

'Excellent questions.' Rica said. 

'And here's the answer!' Harris said. 'It's all because of the 'One'!'

'Oh not that again.' Vreya said. 'What do you mean?'

'The 'One' wasn't born then. So the final blow couldn't be dealt. Only a…kind of semi-final blow.' Bo said.

'But…that means this prophecy thing has been around for a lot of centuries…that means he'd know about it too.'

'Of course Lila.' Locky said. 'Of course he knows. But we don't know who vanquished him last. They're probably dead by now anyway. But they knew they couldn't kill him then, only protect the secret for a few centuries, in the hope that the centuries would buy time, enough time so that the next time the Threat came back, the 'One' would be born and ready to uh…fulfil their role.' 

'Wow. How old is this Threat?' Ash wondered.

'I bet he looks like one of those wrinkly, ugly, twisted villains we see in the movies.' Lila said.

'…' Vreya didn't agree. For some reason, she found herself trying to remember a certain nightmare she had once had. A nightmare where she had seen…yes, it was coming back to her…frosted purple eyes…and…raven black hair…and…handsome, youthful features…and…no, the memory was gone. But she didn't think the Threat looked as old as he obviously was.

'I feel like I'm in a movie.' Gen said. 'After this is over guys, we need to go to a director and make a film out of this story. This is great action-type material.'

'Joke after it is over, and if you survive to the end.' Rica advised.

'Look at the time.' Locky said. 'Almost three already.'

'Wow. We've been talking for nearly two hours?' Ash looked at his own watch.

'And eating.' Lila reminded him. 'And drinking.'

'Heh heh.' Bo chuckled, standing up. 'You young ones relax for a while. Everyone will be back soon. I'm going downstairs to see what Fleck and the others are up to.' 

'I guess we should come with you.' Locky yawned. He, Rica and Harris all stood up.

'Just don't have another pillow fight!' Bo called back as they walked to the door.

'Excuse me?' Lila blinked.

'Ha. They had one after you left yesterday.' Locky smirked.

'We made them clean up the mess of course.' Rica smiled. Laughing they disappeared out the door.

'Aw.' Vreya said, disappointed. 'We missed a pillow fight…'

Lila smiled slyly, and reached out behind her, grabbing a pillow. Then she turned to look innocently at her best friend.

'Vreya?'

'Yeah?'

'Have I told you how perfect your hair is?'

'Ummm…not that again…' Vreya said.

'Well, it's a bit too perfect. It needs the tousled touch.'

Vreya eyed Lila curiously. 'How come you're talking about my hair all of a sudden?'

Lila blinked, and then smiled a wide, mischievous smile. 'Because it needs…the touch of a pillow!' Without warning Lila jumped up and started hitting Vreya over the head with her new weapon. Vreya cried out in shock, and Ash protested.

'Lila, they just said…'

'Ha ha revenge of the pillow! Vreya asked for it!' Lila cried. By this stage, Vreya had managed to get away, grabbing her own pillow.

Gen laughed. 'Ah let the girls have fun Ash.' 

Ash shook his head helplessly. Vreya's hair was tousled however, and she looked adorable with disarranged layers.

'You cheat! They just said not to…mmmf!' Vreya got a pillow in the face, and bent over, laughing hard. Lila grinned, and grabbed another one. This time, she hit Ash.

'Take that Ash! Feel…my…wrath!'

Ash tried to defend himself from the onslaught of pillow. 'Hey! What's gotten into you?'

'You should know they love pillow fights.' Gen sighed. He grabbed one and hit Vreya on the head.

'Ouch! I'll get you for that!' Vreya giggled, forgetting all about her headache, and losing herself in the fun of the moment. 

'I give up…if you can't beat them, join them.' Ash said, and hit Lila over the head. She yelled and hit him harder. Vreya saw her opening and bombarded Lila with two pillows.

'Take that for pillow power! Who needs a blow dryer?!' 

Lila fell to the floor, laughing and holding her stomach, unable to defend herself from Vreya's hits. 

'Y…you're messing…my…my hair!' Lila cried. 'Stooooooop.'

Vreya giggled, and then cried out in surprise as she felt someone tackle her to the floor. She fell onto Lila, who yelped.

Ash grinned at Vreya, and hit her again. 

'Ash! You big…jerk!' Lila said, and both girls turned and attacked him. Gen laughed, trying to help his friend out. But the girls were fast and soon both young men found themselves falling under the might of the pillow.

---------------◊---------------

Zane secured his motorbike, and entered the base from the back door. It was just after three-fifteen. His final lesson had finished early, much to his relief. He hoped he could finish from here early too. 

As he went down the first level, he heard something he didn't expect. Laughter, but not just any laughter; it was loud and slightly hysterical. 

_What the hell is going on? _Zane wondered, as he passed the leisure room door. He stopped at the sight that greeted him.

Ash, Lila, Vreya and Gen were hitting each other…with pillows. And having a marvellous time too, it seemed. 

_Pillow fight…how…immature…what a bunch of babies…_Zane thought. He hadn't expected them to be this childish. He stared in disbelief. 

Ash was hitting Vreya, who stepped back into Lila, who had dropped her pillow. Gen stepped on the pillow as Lila tried to pick it up.

'Gen, get off!' Lila cried. Unknown to her, her yanking at the pillow under Gen's weight had caused a rip in the material, and as she brought the pillow up, feathers flew out, and everywhere, white, soft, fluffy feathers, flying up and then floating softly down. 

'H…hey they're feather pillows!' Vreya cried, and then laughed as the soft white objects gently brushed her cheeks. 

'Okay we should stop now…before we get caught…' Gen gasped. 

'Uh…I think we already have been.' Ash muttered. They looked to the doorway, where Zane was standing, arms folded across his chest, not looking very impressed with their behaviour.

'Greetings Zane!' Lila said, causing more feathers to fly in the air as she waved the ripped pillow. 'Will you fall to the might of the pillow?'

Zane didn't find it amusing however, and glowered at them.

'What do you think you're doing?' He asked in exasperation. 'What are you? Five year olds?'

Vreya muffled a giggle, and looked at him. 'Oh, lighten up Zane! We were just having some fun! Try and see the funny side for once!'

Zane stared at her, and she giggled, and threw a pillow at him. He caught it before it could hit him in the face however, and looked at her again. 

And his mouth almost opened in surprise. White feathers were swirling all about her. They were falling around everyone else too, but he didn't care about everyone else. 

The vision looked so…so familiar to him…he'd seen white feathers before…and now, looking at Vreya, seeing the feathers falling into her hair and streaking past her face…he felt the shock of recognition. It was her! Even if she had told him otherwise, he was sure it was her. The girl whose voice haunted him in his dreams…the girl whose face he never saw, the girl who was always trying to tell him something. The screaming voice of agony when he had fallen in his nightmare was hers. The realisation hit him so suddenly that for a moment Zane forgot everything else and just stared at her. 

_But…why? You're nothing…you're not important…then why…it's you…I knew it._

Vreya's smile had disappeared and she was looking back at him, a soft frown settling on her face. The feathers continued to fall. 

'Zane?' she called out to him, confused by what she saw in his face. The expression was strange…his eyes were fixed on her, and he was looking at her in a way Vreya had never seen him look at anyone before. Vreya felt self-conscious and nervous under those intense emerald eyes. Zane didn't usually stare so obviously…especially not at her. The effect was immediate. Vreya's heart fluttered and raced. 

Ash frowned. He didn't like the way Zane was looking at Vreya. Lila and Gen had also grown quiet.

Zane finally regained his composure, angry with himself. He shouldn't lose his focus so easily. So what if it was Vreya? It was no big deal. 

'You okay, man?' Gen asked, out of politeness.

Vreya saw Zane's expression slate over, and she frowned more.

'Zane? What's the matter?'

But he wasn't looking at her anymore. 'Feathers.' He muttered. Vreya heard, and was even more confused. 

_Feathers? What the…_she was about to question him, but he spoke up before her.

'Grow up.'

He threw the pillow right back at her, hitting her in her face.

'Oh!' Vreya said in surprise. She didn't dare throw it back at him however. His features had hardened once more and he added, in his usual, cold tone of voice:

'Clean up this mess.'

With that he was gone. There were a few moments of silence, before Lila broke it.

'Well, what's up with him?'

'He looked like he'd seen a ghost.' Gen laughed. 

'Poor guy doesn't have any sense of humour.' Lila sighed. 'Doesn't have to spoil our fun though.'

'He was staring.' Ash said, feeling angry. He looked at Vreya. 'At you.'

Vreya blushed and muttered to herself. Zane was so impossible to figure out. She wished more than ever that she could know his mind.

'He finally realised how gorgeous you are Vreya!' Lila teased. 'And now he's head over heels!'

'Shut up.' Both Ash and Vreya said in unison. Lila looked at Ash in surprise, but said nothing. Quietly they set about clearing the mess they had created. 

---------------◊---------------

Mr. Wrenart opened his briefcase, and took out the various papers he had prepared for the presentation he was giving. He glanced at the time. He'd be heading off home about two hours from now. 

He smiled at the other people in the room, who sat around the single, long, wooden table, all dressed smartly, with their own papers and writing equipment on hand. Crystal glasses of water were beside every member of the professional media and advertising committee Vision, the best in the business, stationed and employed by politicians and important people all around the world, to take care of marketing for various campaigns. Mr. Wrenart had been in the business for many years, not only because the pay was excellent, but also because he got the opportunity to travel the world, taking his family, as well as meeting many new and important people. He was a very respected and well-liked, popular member. Though he was not the company director, he expected a promotion very soon. He had the knowledge, the professional attitude and the skills needed to take the company onto greater things.

Today he was giving a presentation on his ideas about advertising in relation to the upcoming political elections. It was an official board meeting of the company's most important employees. 

'Ladies and gentleman!' The company director Alistair Norton clapped his hands. He sat at the far end of the table, opposite to where Mr. Wrenart was standing. He smiled at Mr. Wrenart.

'Leyton, shall we begin?'

Leyton Wrenart smiled and nodded. 'Thank you all for coming, I'm glad all of you could make it. Now as you all know, the political elections are looming just around the corner! All the candidates have been going about their campaigns, making statements and recruiting various rival companies to advertise for their campaigns!'

He handed the person closest to him, Paula Red, a pile of handouts, which she began to distribute.

'Now as you know, the advertising that has been done is nothing short of, forgive the expression, unremarkable!'

Several of his colleagues chuckled.

'It's been a tight two-horse race between Mr. Bill Spencer, and Mr. Albert Lewis. Both have been reluctant to invest too much in marketing, but it seems they have both come to realise just how important the advertising and media business is, in order to campaign successfully! It comes as no surprise then, that Mr. Spencer has contacted our company asking for us to take over his advertising affairs, as Mr. Norton will tell you…' He looked to his boss.

'Yes, indeed, after careful consideration of our options-thank you Paula-I have agreed that this is both a step forward for Mr. Spencer in terms of his campaign and for us as a company! Besides I'd rather back him than Mr. Lewis. All other competition is miles away…Leyton.' Alistair nodded to Mr. Wrenart.

'Thank you; there will be four candidates to vote for as you all know.' Leyton went on. 'The two I have mentioned and Ms. Audrey Long, and Mr. Thomas Rubens. Our job is to make sure Mr. Spencer seizes the votes, and that means we need a careful advertising strategy. One that will get the votes and swing public opinion in his favour! Since we are a democratic society, force is not an option. We need to persuade people they are making the right choice for this country. Since the current president has said he will be resigning after many years of good service, it's up to us to make sure we steer the best man for the job to success!'

'Excellent!' The director smiled. 'And if we succeed, I have promotions for all of you. After all we will be receiving a hefty pay-check if we are successful.'

There were excited murmurs amongst the members. Mr. Wrenart smiled.

'And today I'm going to put forward to you the first idea on how to make this promotion work! I call it…Project Success!'

---------------◊---------------

The three men were dressed in black suits, and wore black shades. They stepped out of the sleek, black car and looked at the important political affairs building they had arrived at. It was tall and consisted of many floors. No matter. They would only need the first floor. 

One of the young men had reddish brown-coloured hair. He walked around the car, and opened the back door. He bowed his head respectfully as his master stepped out, also dressed in a black suit. He wore, however, a dark purple shirt underneath, and the same black shades to conceal the unnatural colour of his eyes. 

'This is it, Sir.' His general nodded. He motioned for his nephew, the reddish-brown haired young man to walk in front. He complied, and the four walked to the building, two of the men in black flanking their master.

They entered, and the youth walked up to the receptionist.

'Can I help you?' the brown haired middle-aged woman asked, looking up. Her eyes widened as she saw the men in black, and looked back at the young man who had addressed her.

'We are here to see the president.' 

'Oh. Do you have an appointment?' The receptionist asked.

'Please tell us where we can find him.' The youth ignored her question.

'…' The receptionist frowned. 'I'm sorry young man…you need an appointment, a signed approval form to see the president. He is in a meeting now, with foreign officials. Please give me your name and a message and I will contact him for you…'

The youth slammed his fist on the table. The receptionist jumped. The youth took his shades off slowly, and glared at the woman.

'We didn't come here to talk to you. We came here to talk to the president. Now you let him know we're here, and I assure you, he will cancel all his plans and see us.'

'It's very important.' Another spoke up.

The secretary swallowed. The four who had entered the building were suspicious characters in her eyes. Then again they had gone past security. 

'May I see your identification cards please?' she asked, trying not to appear intimidated.

'The president will confirm our identities. Inform him we are here to see him.' The youth said again.

'I'm sorry young man. I must ask you to leave…if you have no identification to show me, or any signed documentations stating that you have an authorised appointment…' The woman began, and broke off when she saw one of the other men moving forward. Her hand moved to press the security button, but the man who had just stepped forward stopped her. 

He was tall, and dressed entirely in dark clothing. His hair was raven-black and reached just past his shoulders. It was his voice that stopped the woman in her tracks.

'That would not be a wise move. You will inform the president that there are people here who wish to see him, immediately. It concerns the forthcoming elections.'

'Sir, unless you have some form of identification…' The woman was clearly not going to be swayed by normal means. The man removed his shades and locked eyes with the woman.

She let out a small gasp. 'Goodness!' She exclaimed. 'Your eyes…'

Mind control was something he was expert in, and manipulating this human woman would pose no problem. He merely had to have his subject look into his eyes in order to subject them to his control-providing the subject's will was weak, and they were frightened and vulnerable, as this woman was. 

'Who do you serve?'

'The…president…' The woman frowned, feeling confused. Her hand had dropped away from the security button. She couldn't help but stare up in awe at the strange and handsome man that was addressing her.

'And who is your president?' He asked, voice soft and insidious. 

'…Mr…. Mr…Vincent Banner…' 

'No. Look at my face. Remember it. I will be the new president. I will be the ruler of everything. You work for the president do you not?'

The woman's head was hurting, and she was losing track of her thoughts. She was frightened, but had no idea what was happening.

'I…do…'

'…' The young man leant forward, eyes narrowing. 'And who is your president?'

'…' The woman blinked, trying to form the correct words. But it was too late. He had her mind, and her resistance was in vain. 

'You…are my president…'

'Excellent. Now you will inform Vincent Banner that I would like to see him.'

'He is…in a meeting Sir…' The woman said, dazedly.

'You will inform him that important people have important matters to discuss with him. When does his meeting end?' The raven-haired man demanded.

'In…twenty minutes Sir…' The woman responded.

'And where is his room?'

The woman blinked.

'Where is it?' The voice was harsher.

'Floor three, number 212…'

'You will contact the security stationed there and have them escort us inside.' 

'Yes…Sir.'

'Good.' The man replaced his shades. 'Do it…now.'

The woman's hand moved to the announcement button. She spoke into it, voice robotic in its tone.

'Security Floor three, number 212…please come to the reception…I repeat, please come to the reception immediately…'

They didn't have to wait long for the efficient security to make their way down. They consisted of three men, dressed in blue uniforms.

'Afternoon Gillian! You okay here?' The leader asked, looking at the men in black.

'Please…escort these men to the president's room.' The woman replied slowly.

'Say are you here to see the president? You shown her your ID?' Another security guard asked.

'I have verified their identities…' Gillian responded. 'Please let them into the president's room.'

'Well, if you say they have official authorisation…' The leader nodded. 'Why are you here to see the president?'

'Do not…be rude…to our guests…' Gillian said.

'Gillian, why are you talking like that?' One security guard approached her. 'Hey, are you feeling sick?'

'You going to keep us waiting?' A reddish-brown haired young man intercepted. 'Our appointment is in fifteen minutes.'

'Please take us to the president's room.' A blond haired man added.

'Oh…uh…Bob, let's just take them. They've passed all the security checks.' Another said to the security leader.

'Yeah…not our business anyway.' The other security guard muttered.

'Okay…Gillian, you sure you're alright?'

'Fine…please escort these men to the president's room…'

'Okay, okay I got you…' The leader guard turned to the men. 'Follow us please.'

They walked away from the receptionist's desk. As he left, the raven-haired man smirked to himself, and released his puppet from her strings. Gillian regained her mind the moment the group of men disappeared into the elevator.

---------------◊---------------

President Vincent Banner sighed as four security men escorted him down the hall. He was a man well into his sixties, and had served the country successfully for many years. This was his fifth term in power; such was his popularity. But his age was finally catching him up, and he was tired. It was time for some new blood to run the country and relieve him of his responsibilities. Freedom was now less than a month away; he and his wife and his son were all going to go for a vacation after the new president took over. Banner was looking forward to retirement.

He reached the door to his room and found three security men. He greeted them. One addressed him.

'You have visitors Sir. They say they have important issues to discuss with you.'

'Oh?' Vincent scratched his head. 'Are they waiting for me in the reception?'

'No Sir, they are waiting for you in your room.' The security officer replied. 

'Oh?' Vincent looked surprised. 'How strange. I don't recall having to meet anyone else until six in the evening. Who are they?'

'Important officials who have come to discuss politics, they said.' The guard replied.

'Sir, would you like us to have them show us their identity?' One of the four who had escorted him to the door of his room asked.

'Oh that shouldn't be necessary. I'm sure they have passed all security checks if they've ended up in my own room! Be at ease, gentlemen. I'm sure this won't take long.' Vincent nodded, as he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Inside he was surprised to find four men all dressed in dark clothing, and wearing shades. He blinked, as they turned their attention to him.

'Gentlemen.' He greeted them politely. A dark red haired youth approached him, and shook his hand.

'You are Vincent Banner?'

'Yes, last time I checked.' Vincent chuckled. Then he scratched his head, feeling rather embarrassed. 'Forgive me gentlemen-have I forgotten that I was scheduled to see you?'

'It seems that you have. You are an old man now, after all.' The young man laughed. 

'Ah my apologies. It's probably the receptionist's fault. She has been terribly out of character in her lack of organisation of late…I'm afraid you don't look familiar. Which area are you from, may I ask?' Vincent asked.

One of the men, dressed entirely in dark clothing, walked up to the president. 'Who we are and where we are from is of little consequence. I have come to discuss the forthcoming elections with you. I understand that you are planning to stand down from your current position as president.'

'Ummm yes that is correct, but come now gentlemen, are you from parties that are candidates for the title?' Vincent was still not aware of the danger he was in.

'You could say that.' A brown haired man replied. 

'Well, you don't look familiar to me…which party are you part of?' Vincent asked.

'The New party.' The raven-haired man replied. 'I also understand that the elections will take place unless you name someone your direct successor.'

'Yes. My son is not interested in politics and no-one else seems up for the job, so I suppose that it's time for me to hand the baton to fresh hands, so to speak.' Vincent smiled. 'It is too late in any case, to name anyone my successor. It would spark outrage in those who have been planning and campaigning for months. I told them all I'd step down a year ago!'

'Too late you say?' The raven-haired man said quietly. 'I believe you are mistaken. It is never too late.'

'You see Mr. President…we're determined to win the elections, but we haven't really…campaigned yet. What do you suggest?' The reddish-brown haired young man asked, folding his arms.

'Well, I suggest you wait until the next elections.' Vincent replied.

'…' The raven-haired man smiled a small smile. It was malicious and bitter. 'I have waited centuries…and you ask me to wait another four years? I'm afraid my patience has been worn quite thin.'

'I beg your pardon?' Vincent realised something was definitely strange about these men. First of all they were not telling him their names, and secondly they were confusing him.

'…' The man didn't respond.

Vincent took a step back. 'Gentlemen, I must ask you to excuse me. I have a meeting…'

'I thought you said you didn't have another meeting until six?' A blond man demanded.

'Who are you?' Vincent asked. 'And what exactly do you want?'

'Well I think we can tell him.' The youth with the dark red hair said. 'My name's Kane.' He was lying. It was his second name. He pointed to the brown haired man. 'That's General. Really is what we call him.' He said, referring to his uncle. 'This is Dike.' He pointed to the blond man. He looked to the raven-haired man and bowed his head respectfully.

'I…' The raven-haired man removed his shades. 'Am Lorne.'

_Interesting choice of contact lenses I must say…_Vincent thought, looking at the strange colour of the raven-haired man's eyes.

'Well gentlemen, you still haven't told me why you're here.'

'Then allow me to clear the confusion.' Lorne said. 'I am here to instruct you to name me as your successor.' 

Vincent blinked in surprise. Then he laughed rather nervously. 'Very amusing.'

'I assure you…this is no joke.' Kane said. His smiles and friendly expressions were gone.

'…' The president blinked. He finally realised the men were trouble and moved to the door. He was blocked by two of the men however. 

'What is the meaning of this?' He asked, alarmed. 'Please step aside!'

'Don't bother calling for help.' The General said. 'Your security men are being mind-controlled.'

'What? What nonsense is this?' Vincent asked. 'Security? Security!'

'Shout all you want old man, no-one will aid you.' Lorne said, placing a gloved hand on the president's shoulder. Vincent cried out in pain, as Lorne forced him to face him.

'Foolish man. How do you think I was able to get past all your guards?' Lorne sneered.

'You…what…do you want?' Vincent managed. He was very afraid now. 

'Name me your successor.' Lorne replied.

'You can't just walk in here and threaten me…argh!'

Lorne's grip on his shoulder was like an iron vice, being twisted tighter and tighter.

'I think you'll find I can. You will do it old man…or I will make you regret the day you were born.'

'You'll pay for this outrage!' Vincent cried. 'Security!'

'He just doesn't get it. What an idiot.' Kane smirked.

'Let me translate.' Dike said. 'You do it or you die. And your son dies. And your wife dies.'

'How dare you!' Vincent demanded. 'You cannot do this!'

'Perhaps I will spare your pathetic existence and your family's, if you do as I say.' Lorne replied.

'A scoundrel like you for president? What will you do to my people?' Vincent gasped. He felt as though his shoulder was about to break.

Lorne smiled a cruel smile. 'But they are no longer your people, Vincent.' 

'Never…never will I do such a thing!'

'Then I will kill you here…' Lorne's eyes narrowed and he leant in so that his face was inches from the president's. 'Death is only the beginning…'

'Your threats will get you nowhere! Unhand me this minute! I will see you sentenced for this!' Vincent said. 

'I'm afraid the only thing you will be seeing now…is your untimely death…' Lorne looked at Kane, who stepped forward, and raised a pistol.

'See you. Wouldn't want to be you…or your family…' Kane readied to fire, and the president finally cracked, realising that they were serious.

'NO! Don't shoot!'

'Do as I say, and I will let you live. All I need you to do is announce me as your successor. An official announcement will do.' Lorne said flatly.

'W…wait! I can't just announce you! No-one knows you…you haven't advertised you haven't…you need to market yourselves!' Vincent cried.

Lorne's eyes narrowed again. 'And how do you suggest we do such a thing?'

'…Hire a company…hire a good company…you have a few weeks…just please…spare my family…spare me…' Vincent pleaded.

'What is the best company? The most successful?' Lorne demanded. Vincent shook his head. Kane pressed his gun to the president's head.

'V…Vision! Hire Vision! Please!'

'Vision.' Kane repeated. 'I've heard of them.'

'You will name me as your successor and sign all the documents.' Lorne said.

'Yes…yes…I will…'

'I will station someone to watch you. You will inform others he is your new security guard. Dike will watch you, at all times.' Lorne informed the president.

Dike smiled at the old man.

'And do not even think about notifying anyone else about this. If I find out you have been trying to get help, I will kill you and your family. Your son will die first. Do you understand me?' Lorne asked, his voice threatening, eyes full of menace.

'Yes…' Vincent shuddered. Lorne released his shoulder and the old man fell to the floor.

'No word of this will leave this room old man. Do not make the mistake of underestimating me. Breathe a word and I promise you…you will suffer.' Lorne kicked him in the gut, before nodding to Kane and his uncle.

'Just one more thing.' Kane said, looking at the old man. 'Where can we find this Vision group?'

'I don't know…'

'Look, I can still shoot you if you want.' Kane pointed the gun. The man looked terrified.

'They…I heard they are coming here tomorrow! They have a meeting here!'

'That's more like it.' Kane smirked.

'When?' Lorne demanded.

'I don't know…ask the receptionist…' Vincent cowered. He felt terrible for complying with such a man, but he truly knew he had no choice. Something told him the raven-haired man really would make him wish he hadn't been born.

'Ah…the receptionist…I will contact you again soon Mr. Banner…' Lorne sneered and left the room, followed by Kane and the General. Vincent Banner was left alone with Dike, trembling on the floor.

---------------◊---------------

Vreya dropped her school satchel and walked into the living room. Her mother was watching television. Vreya stood at the doorway, watching her for a moment. Then she moved forward to where her mother sat, and kissed her on her cheek in greeting.

'Hey mum.'

'Hello honey.' Her mother eyed her daughter, and then looked at the clock on the wall. It wasn't even six yet. 'You're on time.'

'I'm early.' Vreya sat beside her mother and yawned.

'Hard day?' Her mother asked, flicking the channels.

_Let's see…well apart from the usual bore at school, I've been physically tested by having to practice more aiming with my weapon, trying out casting Double magic with Lila, Ash and Costa and having a pillow fight…yeah, pretty tiring…_Vreya thought. But she was getting the hang of magic now, and knew how to use her projectile weapon well. They were all improving. She hadn't wanted to leave early, as Rinoa and her friends had only gotten back from their little tour of the local area at five. But she realised she needed to start paying her family more attention if she didn't want them getting suspicious. Which she already knew they were. So she, Lila and Ash had left early, leaving the others back at base.

'Yeah. Sort of.' Vreya replied. 'Where's daddy?'

'He should be back soon.' Her mother replied.

'How are you mum?' Vreya asked, rubbing her slightly aching shoulder, the result of nearly an hour of projectile practice.

'All right…'

'How's the charity work going?' Vreya asked. Her mother was part of a local group who organised various fund-raising activities. When she wasn't doing that, Vreya's mother would write various columns for newspapers and magazines. 

'Very well! We're going through with the sponsored water fight next week.'

Vreya giggled. 'Don't get too wet mum.'

'Oh I'll just be an onlooker.' Her mother smiled. 

There was a pause, and Vreya's mother spoke up again.

'How is Lila?'

'Huh? Oh…she's fine.' Vreya said.

'She hasn't been around in a while.'

'Actually I was thinking of inviting a few girls around pretty soon. I have some new friends who would like to meet you.' Vreya replied.

'They're welcome.' Mrs. LillyMoore said.

'Mum, what does dad want to talk to me about?' Vreya asked, curious. Her mother gave up with the television, and turned her full attention to her daughter.

'Well, do you remember that a few months back you seemed very interested in his job?'

'Oh…yeah?' Vreya vaguely remembered. Her life had been so normal then, and she had been through much in the space of five months.

'Well, the local elections are coming up, because the current president is standing down…' Her mother went on.

'Oh yeah, that's weird. Doesn't he have another year left in office?' Vreya asked, running her fingers through her hair.

'Yes but he's tired it seems. And with no-one as his direct successor, the door is open for other candidates.'

'Wow. This should be exciting.' Vreya said. Early elections had never happened before. At least, none that Vreya was aware of. But then she was very young.

'But I haven't even told you! Mr. Spencer, one of the candidates, has asked Vision to take over his advertising.' Vreya's mother smiled excitedly.

Vreya blinked in surprise. It shouldn't have caught her off guard since the company her father worked for were one of the best in the business.

'What? Seriously?' 

'Yes…of course…this happened a few days ago…' her mother added.

'Why didn't you tell me? That's great!' Vreya said. Her father was going to make it big.

'Well…' Her mother gave her a look. 'You've hardly been at home…'

Vreya felt guilty and muttered to herself. 'Point taken…'

'But if his company are successful, your father will be promoted and there are bonus payments!' Her mother went on.

Vreya smiled again. 'That's cool! Wow…so dad's company will be even more famous!'

'Yes…he's putting his ideas forward to the board today.'

'I hope he does well. He will though, dad's so smart like that.' Vreya grinned.

'Yes he is…and it sounds like he's back…' Mrs. LillyMoore stood up as the front door opened. A few seconds later, Vreya's father entered the house, carrying his briefcase. He smiled as he entered the living room.

'Hello darling.' Mrs. LillyMoore gave her husband an affectionate kiss on the cheek. Vreya smiled. She was lucky that her parents shared a stable and happy relationship.

'Hello to you darling! They loved my ideas! And tomorrow, we're going to have a meeting with Mr. Spencer's executives!'

'That's wonderful!' Vreya's mother hugged him and he laughed happily.

'I never thought things would pick up so quickly!' He exclaimed. He peered around his wife, and beamed at the sight of his daughter.

'Vreya! It's nice to see you home.'

'Hi daddy.' Vreya greeted her father. He smiled and moved forward, hugging her.

'How's my little princess?'

'Dad!' Vreya said, in mock-exasperation. But she giggled despite the pet name. 

'Have you told her the situation?' Mr. Wrenart looked to his wife.

'Some of it…' She replied.

'Then I'll have you both know, if this is successful, we're all going on a nice long holiday together!' He smiled.

'Oh darling!' Vreya's mother looked delighted.

'We only have a few weeks to wait!'

_But…I can't…_Vreya thought sadly. Just as she had thought she could relax with her family and be normal, she was reminded of the reality of her situation. She had a responsibility, something neither of the two adults standing in front of her would understand, nor believe.

'Vreya, tomorrow is the weekend. I have a meeting Saturday morning at eleven. Would you like to come with me?' Her father turned to her again.

'What? I can't…' Vreya blurted out.

'Why not?' Her mother asked.

'Because…it's a professional meeting…I'd get in the way…' Vreya said. 

'Nonsense dear! If your father didn't think it was alright for you to accompany him, he wouldn't ask you to.' Her mother told her.

'It's fine Vreya. You're still not sure about what you want to do in the future, this will give you an opportunity to get an idea about what the media market involves. You can meet my colleagues…I've told them much about you…and while we have the meeting, you can look around the building. The people are very friendly and you can even have a go with using some of the equipment.'

'It's the political affairs building Vreya. It's where the president has many of his meetings.' Vreya's mother nodded. 'I can't see how you could say no to an opportunity like this.'

'Wow…the president? Really?' Vreya couldn't hold back her excitement. 'You mean…I can meet him?'

Her father chuckled and affectionately ruffled his daughter's hair. 'If you're lucky sport.'

'That's SO cool!' Vreya exclaimed. The thought of meeting the kind-looking man she saw so often on TV amazed her.

'So what do you say?' Her father smiled. 'Will you be coming with me tomorrow?'

_Training…the base…Jez won't be happy…_Vreya worried. She reasoned however, that she needed to spend time with her family, and time off would also do her good in emotional terms. The prospect sounded too good to pass.

'Vreya?' Her father addressed her again. 'An executive car will be picking us up. And you know how impressive those are…and after that, how about I treat you to a lunch at a nearby café of your choice?'

That did it. Vreya looked at her father, and smiled. 

'It's a deal!'

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_That'll do it for now. Review please! By the way I can't remember if I named Vreya's parents…I went back and searched and couldn't find…I know that's so careless of me lol. Hope to update soon, but I have exams now, so they'll be a little slower. Bear with me! Love you all!_


	39. The Truth Hurts

_Okay, here we go! Just to let you know I am going back and editing and changing the layout slightly. Messages to reviewers will be placed at the end of chapters, starting from this one. From now on I'll be going straight into the chapter. Still love you all though; best things come last!_

**Chapter XXXIX: The Truth Hurts**

****

Tai scanned the contents of the fridge, noting that the shopping needed to be done again. More bad news for poor Harris and Jez, who were the ones usually sent out to complete the task.

_Hope the monsters don't trash the super-markets…_He thought, and turned his head to call back to the young people sitting in the next room.

'You kids okay with apple juice with breakfast? We've run out of milk and orange juice!'

'It's all good baby!' Zell yelled back, voice muffled as he chewed his way through what had to be, in Tai's opinion, his tenth pancake of the morning. The young martial artist certainly had a big appetite.

Tai poured a few glasses of apple juice and a few more with water, and carried the tray to the room setting it on the round table the teenagers were sitting at.

'Thank you' Rinoa smiled at Tai. 'You really are being so good to us.'

'Yeah, we feel like we're totally invading your personal space.' Irvine added, grabbing a glass of apple juice and gulping it down.

'That's because you are.' Locky grinned. 'But no worries.'

'Actually we do have a worry. We need more shopping. These kids eat, and if we don't get any soon they and we will starve.' Tai looked at Harris expectantly.

'I went last time.' Harris whined. 'Why doesn't Locky go?'

'I'm not the shopping type.' Locky replied. 'You're a natural though.'

'Lame excuse Locky…you and Tai should go. You two don't do much.' Jez snapped.

'I'm hurt by your words Jezebel.' Locky feigned a pout. 'But this is the last time, promise. Next time, we'll send the kids out themselves.'

'That'd be so cool!' Selphie cried. 'I wanna buy my own stuff!'

'With our money…' Harrus muttered.

Seifer finished his pancake and eyed the last one on the plate. Zell was still busy with his, and Seifer looked around at everyone else. Quistis was sitting back, a slender hand placed on her flat stomach, and Rinoa and Selphie were chatting to each other. All three women looked finished. Seifer looked at Squall whose arms were folded, informing Seifer that he was also done eating. Irvine exclaimed he was stuffed, which only left Zell.

Seifer smirked and reached out to steal the last pancake. Zell noticed him and he tried to grab it before Seifer did, but Seifer had the advantage and grabbed it, popping it into his mouth in one go, grinning in the process of chewing.

'Mfff…m..at…w..of…for…me…' Zell tried to speak between chewing.

'Don't you think you've eaten enough?' Quistis asked, folding her arms.

'Yeah man, you'll make yourself sick.' Irvine yawned loudly. Zell frowned at them, but couldn't speak with his mouth full.

Selphie jumped up and took her plate to the kitchen. Quistis got up, clearing the other's plates for them, and going to the kitchen where Selphie offered to do the washing up. Quistis agreed to do the drying. She didn't want Selphie breaking anything.

'Thanks.' Irvine said to the adults, who nodded.

'We'll leave you kids to it then.' Tai said.

'Be good!' Locky added. 'We'll be back in a few hours.'

'You amuse yourselves until then.' Harris added, and together with Jez, they all left the room.

'They're nice.' Rinoa smiled, rubbing her satisfied stomach.

Seifer got up, and went to sit alone in the corner of the room, busying himself by giving Hyperion a polish. Zell glared at him for a moment, and then looked away. Irvine grinned, looking at Squall and Rinoa.

'I'll go check on the ladies. See if they need any help.'

Rinoa pulled a face at him, and Squall rolled his eyes.

'I don't think they'll want any kind of help you want to offer.' Squall said sarcastically.

Rinoa giggled and Zell mocked the sharpshooter, and Irvine frowned, blushing slightly.

'Ah…shut up Squall!' He said, and hastily left the table, and dove into the kitchen.

'That served him right.' Rinoa grinned, looking at her knight. Squall shrugged, and lowered his eyes, looking at one of the boxes of tissue, which were placed on the table.

Zell eyed Squall, and decided that their leader seemed to be even more in thought lately than usual.

'Sup Squall?' He said, not really expecting to get an answer. He wasn't disappointed; Squall didn't respond.

Rinoa looked at Zell, slightly confused, and then at Squall.

'Squall?' She asked.

Squall glanced up at Rinoa, and then at Zell. 'What?'

'You okay man?' Zell asked, placing his elbows on the table. 'You look stressed.'

'…Whatever.'

Zell nodded, and suddenly felt uncomfortable. The two probably wanted to be alone.

'Ah…I'll…go see if…they need any help.' He said, and left the table faster than Irvine had.

Rinoa looked back at Squall. 'Are you okay?'

'Fine.'

'No you're not. Something's bugging you.' Rinoa said. 'I know it.'

'…' Squall shook his head. 'It's nothing.'

'Squall…tell me.'

'It's not important.' Squall replied.

Rinoa sighed, a hurt look crossing her features. 'I thought you were starting to open up more.'

_Damn it…it's difficult…_Squall thought in frustration. Ever since he had gotten to this world, he had put the thing that was 'bugging' him to the back of his mind. He'd told himself not to think about it now, but he found himself constantly thinking and trying to find a way for it to be a big mistake and a misunderstanding.

Laguna Loire couldn't be his father…he was…he was just such a…a…

_A moron…_Squall thought and groaned out loud before he could stop himself.

Rinoa pounced. 'All right Squall! Tell me or I'm gonna read your mind!'

Squall was silent. Rinoa waited. Squall reasoned that maybe it was best if he told someone, and Rinoa was probably the best person to hear it. Maybe he would feel better letting it off his chest.

_Or I should keep it to myself…it's not her business…_Squall thought, his old way of thinking still very much functioning.

'Squall, if it concerns you, I think I should know.' Rinoa said.

Squall thought a few moments longer and nodded finally. He was quiet for a while, thinking of how to word it to her, and finally he spoke.

'Remember the day we were sent here?' He began.

'Yeah.' Rinoa said her attention focused on him. She could tell something big was troubling him and she wanted to know what it was.

'Remember what I was doing on that day?'

Rinoa considered. Then she said 'Oh yeah. You went to Esthar right?'

'To see…'

'Laguna.'

'Yeah.' Squall broke off. This was going to be such a humiliation. Laguna was so clumsy and unorganised. He was everything Squall wasn't. How could they be related?

'Oh yeah. I kind of forgot.' Rinoa felt sheepish. 'With everything that's happened…'

'I know.' Squall replied.

'So did he reward you?' Rinoa smiled. Maybe Laguna had asked Squall to take over some of his duties or something.

'Three stars…' Squall replied. He felt his jacket, and pulled out the badge from the inside pocket, handing it to Rinoa to look at.

'Oh wow! Three stars!' She exclaimed. The gold medal glinted in her hands. She looked at Squall. 'This is a huge achievement isn't it? In terms of battle skills.'

Squall nodded.

'Wow. I can only dream of getting something like this.' Rinoa said wistfully. She then looked back at Squall. 'But I'm guessing this isn't what's bugging you…'

Squall rubbed his forehead. 'I'll tell you. But it's crazy.'

'Surprise me.' Rinoa challenged.

'I went to see Laguna. He thanked me for being the hero and then he told me…' Squall stopped again.

'What?' Rinoa asked. The tension was unbearable.

'He told me who my mother was.' Squall said flatly.

'Oh!' Rinoa said in surprise. 'Really?'

Squall stared at his hands on the table. He wasn't wearing his gloves yet.

'Squall…I never realised…I mean…who was your mother?' Rinoa asked softly.

'…Raine.' Squall closed his eyes. Raine as his mother he could take. They looked so much alike she had to be his mother. There was no denying it.

'Raine? The…the woman who lived in Winhill?' Rinoa asked, surprise on her face.

Squall nodded.

Rinoa had heard of Raine, who had run the local pub seventeen years back, but she hadn't seen the woman.

'Squall?' she said, after a few moments of silence. 'How does Laguna know who your mother is?'

Rinoa had an inkling she knew, but she wanted to hear it from her knight. Squall was silent for a long time. Finally, without looking at Rinoa, he spoke up.

'Because…_apparently_…Laguna's my…' _Damn it…_Squall thought, and said it at last. 'Father.'

Rinoa's eyes widened. 'Laguna's your dad?!'

Squall cast a sharp look at her. 'Quiet!' he snapped. 'I don't want the others to know yet.'

'Sorry…' Rinoa's voice dropped to a low whisper. 'But Squall, that doesn't make sense.'

'I know.' Squall said angrily.

Rinoa was quiet, absorbing what she had just been told. Finally she put a hand on Squall's arm.

'What are you going to do?'

'I'm gonna not think about it now.' Squall replied.

'But Squall this is important. What about Ellone?'

'She knew.' Squall said, feeling slightly betrayed. Ellone had haunted him with dreams of his mother and father.

'Do you think that's why she wanted you to try and change the past?' Rinoa asked.

'Probably.' Squall replied.

'So what are you going to do?' his sorceress asked again.

'Nothing.'

'Squall…' Rinoa sighed.

'I've done fine without him. I don't need him now.' Squall folded his arms.

'Squall…he's your dad…he must have had his reasons…'

'Why are you sticking up for him?' Squall turned accusing eyes at her.

'What? Am I?' Rinoa replied. 'I'm not…I just think it's important that you've got your father…'

'He's not my father.' Squall said quietly.

'You're gonna have to face up to the truth someday Squall…' Rinoa began.

'You mean like you do with Caraway?' Squall replied coolly.

'That's different. And I am trying to mend my relationship with…my dad.' Rinoa said, feeling uncomfortable in turn.

'I'm not going to worry about it now.' Squall said again.

'But it is worrying you…' Rinoa argued.

'Whatever. No it's not. I've told you. We have to focus on here and now.' Squall said.

Rinoa sighed. He was right as usual. She still believed this was important though, even if Squall didn't want to make a big deal of it. But for the time being, they had more important issues to worry about, like surviving the oncoming onslaught, and finding a way back home.

---------------◊---------------

Kurt Rhymes smiled at the receptionist as he showed her his identification card.

'Hi there! I'm Kurt Rhymes, the guy in charge of managing Mr. Bill Spencer's advertising and media affairs. My colleagues and me have an appointment with a company called Vision in about…' he checked his watch. 'An hour from now?'

The receptionist looked at the card. 'You're early. They haven't arrived yet.'

Kurt chuckled. 'Yes, but we need to sort out a few things before we meet with them. Could you tell us the number of the room we'll be holding the meeting in?'

'Room 210, floor three.'

'Great! We'll be making our way up there then.' Kurt grinned. He glanced at her nametag and winked. 'Thanks Gillian.'

The receptionist watched as the man, who seemed to be in his late twenties, led his four colleagues to the elevator. Then she pushed the small button and spoke into it.

'I've given them directions. Please don't hurt my baby.'

The voice on the intercom was low and could only be heard by Gillian. 'Excellent. You'll have your child back soon.'

'Alive…' Gillian said desperately. 'You won't hurt him?'

The intercom's connection was abruptly turned off. Gillian closed her eyes, terrified. She was angry and confused and afraid. Her baby-sitter hadn't been available this morning and her husband was away. Now her child was in danger, and she couldn't cry for help. Blackmail was a terrible evil that reduced even the strongest of characters to helpless nothings. Gillian could only wait.

---------------◊---------------

Kane smiled as he switched the button off his two-way radio. He turned to his uncle and his master. 'Everything is going according to plan. Sir, Spencer's men are due at the room at any moment.'

'I knew the receptionist would cooperate…' Lorne responded, his eyes falling to the small toddler who was placed on one of the luxurious couches. The little boy stared at the people in the room, expecting his mother to come for him at any moment.

'Sir, if I may be so bold as to ask what you are planning?' The General asked, looking at Lorne.

Lorne continued to stare at the child, and his eyes narrowed at the small boy. The child looked away at Kane.

'Spencer's men will end their contract. We will then meet with Vision's director. Vision will work for me. I will win the elections and after that…' He smiled at the little boy.

The child looked away.

---------------◊---------------

Alistair Norton nodded at the receptionist. 'Morning Gillian! Fine day isn't it?'

'…' Gillian looked at him, face expressionless.

'Are you okay?' Alistair regarded her with concern. He knew her husband quite well.

The woman's face contorted as if she were in pain, but the look was quickly gone and she nodded. 'Fine.'

'Sure? How's little Ricky? I bet he's a man now!'

Again a look passed over Gillian's face. 'Fine' she replied in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Alistair gave her another look, and then shrugged. 'I'm half an hour early I understand. I don't suppose Mr. Spencer's representatives are here yet?'

'They are.' Gillian replied. 'Room…210…'

'Oh excellent! I can get acquainted with them before my lot arrive. Thank you Gillian. You take care now. And send my regards to Will.'

Gillian nodded. Alistair turned and walked to the elevator. Gillian once again pressed the intercom button and gave her report.

---------------◊---------------

Mr. Wrenart smiled as the driver of the luxurious car opened the door him. The driver did the same to the other side of the car, and Vreya stepped out, and looked around.

'This is it?' She asked, and her father chuckled.

'Look up Vreya.' He pointed.

Vreya squinted, and shaded her eyes with a hand, looking up. She let out a surprised gasp. The building was huge and looked even bigger than it did on television.

'Wow dad! It's enormous!'

'Told you you'd be impressed. We're fifteen minutes early, but it shouldn't matter. I can introduce you to my colleagues.'

Vreya nodded. Her father was dressed very smartly, and Vreya herself wore a simple light stone coloured shirt and a black skirt, which she had opted, was long rather than short. It fell right over her shoes, stopping just above her heels. Her father was important now, and Vreya couldn't turn up dressed in jeans for an occasion like this. Her hair, rather than being completely loose as it normally was, had two strands of the side clipped back. She looked pretty and professional, and she was very excited that she actually had a chance of meeting the president himself.

Father and daughter walked into the building. Vreya gaped at the size of the floor. It was white and polished. The reception was a huge counter and behind it sat a woman. Vreya watched as her father strode over and greeted the woman with a smile.

'Gillian! Hello!'

'Hello Leyton.' Came the woman's less than enthusiastic reply.

'How are you? When is Richard due back?'

'A week from now.' Gillian responded.

'Great! How's the little one? Grown big since I last saw him?'

'…' Gillian could only nod in response. Her eyes fell onto the attractive young woman who stood behind Leyton.

'Is she with you?'

'This is my daughter, Vreya.' Mr. Wrenart said proudly. Vreya smiled politely and shook the receptionist's hand.

'Nice to meet you.' Gillian said, though her manner struck Vreya as strange. The woman seemed very distracted.

'Are the others here yet?' Mr. Wrenart asked Gillian.

'Paula has gone to the ladies room. Mr. Norton is in room 210. You…can go up there.' Gillian's eyes lowered. 'But your daughter shouldn't…it's not…the meeting has started.'

'Are you okay?' Vreya asked, regarding the woman.

'Yes…headache…' Gillian responded.

'I hope it's not bad.' Vreya's father said. Then he put a hand on Vreya's shoulder. 'They must have started early. Spencer's men already here are they?'

'Yes.'

'Oh. Well Vreya, it seems like you'll have to wait until after the meeting. How disappointing. I was hoping to introduce you before then! We should be done in an hour and a bit. Until then, feel free to look around. Gillian, could you call Fred down? Maybe he can give Vreya a tour.'

Fred was a security guard who paced the floors making sure everyone was doing their job. He was also a very friendly and popular character. He and Vreya's father had known each other for many years.

Gillian did as she was requested, and a few minutes later, a man came whistling out of the elevator. He was slightly heavy in build, but he had a kind face and a cheerful manner about him.

'Well I'll be! Leyton is it?' The man, who was about Mr. Wrenart's age, grinned.

'Fred!' Leyton laughed, and the two extended their hands.

'You're all dressed up! You almost look as good as me!' Fred joked.

'I try my best.' Leyton chuckled, and then said 'I need a favour. I have a meeting right now, and I'm afraid I can't be long. This is my daughter, Vreya, I was hoping to introduce her to my colleagues, but it seems I'm tight on time. Would you give a tour of the building for a while, she might get lost on her own. I should be done in an hour or so. She's interested in politics and media, and you know a lot about both.'

Fred laughed cheerfully, and looked at Vreya.

'Hello there! So you're the famous daughter eh? You look a lot like your mother! Ha, good thing too, you don't want to look like your old man here eh?'

Vreya giggled and glanced at her dad who rolled his eyes. 'She also takes her mother's maiden name…'

'Ha that's great! I like her already! Sure I'll show you around, as long as you promise to listen to my stories of your dad's wild adventures.'

Wild adventures?' Vreya asked, raising an eyebrow at her father. He laughed hard, and shook his head.

'Fred, don't go putting things in her head. Maybe I shouldn't leave you in his care.'

'No, it's too late.' Fred chuckled. 'Vreya, it would be my honour to show you around!'

'Can I meet the president?' Vreya asked.

'Ha ha! Leyton, is that how you got her to come? Poor kid. I'll see what I can do.'

'I'll see you later Vreya.' Her father smiled at her. 'You have fun and be careful.'

'OK. Where will I meet you?' Vreya asked.

'Floor three, room 210 in about two hours? I'll give you a call on your cell phone all right darling? Be good now.'

'OK.' Vreya nodded, and her father smiled at Fred, and turned to the elevator.

Vreya looked at Fred, and he grinned. Vreya instantly felt comfortable with the man. He reminded her of Bo.

'Well Vreya, shall we begin? Where would you like to go first? There's not much here except staff toilets, and I'm sure you don't want to see those!' He said.

Vreya smiled. 'You're the expert!'

'OK! Then to floor one! I've known your father for a long time…'

---------------◊---------------

'Stand straight. Take aim…then…bang!' Irvine fired a shot. It knocked the can off the training shelf. Irvine grinned, and looked at Costa, who stared at the fallen can, and then looked back at him.

'Man…how'd you do it?'

'It's easy!'

'Yeah for you! How many years of training is that?' Costa demanded.

'Well, I've been using these kinds of guns since I was eight.' Irvine said.

'Eight? Frickin' heck, is that legal?' Costa exclaimed.

'Well…the Garden I went to didn't have a problem with it.' Irvine looked at Costa again and nodded at the targets. 'Now quit stalling and take aim!'

Costa grumbled and raised his gun. He closed an eye and took his time aiming. Irvine huffed.

'You think the monsters are gonna wait around for you to aim?'

'Shut up! I'll get better and quicker.' Costa said. 'You're distracting me.'

'Right.' Irvine grinned. 'Now shoot.'

Costa fired and hit a can. Irvine blinked, surprised.

Costa smirked at Irvine. 'Amateur huh?'

'Not bad. Not good either.'

'What?' Costa said. 'I hit the target didn't I?'

'You got lucky…' Irvine yawned.

'Asshole. Stand over there and I'll shoot you.'

'Heh heh.' Irvine laughed. 'That's more like it. You have to master your attitude before you can master the gun.'

'You're confusing.'

'There're more than one type of ammo. You've got the basics…how about you try different ammo?' Irvine asked.

'What other kind of ammo is there?' Costa asked in exasperation.

'Brain ammo…fire it in your head and maybe you'll get some grey matter.' A voice said sarcastically.

Costa glared at the person who had insulted him. 'I think I'll use it on you to take out what little brain you have.'

Zane gave him a sneer. 'At least I have a brain.'

Irvine sniggered. Zane was a weird cross between Seifer's rudeness and Squall's bluntness.

'Asshole. I wish you were the enemy. Then I'd never miss my shots.' Costa mumbled angrily. Zane had said enough however, and walked past, merely giving Costa a calm look that infuriated Costa even more. He fired a shot at a can and it missed. Zane didn't even flinch from the sound and continued to his training spot.

Costa fumed. Irvine clucked his tongue.

'What?' Costa roared at him.

'See what I mean? You have to get yourself in control first…Zane's just windin' you up. His way of saying hello.'

'Yeah right! I'd die before I call Zane a friend.'

'Forget him and try again.' Irvine replied. 'Man, you're as bad as Zell is!'

'Thanks.' Costa muttered and took aim again.

Meanwhile, Zane had reached his spot, and looked up in surprise to find Squall waiting for him.

'What are you doing here?' Zane asked rudely. He didn't really have a problem with Squall as much as the others, but he still preferred to be alone. Strangely, Fleck was not around.

Squall raised a brow. He didn't reply however, and brought his hand from behind his back, and held the sword up and towards Zane.

'Up for it?' Squall asked flatly.

Zane regarded him. He wasn't holding his gunblade, which was both good and bad. Good because Zane wasn't sure he could deal with that much power even if he was as good as he was, and bad because Zane really wanted to practice against an impressive sword like the gunblade.

Still, Zane had seen how Squall fought and he respected his talents as a fighter. Not that he would ever let Squall know or admit that the blue-eyed young man was better than him. Zane noticed Ash in the corner, and he was sparring with Seifer who was yelling and taunting him. Sara was practicing with Quistis, and Selphie, Rinoa and Zell were talking to a dejected looking Roxy. Gen and Lila weren't in yet, and neither was Vreya.

Bo, Rica, Tai and Morgan were talking in the corner, and the rest of the mentors weren't in yet either.

Zane looked back at Squall. He'd already lost once to him, and he didn't want to lose again. But he reasoned that in order to be the best you had to beat the best. So he picked up his sword, and faced Squall again.

'Let's go.' Zane said, and the two launched at each other.

---------------◊---------------

'I'm sorry but we certainly will not end our contract with Vision!' Kurt Rhymes said, staring at the man who had suggested the ridiculous idea. Alistair Norton stood, frowning unhappily.

'I'm afraid we have an agreement with this group, and you cannot ask us to end it.'

'Is there no way we can convince you?' Kane asked.

'Absolutely not! They're the best company in the business and we plan on winning…' Melinda Parker replied, agreeing with her colleague Kurt completely.

'We will not terminate the contract.' Alistair agreed.

'I am sorry for the confusion, but I'm afraid that you won't be needing the company any longer.' Kane's uncle said. 'Didn't you hear that the president has chosen a successor?'

Alistair stared at the man in shock.

'What? That's ridiculous!' Rufus Ben exclaimed.

'Who are you people? You're certainly not Vision employees…' Kurt said, frowning at them.

'And how dare you make up such stories?' Sanjay Gee added.

'I think it's time to ask these men to leave.' Daniel Anton said.

'I'm afraid you are mistaken. You see we have the president here to inform you of this turn of events.' Kane said, and pressed a button on his two-way radio.

'Bring him in Dike.'

The door opened a few moments later and the president appeared with a bodyguard. Spencer's employees stared at the man.

'Mr. President…' Kurt began. The president held up his hand. His face looked stressed and tired.

'Please ladies and gentlemen…let us resolve this peacefully…' he said in a low voice.

Alistair couldn't believe it. He had arrived early and come to this room to find the representatives of Bill Spencer in a heated argument with three mysterious men, all dressed in black. The argument had started just before Alistair had arrived and he wondered where his employees were.

'I have indeed elected a successor to take over my term. The elections will be held next-year, once my time if officially up. Mr. Lorne Decoudres is my successor. He nodded to the raven-haired man, who stood beside him, his arms folded.

Everyone looked at Lorne. Finally Kurt exploded.

'Sir, you cannot just choose a replacement a month before the elections take place!'

'All this campaigning for nothing?' Melinda cried.

'This is crazy!' Daniel agreed. 'Mr. President, I'm afraid we can't let you do this.'

'And how do you plan to stop it?' Lorne asked, a dangerous edge in his voice.

'Who the hell are you?' Rufus demanded. 'Where did you come from?'

At that moment, the door opened, and Mr. Wrenart, Paula, and three other Vision employees entered the room.

'Sorry we're late…' Mr. Wrenart began, but was silenced by his boss who pulled him over. Leyton was surprised to see the president and so many others in the room, and even more surprised to see that they were arguing, when his boss started to tell him everything. He listened with his colleagues as the argument continued.

'You kind of appeared out of the blue Mr. Decoudres.' Melinda said, eying him suspiciously. 'And you're not allowed to be elected this late…'

'I believe Vincent makes the rules.' Lorne replied icily. The fools who questioned him would all die, he'd make sure of it. He wanted no troublemakers causing problems.

Having understood the situation, Mr. Wrenart spoke up, trying to restore calm. 'Mr. President, even if this man is to be your successor, the rules and regulations in the Political Relations Act state that a successor must be named three months in advance as a minimum.'

'I'm afraid there were problems.' The president stammered.

'What problems?' Sanjay demanded.

'Even if this man were to take over, I'm afraid my company still wouldn't advertise for them.' Alistair replied.

'Why not?' Kane asked quietly, looking at the company manager.

'Because it is not legal and Mr. Spencer must personally agree to end the contract.' Paula said.

'That can be settled…I assure you…I will…have a word…with Spencer…' Vincent said. He was shaking slightly. Mr. Wrenart noticed, and said slowly:

'The president isn't well. I suggest we meet at another time…'

'No…this will be resolved now.' Lorne said. 'Your contract will be terminated. It is not needed. I am the successor, and you will advertise for me.'

'Please do it…' Vincent pleaded. 'Don't cause any complications…'

'There is no way we are allowing this to happen!' Daniel yelled.

'Sir, with all due respect, but have you gone mad?' Leyton asked, looking at the president. He looked frail and under much stress. 'You know the rules and regulations…'

'This is insanity…' Rufus agreed.

Lorne narrowed his eyes behind the shades. This was not going well. Spencer's lot he could easily kill and silence. But the Vision Company he needed, and he had to turn them to his cause. His eyes rested on the company manager, and though he didn't have eye contact, he was still able to manipulate the man's mind. It was, after all, confused at this point, and distracted.

Lorne began to whisper words into the man's thoughts.

---------------◊---------------

'This here is the formal announcements room!' Fred said, opening the door for Vreya. The young woman stepped in and took a breath.

'This is the room we see on TV and the news!' she exclaimed. 'That's where the president stands!' she skipped over to the announcements stand and touched the wood.

'Ha ha, sure is angel! You want to announce anything now?' Fred grinned.

'This is so cool! Isn't this place VIP only?' Vreya asked, looking around the impressive room.

'Yeah, but you're pretty important now thanks to your daddy, and I do have all the keys, ha ha!' Fred chuckled.

Vreya grinned back at him, and walked back to the door. 'We should leave before anyone catches us…you could get fired…'

'Ha that won't happen, don't you worry about Fred!' Fred smiled, but they left the room. He locked it again, and they walked on for a while, when Fred's radio went off.

'Excuse me.' Fred smiled at Vreya. He answered his radio.

'Yep?'

'Fred, we're having some trouble, could you come to reception?' A female voice asked.

'Ah is it important, I'm kind of busy here…' Fred scratched his head. Vreya waited patiently.

'It's urgent! Leave what you're doing and come now.' The voice snapped and the signal switched off.

'Aw shucks! Sorry angel! Looks like the tour's on hold…' Fred said, disappointed.

'Oh…' Vreya said, equally as disappointed. 'Well…it's okay…you go on. I'll look around the rest of this floor and then I'll go down and sit with Lucy. She was nice.'

'You sure? You can come with me if you want. I don't want you getting lost.' Fred said.

Vreya laughed. 'Don't worry. I can find my way down. I won't be long. I want to see the view of the ground from the window round the corner you were talking about.'

'You're sure you know your way?' Fred asked. 'Maybe I should ask someone else to…'

'No. No one else will be as fun.' Vreya said. 'Go on Fred. Thanks for what you've shown me so far. I'll be with Lucy in a little while, you can find me there.'

'Well…okay…' Fred said, and smiled. 'You're kind of endearing aren't you?'

Vreya smiled back. 'Ummm…most people like me, yeah.'

'Mother's qualities…' Fred chuckled. Vreya giggled, and he ruffled her hair playfully.

'Well, I'll see you later then. You take care and don't go upstairs! That's where the meetings are held! Come straight back down okay?'

'Okay. Thanks!' Vreya said, and waved goodbye as Fred jogged off back down the long corridor. She made sure he had left, and let out a sigh. Finally she could do some real exploring. Fred was a nice tour guide, he was funny and silly, but Vreya felt restricted. She knew there were cameras, but if she acted casual, no one would stop her.

_Don't go upstairs…_Vreya thought, and grinned slightly. But her father was upstairs, and so was the president's room…

---------------◊---------------

Alistair Norton felt strange. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was starting to feel very funny. This arguing was…suddenly very pointless. Did it matter for whom his company worked for? Wasn't it more likely that a bigger paycheck would be involved anyway, if he terminated the contract with Bill Spencer and struck a deal with Mr. Decoudres? After all, wasn't this Lorne the direct successor to the president?

'I'm sorry Mr. Banner, but you can't do this. You know it's a mistake.' Kurt was saying to the president.

'Please understand that this is…an exceptional case!' Vincent Banner said, wiping his forehead. He was sweating and looked under a great deal of pressure.

'Exceptional case or not, it's not just our party that will be affected by this sudden ruling.' Rufus added.

'This will cause public outrage!' Sanjay agreed.

'And it's too late for that man to begin advertising…' Melinda added.

'Let Mr. Norton decide.' Lorne spoke up suddenly, silencing the others. The president looked to Alistair Norton, and his eyes were full of pleading. None of the people here knew what was at stake for him. The old man walked over to Alistair, and put a hand on his shoulder, leaning in and whispering to him:

'Please Alistair.' The president said quietly. 'This is important. It's vital this man is successful…work for this man and name your price.'

Vincent felt terrible that he was doing Lorne's bidding, but he truly had no other alternative.

'I'm sure…we can still put up a campaign in time…' Mr. Norton began slowly.

'What?' Kurt, Rufus, and Sanjay said in unison.

'Have you gone mad? You can't just disregard our contract.' Daniel said to him.

'Sir…' Mr. Wrenart looked at his boss in confusion. What was he saying? Just a moment ago Alistair had been voicing his disapproval…what had the president just said to him?

'I will have a word with Spencer and the other candidates…please don't fret. It will be all worked out. I will pay the candidates the cost of their advertising back to them. We can negotiate agreements. But for now gentlemen, please respect…the decision.' The president looked very tired and very unhappy.

'Respect?!' Melinda cried. 'This is months and months worth of our time!'

'Please…' The president pleaded. 'Let us settle the matter. Will Vision agree to campaign for my successor?'

'I'm sorry but we're under contract…' Mr. Wrenart began.

His manager interrupted him however. 'Yes, we will.'

'Sir?' His employees all looked at him in shock.

'Mr. Norton!' Kurt exclaimed. 'What's wrong with you? You agreed this was wrong…'

'You're under contract! Mr. Spencer hasn't released you yet…' Rufus added.

'That will be settled shortly.' Kane put in. 'There's been a change in plan…accept it.'

'Mr. President this isn't allowed at all…' Daniel argued.

Lorne was furious. If there weren't so many cameras and security he would have killed all of Spencer's men already. They were pesky troublemakers who refused to back down. He would have them taken out shortly, and if the man himself dared to interfere, he would have him silenced also.

'Like he said, this is a rare case.' The General replied. These arguing fools were all going to get it coming if they didn't quieten down.

'I assure you, everything will be seen to.' Vincent stuttered.

'Sir, we can't just end the contract…' Leyton began to his boss.

'Didn't you hear the president? He will see to matters.' Alistair replied.

'But Sir, it's wrong. We should refuse to work for this successor.' Paula argued.

'Sir, isn't this just a little bit suspicious to you?' Leyton said in a low voice.

'I agree.' Another member said. 'Sir, we should stick with the original plan.'

'I believe I am the manager of this company.' Alistair replied. 'And think of the opportunities. The rewards will be better for us all. This is the direct successor.'

'Sir…this isn't about money…' Leyton was horrified. The sudden change in his manager's outlook was startling.

'Now you listen to me Leyton.' Alistair looked at the younger man. 'I see no point in continuing a contract with Bill Spencer if he is no longer running for office. We should use this opportunity and strike up a deal with the successor. It's better for all of us.'

'With all due respect Sir, this isn't about rewards.' Leyton said again. 'This is about contracts and legal procedures. If Spencer disagrees we're still obliged to work for him…'

'We can't just jump ship! You're the manager…you should know this!' Paula exclaimed.

'I am the manager, and I expect my employees to respect my decisions!' Alistair frowned at them. 'I will do what I see fit for the company. We can all benefit from this.'

'Sir, we have only four weeks to wrestle out a campaign, it's not enough…' another employee argued.

'We can't act before our agreement with Spencer is officially terminated.' Paula said.

'The president will sort it out.' Alistair said again, rubbing his forehead. The headache was ceasing slowly. The president had now finished his task, and was lead out the room by Dike and Kane.

'…' Leyton stared at his boss. Finally he said: '…this isn't like you Alistair. You switched sides so suddenly.'

'Leyton…please trust me.'

'No Sir; I refuse to work under an illegal contract.' Leyton responded.

'Me also.' Paula agreed firmly, folding her arms.

'What are you both saying?' Alistair demanded. 'We need your input…'

'This is wrong.' Mr. Wrenart responded.

'For God's sake, the president is in charge of affairs, what on earth is the matter?' Mr. Norton cried.

Lorne, who had been listening to the exchange, sauntered across. He stopped beside Alistair Norton, and looked at the main rebel of the group, Leyton Wrenart.

'Mr. Wrenart I believe?'

The man stared at the raven-haired stranger warily. He noticed the president had left.

'We seem to be having a conflict of judgment here. Please tell me what is concerning you.' Lorne said smoothly.

Paula snorted, looking away. Mr. Wrenart, however, looked at Lorne's face, and spoke to him directly.

'Your sudden appearance on the scene, Mr. Decoudres, is what concerns me.'

---------------◊---------------

Vincent Banner was shaking as he entered the room. Dike followed him in, and Kane came in last, closing the door securely.

'Nice job.' Kane said to the old man. Vincent regarded him with a bitter look on his face.

'You're a young lad. Why are you involved in such schemes?'

'It's not me you should be worrying about.' Kane replied. He then raised the radio receiver to his mouth, pressing the button to activate it.

'Where are you?'

A voice replied through a little static. 'Just getting a coffee.'

'The baby?' Kane said. 'You left him alone?'

'He's asleep. Relax will you.' The male voice of a security guard replied. The security guard was currently under the manipulation of unnatural forces, though he didn't realise this.

Kane turned away from the president and Dike. 'You stupid idiot!' he hissed. 'You're not supposed to leave the kid alone! What if he wakes and starts crying?'

'He won't, I've only left him for five minutes and I'm coming back up in a few anyway!'

'Be quick! I don't want that kid going anywhere.'

'You can always check on him, he's just two doors from you.' The voice responded.

Kane swore at him in response, and pressed another button to cut the reception. It was a good all the security had been cleared from the floor…

---------------◊---------------

Vreya stepped out of the elevator, looking around at the third-floor hallway. It was similar to the other floors, with velvet carpet and cool marble. This certainly was an impressive building. Vreya was aware there were many more floors, however, she had only been permitted to see the first two. This floor was where her father was having his meeting. Vreya looked at her watch. It had been an hour and a half now since she'd parted with him. The meeting would be over soon. She wanted to surprise him by waiting for him outside his door. Then she could meet his team, and maybe the president.

She was surprised to find a lack of security guards. Where were they? Wasn't this the president's floor…surely there should be more security.

Not that Vreya was complaining. The less the better…she didn't want to be kicked off the floor. She had to be careful to be quiet and…

A tune began to play and Vreya jumped. Her cell-phone…was it her father? Quickly hiding behind the elevator's corner wall that led right to the main, long corridor, Vreya answered the call.

'Hello?'

'Where are you?' A female voice asked. 'Jez is getting really annoyed. Are you asleep still?'

'Lila…' Vreya put a hand on her head. She had totally forgotten to tell her friends that she wasn't going to turn up for training.

'Vreya, it's almost one in the afternoon…'

'I forgot to call you…I can't come today…I'm out with my dad.' Vreya said, trying to speak as quietly as she could.

'What? Where are you?' Lila asked.

'You know the political affairs building?' Vreya said.

'Huh? What Roxy?' There was muffled talk on the other line, and then Roxy squealed and laughed out loud. Lila was back a second later.

'What?' Vreya asked.

'Roxy wants to know who you're out on a date with.' Lila teased.

'…' Vreya ignored the comment. 'My dad has a meeting and I'll be going to have lunch with him after, so I'm not available today. Tell Jez I'm sorry…I'll be there tomorrow.'

'Isn't that place where the president is?' Lila asked.

'Yeah…that's mainly why I came along.'

'Hope you meet him!' Lila said. 'And I'll tell Jez…actually, would you like to?'

Vreya winced. 'Uh…no…she'll kick my ass tomorrow anyway…just apologise and tell her its something personal.'

'The things I do for you.' Lila sighed on the line.

Vreya smiled. 'I know. You're the best.'

'Naturally. Talk to you later then. Take care.' Lila said.

'Thanks. Bye…' Vreya said, and closed the connection. She turned her phone on silent mode, and let out a breath. She hoped Jez wasn't going to be too mad.

So her father had said he'd be in room 210. The first door was room 205. Vreya walked down the hallway, readying her excuse of 'I'm lost' should anyone suddenly step out and question her. Vreya checked the door handle, and found it was locked.

_Damn_…that wasn't very fun. She should have stolen the keys from Fred…

She walked on, and stopped outside the next room. It was also locked, and it didn't seem like anyone was in it. Vreya wondered what all the rooms were for. Were they all just conference rooms? She shrugged and continued to the next one, 207. To her surprise, she heard a noise coming from this one. A strange noise…it took a moment for her to register what was making the noise.

_Huh? Is there a baby in there? _She thought. Maybe a woman who worked here had brought her kid with her and was busy doing something. But as Vreya stood listening, she couldn't hear anyone comforting the child.

_Is there anyone with it? _She thought, and reached out knock. When there was no response, Vreya opened the door. She walked in slowly, expecting to find someone. But she couldn't see anyone. There were chairs and couches, and it was a luxurious room. There was a large mirror, but no other doors. Vreya did see a magazine on one of the coffee tables, and a packet of unfinished pretzels, but nothing else. There was a small toddler, and he was sitting on the chair, crying.

Vreya walked over to the little boy, and reached out to calm him down.

'Aw. Hey there! What's the matter? Where's your mummy?' She asked. The child stared at her a moment, quietening down at the sight of a female. The rest of the people who had handled him had been men in black suits and this person didn't look anything like them.

Vreya reasoned that the child's mother or father must have nipped off to do something. Maybe the boy had been asleep? She shrugged, and reached out, picking the child up. She could always comfort it until its mother or father came back. The child continued to cry, but Vreya had a way with handling small children. She hushed to the boy, and began rocking him whilst walking around the room. The child continued to cry but eventually began to quieten down.

'It's okay.' Vreya told the small boy. He had adorable features and big, blue eyes. 'You want to get some air? Where's your mother gone? Are you here with your daddy?'

Vreya opened the door, and stepped back out into the hallway. Now she had another excuse: finding the kid's parent. The child rested its head on her shoulder, now completely silent. Vreya debated whether she should be walking around outside the room, as the boy could start crying again and she'd be heard, but strangely, she wasn't scared of being caught anymore. She had two good reasons after all.

The little boy was busy staring at the new surroundings. His eyes then went back to Vreya, looking at the stranger's face. The person that held him was much more gentle than the others. Still, he just wanted his mother. The stranger caught his gaze, and pulled a funny face. The child smiled.

Vreya grinned, and walked on. She walked past room 208 and stopped outside 209. Again there were voices in this one. Vreya listened in. Was the parent of the child in this room?

'I assure you Mr. President, once the deal has fallen through, everything will be fine.' A voice was saying. Vreya struggled to hear. The soundproofing was excellent, and the voices were muffled.

'You…promise not to harm them…' Another voice said.

Vreya's eyes widened. Had she just heard right?

Vreya… 

Vreya blinked, aware of Krysta's voice in her mind.

_You must leave here at once…_the cool voice instructed.

Leave? But how could she leave when she was hearing what she was hearing?

'Your family will be fine as long as you cooperate. Once Mr. Decoudres is announced as your successor, everything will be in order.' Another voice said.

'I just want to know they will be safe…' A voice that Vreya recognised as the president's, said.

'Just do everything you're told.' Another voice added.

_Oh my God…_Vreya backed away, stunned. She wasn't supposed to hear that, she knew, but she had, and she was confused. This couldn't be what she thought it was…the president was being…threatened?

_What's going on…?_ She thought, in alarm. Where were the security men? Why hadn't her father called her? Suddenly Vreya was full of panic, and she walked to the next door. Inside she heard voices, and they were arguing.

'You'll not get away with this whatever Banner says!' a voice said angrily.

'I'm afraid that we will review our manager's decision. It isn't final in any case…' A familiar voice was saying. Vreya's eyes widened…it was her father!

'Thank you for your time.' Another voice said. 'This meeting is over. Send my regards to…Spencer.'

Vreya's heart leapt violently as the doorknob was twisted suddenly. She held the child tightly, almost protectively. She was confused and scared…what was going on? What was happening?

An unfamiliar voice rang in her mind. Vreya was surprised for a moment. Then she remembered she had Elyria junctioned, but the guardian had not spoken to her before this point.

_Vreya! _The sweet, breathy tones were full of urgency. _Move…now! _

_What…? Why…? What's going on…? _Vreya asked back, confused, hugging the child like a barrier.

_Vreya!_ Both her guardians were mentally assaulting her with the volume of their commands. They were speaking at once. Vreya heard them but didn't comprehend their commands. Confusion and fear rooted her to the spot. But there was something else. Something was tugging at her…an external force she wasn't familiar with.

Get out! You'll be caught! Move you foolish girl! He'll see you! 

The door was pulled open on the inside, and a man dressed in a black suit stood. He turned and spotted her; he was wearing black shades. He looked at the child and opened is mouth. Somehow, Vreya knew this wasn't the child's father. The little boy was crying again.

Vreya now knew something was definitely wrong. The man was frowning at her, and turned back and said something to another person in the room. Vreya's veins felt as though they were on fire. She was going to drop the baby…she could see the people in the room. There were many of them, and several were still looking angry.

_Krysta, do something! _Elyria was hollering.

_I cannot cloak her…only the king can! _Krysta replied. Vreya sensed her fury. She was also anxious. Vreya didn't know the danger she was in; she was looking at her father while trying to calm the toddler.

'Sir.'

Lorne looked to the General. He was feeling uneasy; he had been feeling this way for a couple of minutes now. Something was wrong…something…something was here…

It was then that he saw the girl. A young woman stood by the door, holding the child they had been holding hostage in her arms. At first Lorne was confused. How had the girl gotten hold of the child? Then he realised that the fool guarding the infant probably left his post. But all of that was irrelevant. He suddenly knew why he was feeling so uneasy. His already advanced senses were even more alert, and he knew what was responsible.

The girl possessed magic. What was more, he could sense something else, something more. He couldn't quite put his finger on it however…but there was something about her…something else…

'Vreya!'

Lorne's eyes darted to the man who had spoken. It was Mr. Wrenart. He was looking in the direction of the girl, and talking to her.

The young woman spoke up. 'Dad?'

_His daughter…_Lorne realised, looking back at the girl. Mr. Wrenart's daughter was a chosen child. She was a slender young woman, and a very attractive one at that. Something about her features stirred something in Lorne's mind…something in his memories.

Lorne nodded to the General. It was time to leave. As for the girl…he couldn't capture her now, but he would see to it that her father was eliminated for his meddling and refusal to cooperate, and in the process of wrecking his home, Lorne would send his minions for the girl.

The child was crying hard now. Vreya frowned at the boy, and that was when something caught her eye. Her guardians were cursing at her but she could hardly hear them. A young man was coming towards her. He was dressed entirely in black and like the one who had opened the door he wore dark shades.

He had dark, raven-black hair. It was silky and fell just past his shoulders. Vreya did exactly what her guardians were screaming at her not to; she looked up at the man's face.

He was fair-skinned and had a sultry, proud looking mouth. He was quite tall and slim, yet he seemed to be well and athletically built. His nose had an elegant curve and he had a perfect jaw-line. Vreya couldn't see his eyes, but she didn't need to. He was very handsome, but that wasn't why she was staring. She was feeling sick and having trouble breathing. What was happening to her? Something was wrenching something inside her, and the force was so powerful, that as the man neared, stepping out the room, she actually staggered back, clutching the howling infant.

The young man stopped, opposite her, looking directly at her. He stepped forward again, and again she stepped back. The fire she felt coursing through her blood was so intense it was going to fly from her fingertips. The man had power; she could sense it. It was overwhelming and it was suffocating her. She was hurting without having been struck. Finally she averted her eyes.

'Ugh…' Vreya moaned softly. The man had evidently seen enough. He stepped around her, and abruptly turned and walked down the hall, disappearing around the corner, followed by the man who had opened the door.

'Vreya!' Her father was with her a moment later. 'Are you all right? You've gone so pale…'

'Is this your daughter?' A woman was asking, peering at her. More adults were leaving the room, and most looked unhappy.

'Vreya, where did you get that child?' Her father asked. Vreya finally managed to speak. Her heart was racing and her head was spinning. Krysta was reprimanding her harshly, but Vreya was so numb she couldn't feel much else.

'I found him…alone…'

'Yes this is my daughter Vreya.' Her father was saying. A few people smiled and greeted her. Vreya hardly heard any of them. All she could think of was what had just happened.

'Leyton, we'll be holding another meeting on Monday.' A man said to him. Vreya assumed it was his manager. Leyton nodded.

'I hope we can discuss it without any pressure…'

'See you Monday then.' The man nodded and departed. Two others left, leaving only Paula, Vreya and her father.

'I can't believe this.' Vreya's father said.

'Crazy isn't it? That Mr. Decoudres is a suspicious type.' Paula agreed.

'Dad…' Vreya whispered. 'Dad…who was that man?'

They were walking to the elevator, and her father turned to her. 'Are you okay Vreya? Really? Let Paula take the child…I have my hands full…'

'It's fine…who was that man?' Vreya asked again, louder.

'Which one?' Paula asked. 'The one who walked around you?'

Vreya nodded.

'Lorne Decoudres; he's the president's apparent successor.' Paula replied. 'But not if we can help it! Who does he think he is just turning up and ruining all the campaigns?'

Mr. Wrenart and the woman talked on. Vreya was silent all the way for the trip down to the bottom floor. They exited the elevator, and Paula waved goodbye. Fred spotted Vreya, and walked over.

'Hey there!' he exclaimed. 'I looked for you but you weren't with Lucy! Did you get lost?'

'I…yeah…' Vreya said.

'Did you leave her alone?' Mr. Wrenart looked at his friend.

'Well I got a call…she said she'd be down…hey, that's Gillian's kid!' Fred noticed the child. Vreya heard a cry and looked to the receptionist.

'My baby!'

Vreya walked over to the woman, confused. The woman took the child and sobbed into the small shoulder, planting kisses all over the little boy's face. The child looked relieved in turn.

'Oh my baby! Thank you!'

'I found him upstairs…why did you leave him alone?' Vreya asked, frowning at her. The woman looked at her, eyes red from tears. She shook her head, and yelped suddenly, her eyes looking up. Vreya turned her head slightly, following her gaze up.

And her heart stopped. The raven-haired man she had just seen stood on the floor above, looking in her direction. Watching her. Vreya stared, heart pounding, the same fear gripping her.

She then finally realised she had to leave…and quickly. Managing to tear her gaze from the strange man, she rushed over to her father.

'Dad…let's go…I need to tell you something…'

'Hey what's the rush, won't you finish the tour?' Fred asked.

'No. Thank you. You've been very kind…another time maybe…dad…' Vreya ushered him urgently.

'What's gotten into you…' her father frowned, but he said goodbye to Fred and everyone else, and allowed his daughter to drag him outside, to the car that waited for them. As they entered it, and closed the door, Vreya's father turned to her.

'Vreya, what's the matter?'

Vreya let out a breath, and closed her eyes briefly. Finally she spoke.

'Dad…forget lunch…I've got something important to tell you…you're not going to believe me…but that man…he's…I know he is…he has to be…'

Her father held up his hands. 'Calm down! You're talking over yourself. Now speak slowly! What's happened? What's important?'

Vreya looked to her father and swallowed.

'I heard them.'

'What? Vreya…'

'I heard them.' Vreya said again. 'They were threatening the president.'

Mr. Wrenart stared. Finally he managed 'What?'

'He's being threatened dad.' Vreya repeated. 'And I think I know who's behind it.'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

**__**

_Argh another one done! Hope you liked. As I said, here are my review responses! Noa, wonderful review as usual. Glad you're getting so excited over Zane lol. And I'm trying to make Lorne scarier than Tama . Let me know if it's working. Also thank you very much to Cute Kitty, as usual your guesses are accurate! Hope you liked this. Chargone, your reviews are very helpful, and I love getting them. Keep them coming '. And last but not least, MelissaMarie; no, I don't think you've reviewed before, but welcome anyhow! Thanks for the encouragement; it is hard to write at times, but people like you keep me going! Anyway, that's all for now; take care all!_


	40. A Merry Chase

**Chapter XL: A Merry Chase**

****

'So let me get this straight.' Irvine said, placing his hat on his head. 'Y'all want to take us to some woods because you think there may be guardians there?'

'Doesn't that seem…random?' Quistis asked, looking at the mentors expectantly.

'Random, yes, crazy, no.' Locky replied. 'Let's recap here.' He held up his right hand and began to count off the fingers.

'We have an ice spirit, a fire spirit, a thunder spirit, a wind spirit and a non-elemental.'

'These are junctioned to Vreya, Costa, Ash, Lila and Vreya again respectively.' Harris added.

Locky twisted around in his chair to cast his friend a look. 'They gathered that…'

'Anyway.' Fleck went on, ignoring the two young men 'so far we have found the elementals in places which are hardly obvious, except for Ignatius who actually surfaced.'

'So what?' Squall spoke up, from where he stood, leaning on the wall, arms folded. 'You just want to go and search randomly?'

'Why a wood?' Selphie asked, from where she sat, cross-legged, on the floor. Roxy had given her a pair of jeans and a bright yellow top that fit her perfectly as both girls were similar in stature.

'What if we don't find anything?' Sara asked. She glanced at her watch. It was two-thirty in the afternoon. She had decided to skip her final lesson, as it was a revision class. Examinations were now only weeks away. Roxy was also present, as was Ash. Gen, Costa, Lila and Vreya however, were still stuck at school.

'Then it'll be a waste of time.' Rinoa said, drawing her knees up to her chest.

'Not worth it.' Zell said. He was slouched on the couch, throwing a tennis ball at the coffee table and catching it as it came back to him.

'Okay, look. We've spent weeks and weeks and weeks…' Harris began.

'Months…' Tai put in helpfully.

'We've spent months looking for these guardians. We've been lucky to have this much time. The Threat is obviously a slow-mover. We're getting desperate in any case.' Harris went on.

'That doesn't mean you go search anywhere.' Seifer remarked. The idea sounded like a poor strategy to him.

'It's not 'anywhere'…Morgan, please explain to them.' Fleck looked to the old man who sat on a chair in the corner of the room.

'We have yet to find the holy, earth and water spirits. Additionally, we have two other higher guardians to find. We are but half-way in our search and I feel time is running short.' Morgan said.

'You said that a month back.' Zell said.

'Listen to us.' Rica spoke. 'The fact that the Threat has remained relatively quiet during this time is not luck. We have no idea what plans are being made right now. We don't know any of it; we don't even know who or what this Threat is. It's not by chance that not many enemies have been roaming the streets; something is happening; we need to find the other guardians and fast.'

'You think that the monsters are deliberately staying low?' Ash asked.

'That must be the case; they haven't been ordered to go all out.' Fleck nodded.

'What are they waiting for?' Zane asked, finally deciding this conversation was worthy enough for him to participate in. Like Squall, he stood leaning back against the wall.

'We don't know but it can't be good.' Locky said. Sara looked at him thoughtfully.

'What if this Threat is having people spy on us?'

'That's likely, but there's no way they can get in here unless we let a stranger in.' Fleck said.

'You must take care not to speak anything outside.' Morgan warned.

'So back to the woods…' Irvine said. 'Why there?'

'Woods are natural locations. If we get out to the countryside, we're in natural parts of town; we may find an elemental there.' Tai said.

Bo scratched his cheek. 'An earth one you mean?'

'Where do you think we'd find a holy one?' Rica wondered.

'The water one has to be in a sea or lake or something.' Roxy said.

'Not necessarily.' Quistis said. 'We got Leviathan by drawing him from an enemy.'

'Well maybe we're supposed to be looking for something to fight.' Seifer said. 'Not walking around woods all day.'

'If we find nothing it would be for nothing.' Rinoa said again. 'I think we should wait for a clue.'

'Darling.' Jez gave her a smile that wasn't genuine. 'How long have we been waiting? It's up to us to act.'

Rinoa frowned at her.

'This is hopeless.' Selphie whined. 'How are we supposed to know where a GF lives? It's too hard.'

'Why can't your planet just give them all to us at once?' Zell asked. 'This hide-and-seek game is getting old.'

'I agree.' Irvine said.

'This hunting game is not for you. It's for our lot. They need to build up experience; they aren't like you.' Fleck replied.

'But they've hardly fought anything.' Quistis said.

'Well that'll change soon I'm sure.' Rica muttered.

'If we're not going to be given guardians, it's up to us to track them down.' Locky said. 'Up to here we've had clues and everything. Maybe these last few are deliberately being difficult.'

'Well that's no fun.' Roxy pouted.

'So if we go to the woods…' Ash said. 'And we don't find anything; what then?'

'We go to a water area to try and find the water one I guess.' Harris shrugged. The idea was even beginning to sound stupid to his ears.

'And let me guess.' Zane said. 'We go to a church to look for the holy one.'

They stared at him. Zell sniggered and Seifer laughed out loud. Roxy giggled, Selphie grinned and Irvine smirked, holding up a hand and making a shooting gesture at Harris.

'Bang!'

Harris glared at the green-eyed young man. 'Shut up Zane. There's no time for sarcasm.'

'I was merely following your train of thought.' Zane defended himself.

Jez smirked at Harris 'Well you were going down that road…'

'Shut up.'

'What other option do we have?' Morgan asked. 'You must be prepared to take chances.'

'Hey Morgan.' Roxy looked at him. 'Why don't you help us fight?'

Fleck laughed. Morgan looked solemn.

'He's past his active years; we rely heavily on him for wisdom and brain-power.' Fleck smiled at the old man.

'I prefer to say I have retired from fighting. I train now and offer advice where I may.'

'Oh.' Roxy said, 'Okay.'

'I guess we go then.' Bo sighed. 'But we'll take a few along; who wants to go down to the woods today?'

The young teenagers all averted their eyes. Locky laughed out loud. Then he looked to his charge, Sara.

'Sara, come on babe. What do you say we find you a guardian? I can't watch over you all the time no matter how much I'd love to.'

'Yeah right.' Sara said, but she was smiling at him.

'I'll go I guess.' Roxy said. 'It's not like I'm gonna pass my exams anyway.'

'Ash?' Tai looked at him. Ash shrugged.

'I actually have to get back for extra practice at five.' He replied. 'I've already missed a few rounds and the coach is getting pretty mad.'

'Well, alright.' Tai said. 'I'll expect you to come next time though.'

'Sure.' Ash replied.

'Any of you pros want to tag along?' Bo asked the Fated Children.

'I don't mind.' Rinoa said.

'Me neither.' Irvine said.

'Selphie? Quistis?' Locky looked at the girls.

'Mm…' Selphie said, and then shook her head. 'I'll come next time…Zell promised to take me to the hot-dog place.'

'Huh?' Zell looked at Selphie and she glared at him. 'Oh…uh, yeah, sure.'

'What? Seffie?' Irvine stared at her. Then he grinned. 'Guess I can't complain; there are plenty of other hot ladies who'll keep me company.'

Selphie hit him hard. But she didn't change her mind.

'I don't like woods.' Quistis replied.

'I'll go.' Squall informed them. Rinoa gave him a grateful smile.

Fleck looked to Seifer. The blond shook his head. He didn't like woods much either. Plus he was convinced it would be a waste of time.

'Zane?' Fleck said, looking at his charge expectantly.

Zane really didn't want to go. He really, really didn't want to. However, he knew Fleck would drag him along even if he said no.

'I don't have a choice.' Zane replied flatly.

'Glad you remembered.' Fleck nodded, smiling. 'That settles it. We don't really need anyone else, unless Gen, Vreya, Costa and Lila really want to come.'

'Shouldn't we kind of get going now?' Sara asked, checking her watch again. It was almost three o'clock.

'I don't know; we should wait for the others at least. Vreya and Lila should come along, and Costa. We may run into trouble.' Tai said.

'Hey, you have the pros remember?' Irvine reminded him.

'Are you suggesting they're amateurs?' Rica said. 'Because they're learning fast.'

'Under our professional advice.' Zell grinned.

'You? Advice?' Seifer looked at Zell incredulously.

'At least we're professionals unlike you who couldn't even make SeeD…' Zell retorted.

'Zell, Seifer…' Quistis said angrily. 'Drop it.'

Zell glared and Seifer smirked.

'I guess three of us accompanying you should do.' Fleck said.

'I'm up for it.' Locky raised a hand.

'I don't mind.' Rica added.

'Take a break Fleck.' Bo said to his friend. 'We'll cover this. Except I think it's a good idea if we take another adult.'

'I'll go.' Tai said. 'Haven't got much else to do.'

'Settled then. Everyone get your things.' Fleck said. 'Call me if you find anything. The others should be coming back soon; you can leave as soon as they get here…'

His voice trailed off as feet came clattering along the wooden boarded little corridor, and into the room. It was Vreya, and she looked breathless. Her cheeks were tinged with a soft rose flush; evidently she'd been running. She opened her mouth to speak when more feet came behind her and Costa collided into her.

'Ouch! Why the sudden stop? What's the rush anyway?' He asked.

'Just in time.' Sara said. 'Hello you two, where are Lila and Gen? And how come you're out early?'

'I was waiting for Vreya to pull her 'sickie' excuse. And Lila and Gen aren't coming.' Costa said. 'But Vreya's…'

The brunette interrupted her friend.

'I have to talk to…' Vreya began, and her eyes stopped on Morgan. A frown touched her features and she went on 'Can I talk to you? Alone? It's important…'

'Whoa calm down there!' Bo exclaimed.

'Hello to you too Vreya; we're all very well thank you.' Sara said.

'Where were you?' Jez demanded, glaring at Vreya. 'You missed training on both Saturday and Sunday.'

'I…I was busy…I'll tell you later…I need to talk to…'

Morgan could see the urgency in the girl's eyes. He stood up slowly. 'What has happened Vreya?'

'…Can we talk in another room?' Vreya said. Morgan gave her a surprised look.

'Hey, what's so important you can't tell us all now?' Locky asked. The girl was acting strangely.

'I need to confirm something…' Vreya said dismissively to him. 'Can we? Now please?'

'Actually…' Bo said, rubbing his cheek, 'We're kind of heading off now.'

'What?' Vreya looked at him. 'Where?'

'We're going to go guardian hunting.' Sara said.

'Really? Great! Let's go.' Costa said.

_Great…_Zane thought. Did Costa have to come along?

'We're driving out to the countryside. It's about two hours away. We need to get going.' Rica said.

'The countryside?' Costa repeated. 'Why the hell are we going there?'

'We'll explain once we get to the van.' Tai replied. He looked at Vreya. 'Vreya, will you come with us?'

_What? But I need to tell Morgan…he knows the most about…_she stopped as Krysta communicated with her. The ice-spirit was telling her to tag along.

'You can speak to Morgan when you come back.' Fleck said. 'Or you can tell the others on the way. What's happened though? Are you alright?'

'Fine. It's nothing big…really…' Vreya said. What a lie. It was huge; she hadn't told anyone what had happened two days back, except her parents. 'I just wanted to ask him something…in private.'

'You sure you're okay?' Ash asked, looking at her suspiciously. Vreya met his gaze directly and nodded.

'I suggest you go along for your laziness these past few days.' Jez gave her a stern look.

'…' Vreya had nothing to say to that. She shrugged. 'Fine.' She said again at last. She nodded at Morgan.

'When I come back.'

The old man nodded back to her.

Zane watched Vreya's expression, hawk-eyed. She was lying. He knew something was bothering her, and everyone here was stupid if they believed her lame cover-up excuse.

'That settles it; let's go.' Locky said. The group dispersed to get their things and meet by the vans.

---------------◊---------------

The phone rang. Mrs. LillyMoore made her way to where it was placed, and picked up.

'Hello?'

'Hello darling.'

The woman smiled at the sound of her husband's voice. 'Leyton.'

'How are you? Early today aren't you?'

'Yes, I decided to leave early. How did the meeting go?' His wife replied.

'Badly; very badly; Mr. Spencer refuses to drop for the running for the role of president. He plans to carry out legal action and he plans to sue our company for violation of contract if we don't stick by his campaign.' Leyton replied.

'That's awful. Did you speak to your manager?'

'I did, and he's not as stubborn as he was on Saturday but he still thinks serving this new successor is the best thing for our company.'

'But you'll all be sued.' Mrs. LillyMoore frowned.

'He'll be. It's his decision. The president is assuring him otherwise though. He's saying he's going to sort Spencer out but it doesn't seem to be working.'

'And have you told them about what Vreya overheard?' His wife asked.

'No. I'm not sure if I should. I told Vreya we have no conclusive evidence to backup such a heavy allegation. I think we should stay quiet for now and I'll see if I can find anything else out.' Came the answer.

'Be careful darling.'

'I must be. We have to assure Mr. Spencer we're not switching sides here. It could cost us our jobs if he does go ahead and sue.'

Mrs. LillyMoore sighed worriedly. Things were not looking good. A few days back everything had seemed so perfect.

'Is Vreya around? Is she back yet?' Mr. Wrenart asked.

'No, she has after school revision class, you know her exams are coming up in a few weeks.'

'I do hope she'll pass them. She seems very preoccupied these days.' Her husband said.

'I think we need to do a little investigating on those grounds too.' Mrs. LillyMoore frowned.

'Perhaps. But you know young people nowadays.' Her husband laughed. 'Well I have to get going now. I'll be back later.'

'Leyton? What do you think is going to come of all this?' Mrs. LillyMoore asked hesitantly.

'…' There was a pause. Then came the response 'I don't know darling. I really don't know.'

---------------◊---------------

Lorne held the pendant in his hand, watching as it glowed brightly, ebbed, and pulsated with light again. He found himself wondering the extent of the small, strange stone's power. Its primary function was to heal, but what else could it do?

Ever since the small object on the silver chain had been brought to him he had worn it around his neck. Now, as he sat in the back of the black, sleek and luxurious political car that was carrying him towards Mr. Spencer's villa, he unclasped the chain took the opportunity to examine the strange, attractive trinket. It would certainly help to pass the time.

_There is no question that this was not meant to be found; and especially not meant to be in my possession…but what is it…this strange, pure light…_Lorne thought, holding it up closer to his eyes. He had taken his shades off for the ride, and the silver light reflected off the sparks in his eyes that were the same colour.

_Could it be…of the moon? _He wondered. The only kind of stone he knew that was like to the one encased inside the diamond shaped crystal pendant was moonstone, and he was sure moonstones did not exist in this time. Why, in his own, original time, the time where he had existed as a young man of twenty-one years, and as a student of his uncle, who had been a great alchemist, moonstone was very rare. His uncle, who had had the occupation of alchemist but who had secretly practiced the dark arts, had possessed only two of the rare and precious stones which were known for their natural healing and protective abilities.

Lorne had taken one without his uncle's consent once. Of course his uncle had been furious once had had found out, but at the time, it had hardly mattered. His uncle, who had taken him in since Lorne's mother had died and his father after her, treated him like a second son. He'd had one of his own, a boy named Talon, who had been a year younger than Lorne himself.

Lorne had not taken the stone for himself. He remembered now with bitterness and fury that he had stolen it to give to a young woman who had lived in his village at the time. She had been a beautiful young woman, with a milky complexion, a lovely slender frame, long, gloriously straight hair that cascaded down her back like a dark river of chocolate shade, and beautiful, soulful eyes that were hazel-brown in colour.

Her name had been Valynne. She had captivated Lorne ever since she had asked him to dance at a festival their village held in honour of the moon. He had just turned twenty at the time, and she had been eighteen.

That had been before she had noticed the village leader's young son, the handsome and reticent Soren. The chief's son had been a few months older than Valynne, and had had unruly, light brown hair that always fell over eyes that were stormy and a grey-green in shade. Before Lorne had acquired his power, his own eyes had been a deep, dark blue.

Lorne thought of Soren now. The young man had been of the three that were primarily responsible for his exile from the planet. The second had been a youth named Aureus, who had had flaming red hair, golden eyes and a strange triangular mark on his cheek. The third to aid them in casting Lorne from the Earth for had been Valynne herself.

Betrayal was a painful emotion. He had given Valynne the moonstone as a gift. She had been delighted at the time, and had even given him a kiss on the cheek. But she in turn had given it to his rival, to the young man who seemed to excel at everything Lorne considered himself the champion of. This included his ability to attract Valynne. Soren had irritated Lorne the second Lorne had realised that the village leader's only son also had his eyes on Valynne.

It was this act that had saved Soren from certain death; the moonstone had healed his grave injuries and he had risen up like a phoenix from its ash, full of renewed, fresh, blazing life. His power had doubled and he had succeeded in conquering Lorne thanks to the second chance he was given. Lorne still had the image of intense green eyes burning with hatred, fury and sheer determination as arms rose and slashed down with a sword that glowed with silver light engraved in his mind; the sword had been the legendary Luna Blade, which had no doubt disappeared once its owner, Soren, had passed away.

Lorne had thought his affection genuine at the time. She had even acted as though she could be partial to him. In the end however, it had been his mistake to tell her his ambition that had cost him. He should have known from the fear in her eyes when he had told her he practiced the dark arts, that there would be trouble. Indeed, she had gone straight to the village leader, and to Soren and told them everything when she had sworn never to utter a word.

_Never again…_Lorne thought, his fingers clenching over the pendant tightly, to form a fist. Never again would he open up his mind or his heart to any woman. They were treacherous and dangerous things. They made one do and say things one would never usually do or say. They altered the line of logic and reasoning. They were cursed creatures and he hated all of them. He would never leave himself open to any kind of betrayal again. The pain of the beautiful Valynne's betrayal still lingered in his thoughts, even after so many centuries, even when she was long dead and had rotted in a grave that had long disappeared. He could have offered her immortality. Now he knew he had been right to share it with no one else.

He briefly closed his eyes, banishing all thoughts of the past from his mind. He would never truly have his revenge on the three who had participated in ruining his life, and this fact angered him. He would have liked to make the three of them suffer, especially the cursed boy Soren. But who now knew where their line had dispersed to now? Lorne knew that Valynne and Soren had never married, because he himself had cursed Soren so that the young man could never know Valynne's love. Who knew whether they even had a line? What if their descendants were all spent and nothing now remained of either of them?

He found another image entering his mind, and this time it was of a brown-haired young woman dressed in modern clothing, holding a crying infant in her arms.

Lorne's eyes opened. The girl. He hadn't caught her name, but he knew who her father was and he knew what she was. Mr. Wrenart's daughter had beauty that was equal to Valynne's and features that were startling in their resemblance to the same woman that Lorne had been betrayed by. This girl's hair was not as long, and she seemed slightly younger, but she had the same colourings and build, and when she had so foolishly raised her eyes to look at him, he had been struck by how alike the expression in the eyes had been, even if the girl's were a darker shade of brown.

It could be coincidence of course, but Lorne hoped his suspicions were correct. He hoped the girl he had seen was some kind of a distant descendant of Valynne. Then he could make her suffer, and Valynne could watch and weep tears of blood from whatever hell she dwelt in now.

A small, cruel smile touched Lorne's lips. It didn't matter really, if the Chosen One he had seen was a descendant of Valynne's or not. He'd make her suffer all the same. He'd make them all suffer. He knew where the girl lived, and he was going to give the order to exterminate her parents and capture her today. She would be brought to him; caught unawares there would be no way for her to evade his minions. She was already doomed, though she didn't know it. She had no idea what he was planning. Once he had her, he'd find the others. She would talk and beg for mercy at his hands. He'd have the others hunted down and brought to him, and the same would be done to them, until he had them all, and he had the One. Then finally, after so many years of waiting, the Earth's secret would be his and he would have ultimate and undeniable power over all.

Lorne unclenched his fingers and looked at the glowing pendant and smiled. This time, there would be no mistakes.

---------------◊---------------

The long drive to the woods was hardly eventful. In the back of one van sat Sara, Costa, Roxy, Vreya and Locky. Zane and Tai were in the front seats. The other van contained Rica and Bo as drivers, with Irvine, Squall and Rinoa in the back.

Locky who had been conversing with Sara, turned away from her and looked at Vreya, who was staring at nothing in particular, not knowing how to occupy herself. He folded his arms and leant back, regarding her. She noticed he was looking at her, and pulled a face at him.

'What's up Vreya? I haven't known you as long as your friends here, but I can tell something's eating you.'

Vreya averted her gaze. 'It's nothing.'

'You have been really quiet.' Sara said, looking at her friend in turn.

'She's been boring. She's just sitting and saying nothing…' Roxy stuck out her tongue and poked Vreya in her arm. She sat to Vreya's right and Costa sat next to her.

'You're turning into Zane.' Costa frowned at her.

Zane, who heard this, ignored Costa and continued to stare at the blur of grey that was the road as they sped along.

'I'm okay. Just tired.' Vreya said. Why couldn't they leave her alone?

'But you're always so talkative and happy.' Sara said. 'We kind of miss that when you get all mystical on us.' She waved her hands suggestively.

Tai grinned. Mystical was an interesting choice of words.

'Seriously Bonita…what's on your mind?' Costa leaned forward to peer at her.

Vreya sighed deeply. She shook her head. 'Maybe I just don't feel like talking.'

Costa raised his eyebrows and turned to his right, leaning forward and tapping Zane on his shoulder. Zane turned his head slightly, indicating he was listening.

'Hey asshole.' Costa addressed him. Since finding out that Zane was an orphan, Costa had cut down a little on his insults, but he still addressed the young man as 'asshole' regardless. Zane didn't seem to really care, as long as Costa just shut up.

'Did you take Vreya to some weekend How To Act Like Zane class?'

Everyone laughed except for Vreya and Zane.

'Idiot.' Zane muttered under his breath.

Vreya glared at Costa. 'Shut up!'

'Whoa, lighten up!' Locky exclaimed, grinning. 'He's just teasing you.'

'Well stop it.' Vreya folded her arms.

'Gee, you're even adapting the How To Sit Like Zane posture.' Costa laughed.

Zane blinked, and turned his head to the right, and looked at Costa. He sent a death glare his way, which Costa only found funnier. Vreya huffed, but she guessed it was pretty funny if she wasn't thinking too much. She met Zane's gaze, and shrugged hopelessly.

'Let them be stupid.' Tai said, as Zane turned his face to look at the road again.

Roxy and Costa laughed harder. Sara was struggling to get her smile under control, and Locky looked sympathetically at Vreya.

'Poor sport. What's up, really? Anything we can do to help?'

Vreya looked away. 'No.' She said at last. 'I'm fine.'

They finally reached their destination. In the van in front, Bo took a left off the main road, and over a rocky path that led through fields.

'It sure is pretty out here.' Roxy said, peering over Tai's shoulder to look at the view.

'The country side is great.' Locky agreed.

'It's boring.' Costa said. 'Where are all the shops and stuff?'

Everywhere they looked they saw green grass and blue sky. It was past five, and the sun would be setting in a few more hours.

Rica and Bo got out from the van and waved at Tai as he got out of his.

'You okay back there?' Bo called, as Squall, Rinoa and Irvine got out the van.

'Great!' Locky replied. 'Can we just park these anywhere?'

'Well, there are no people around for miles. It should be okay. This won't take long hopefully.' Rica replied.

'That was a long trip.' Rinoa said, resting her hands on her knees. 'Wish we had Ragnarok; we'd have been here in half the time.'

'…' Squall nodded his agreement. Even Balamb Garden was faster than road travel.

The group gathered. Ahead of them they could see a cluster of trees.

'Are you sure about this?' Irvine said. 'This is random searching. Why this wood?'

'Well it's the closest one to us and…look, I know this seems stupid.' Locky said. 'But we have to start somewhere.'

'Where we come from, there are a lot of monsters in woods.' Squall informed him.

'Really?' Roxy squeaked. 'Can I stay in the van?'

Bo shot her a look. 'Don't be such a chicken. You're a fighter!'

They walked forward. Locky, Bo, Rica and Tai walked at the front together. Zane walked just behind them, and after him came Costa, Irvine and Squall. Rinoa, Sara, Roxy and Vreya walked up last.

'I never really said hello.' Rinoa smiled at Vreya.

'Neither did I…' Vreya said, and both girls laughed.

'You know…your world is really pretty.' Rinoa said, looking around. 'There's a lot to fight for. It's the same in our world, though even the grass seems different. It's lighter over here.'

'I still find it amazing that there are more worlds and stuff.' Sara said. 'When this is over, I'm going to have time to really think about it.'

Vreya kicked a small stone. 'If it's over.'

'…' Roxy looked at her. 'There you go again!'

Vreya looked at the small redhead. 'Huh?'

'You're being a pessimist!' Sara explained.

'I'm…no I'm not.' Vreya muttered.

'…' Rinoa linked her arm through Vreya's. 'What's the matter Vreya? Can I help?'

'…I'm not sure.' Vreya blurted.

'See, something has happened.' Sara said. 'What's worrying you?'

Vreya debated whether or not to tell them. The adults were ahead, and she felt desperate to tell someone what she had seen and heard. She reasoned that if she did say something now, these girls would keep quiet.

'We will get through!' Roxy exclaimed. 'Stop worrying! I mean we haven't even seen what we're up against yet! Maybe we're just getting too scared, maybe it's not that big…I mean big, but not gigantic big.'

'If I tell you now, promise not to say anything until I finish speaking with Morgan.' Vreya said slowly.

'Vreya for God's sake, you can trust us. I'll make sure Roxy keeps her mouth shut.' Sara said.

'Hey!' Roxy said.

'I haven't known you as long as Roxy and Sara but…I hope you can talk to me.' Rinoa said.

Vreya nodded. She hesitated again before saying: 'But I'm really not sure; I don't know if I should tell you now…'

'Vreya!' Three female voices chorused at her. Vreya sighed, and made up her mind.

'Okay.' She stopped; letting the young men in front of them gain some distance, before starting to walk again. She spoke in a quiet voice; she didn't want anyone else to hear what she was about to say.

'I went with my dad on Saturday to the political affairs building.'

'Oh yeah!' Roxy exclaimed. 'Did you meet the president?'

'I heard that campaigns are being dropped because the president is picking a last-minute replacement to finish his term in office.' Sara said. 'Is that true?'

'…' Vreya took a deep breath. 'Yeah. It's all true. And I didn't see the president.'

'Is that even allowed?' Roxy frowned. 'To pick anyone so late?'

'No…I don't know…but I saw the president's successor...' Vreya broke off, swallowing.

'Really? Who is he? Is he a relative?' Sara asked.

'No.' Vreya said softly.

'But what's bothering you?' Rinoa asked, looking at Vreya.

'…' This was it. Vreya was about to tell them something that would change everything. 'I…I think the successor…is him.'

The girls stared. Finally Roxy repeated 'Him? Him who?'

'I overheard the president being black-mailed. They're threatening his family.' Vreya said.

'What?' Sara exclaimed, looking shocked. 'Are you sure?'

'That's terrible!' Rinoa gasped.

'Yes…I heard it…this new successor wants to hire my dad's company for last minute advertising campaigns…he just came out of nowhere…he has to be the one threatening the president!' Vreya said.

'Who is his successor?' Sara asked. 'And why haven't you gone to the police then?'

'My dad says I don't have evidence…he's going to try and find out more.' Vreya said. 'But I don't know if it's such a good idea…the successor…he's got so much power…I could feel it…Rinoa…' She looked to the raven-haired girl. 'You knew I was different before I did…what does it feel like when you're close to someone…like you for the first time?'

Rinoa frowned lightly. 'Well…it kind of feels strange. Your fingers get all tingly, and you feel kind of funny inside. It's hard to explain…it depends how much power the other sorceress has. I mean when I met you, it was only mild because you hadn't really…'awoken' if you know what I mean…but Ultimecia…that's the sorceress we fought…and Adel, and even Edea…it's painful…it's like you…'

'Can't breathe…' Vreya whispered. 'Your chest tightens and your veins feel like fire's running through them…'

Rinoa looked at her, surprised. 'That's exactly what it feels like…'

'Oh God.' Vreya groaned, raising a hand to her head, stressfully. 'I knew it…'

'What? What are you two talking about?' Sara asked feeling excluded along with Roxanne.

Vreya ignored the question. She looked at Rinoa, feeling her sense of dread heightening as she questioned her.

'Can you get…like…sorcerers? Do they exist?'

'Oh Hyne…no…where I come from, it's only females…but…there was a story of a sorcerer long ago, but I'm not sure if it's real…he was hungry for power…and unstable. Sorceresses have knights but sorcerers don't have an equivalent…I'm sorry, I don't know much…that's all I got from asking a scientist once.'

'They do exist…' Vreya whispered. 'He was one.'

'Who? The president's successor you mean?' Sara asked, confused.

'…' Rinoa looked alarmed. 'Are you sure?'

'He had to be…otherwise he's something else that has unnaturally potent magic power.' Vreya replied. She suddenly felt very cold discussing the man she had seen.

'That's…crazy.' Rinoa said softly.

'That's why I wanted to speak with Morgan.' Vreya added in explanation. 'I wanted to ask him…'

'Hey are you saying he's evil and he's blackmailing the president?' Roxy was confused. 'But why would he do something mean like that?'

Rinoa said slowly 'Maybe he works for…' But she stopped as Vreya spoke up again.

'I think he's doing a lot more.'

The three girls looked at her.

'What?' Sara said at last. 'What do you mean?'

'…I think…' Vreya whispered 'I think that he's the…'

'Hey, hey ladies! Don't leave me out on your secrets!' Irvine's voice cut through the private conversation the girls were having. They looked up to find everyone had stopped at the entrance to the woods to wait for them to catch up.

'What are you girls whispering about?' Bo asked, curiously.

'Huh? Uh…nothing!' Roxy said, very cheerfully, and skipped forward. 'We're coming!'

'Girl talk.' Locky grinned. Tai and Rica shook their heads and walked into the woods, followed by everyone else.

Vreya let out her breath. Sara gave her a look that suggested that she expected to finish this conversation soon, and she hurried to catch up with Locky. Rinoa merely stayed by her side, offering a silent comfort Vreya was grateful for.

'You okay?' Costa asked. He had lingered back and was looking at Vreya. She nodded. He shrugged and followed the others. Bo waited for the girls to enter the woods before following last.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Squall spoke up.

'What are we looking for?'

'Anything suspicious I guess.' Bo replied.

'You know, now that I'm here, this really does seem really stupid.' Costa commented.

'Like, it would be totally not cool if we drove all this way and found nothing!' Roxy exclaimed.

'That probably will be the case.' Sara muttered.

'Hey, come on people, where's the optimism?' Locky said. 'Why so high on the negative?'

'I just wish I was a normal teen.' Roxy moaned.

'We all do.' Costa agreed.

They walked on, stepping over sticks and stones, and fertile soil. They brushed branches out of there way and looked around, trying to find anything unusual hiding between trees.

'There's hardly any light here.' Rinoa said, turning her face to look up at the sky that was almost completely hidden by the high branches and leaves of the trees.

'Is it just me or is it kind of chilly?' Irvine said.

'That is strange.' Rica looked around at their surroundings. 'It shouldn't be colder here than it is outside.'

'No, it shouldn't.' Tai agreed. 'Keep your eyes open everyone.'

Zane, who walked with his sword in his hand, hacking at various, dry, dead weeds which stood in his path, thought that was a stupid thing to say. Who exactly was planning to close their eyes in a place like this?

'So are we gonna just walk to the end of the woods?' Vreya asked. 'Or are you planning to have us cover it all or what?'

'It's too big to cover it all.' Bo replied. He glanced back at the girl, and grinned. 'But if you really want to run around that much, go ahead.'

'Very funny.' Vreya replied, frowning at him.

'Just trying to lighten you all up.' Bo responded.

They walked on, not seeing anything extraordinary. Finally, Roxy spoke up.

'Oh come on! We've been walking for ages and there's nothing here! This is a dumb idea. I say we go back before it gets dark.'

'Hold up.' Locky stopped, putting up a hand. 'I think I just heard something.'

'What, a squirrel?' Costa muttered. 'Spooky!'

'This is getting pointless.' Sara said at last. 'In fact, this has to be one of your less bright ideas…'

'Well, have you got any better ones?' Rica turned and snapped at her. 'We have to try before we give up.'

Sara blinked at her. 'I was just saying…'

'I heard that!' Irvine said suddenly. 'That's no normal, friendly animal you find in any wood.'

'Huh?' Roxy said. 'I don't hear anything…'

They had been walking for quite a while and they were quickly losing hope. Rinoa stopped suddenly and exclaimed:

'It's squeaking!'

'What?' Vreya looked at her. 'I don't hear anything.'

Sara looked just as clueless. 'What exactly do you think you're hearing?'

'Okay, stop everyone.' Tai instructed. The group stopped, and Locky held up a hand again. There was silence for a long time, and Costa shifted on his feet uncomfortably.

'Uh…no offence but…' He began. Irvine spoke up again.

'Shut up! Keep listening…it's definitely here…'

Then it came. A quiet, barely audible 'squeaking' noise; everyone heard it this time.

'Yikes! Is it a mouse?' Roxy yelped. 'I hate mice!'

'That's no mouse…' Squall said in a low voice.

'It's…coming from…I can't locate it.' Tai frowned. He looked at the small shrubs surrounding the small clearing they had stopped in.

'The paths split here.' Zane pointed out. They went in four different directions, leading to different areas of the wood.

'Do you think it's all just trees?' Costa said. 'I mean…do woods have anything else in them?'

'Probably not; jungles are more exciting than these.' Sara answered.

'Let's fly out to see a jungle! How about that plan!' Costa looked at the mentors. 'That squeaking is probably just a little animal that lives around here. This is a waste of time…let's…'

'Look!' Rinoa cried suddenly. 'Up there in the tree!'

'Uh…what tree?' Bo said. 'There are so many…'

Rinoa jumped up and down, pointing at a particular branch that was part of a particular tree. But when the others looked, whatever Rinoa had seen was gone.

'What did ya see Rin?' Irvine asked. 'Should I shoot at it?'

'I didn't see it properly…I saw it's eyes…they were big!'

Sara was getting fed up and so was Costa.

'Oh, a monkey!' Costa said. Sara smirked at his comment.

'Will you shut up?' Zane said to Costa, irritated by his immaturity. 'No wonder we can't hear anything. You're ten times louder than anything we'll find in this wood!'

Vreya grinned to herself, but turned her face away so Costa and her friends wouldn't see that she was amused by Zane's sarcasm.

'Oh yeah? Well you're pretty articulate today. Saying more than three words at a time. Did you go to school over the weekend?' Costa fired back at him.

Roxy and Sara laughed at this. The mentors sighed in exasperation. The two always found something to argue over.

Zane glared at him. But Squall took Zane's side, and gave Costa a silencing look.

'Shut up.' He said, and Costa spluttered in surprise, but fell quiet.

'I think we should shoot at it.' Bo said.

'Huh? Are you crazy?' Rinoa exclaimed. 'What if it's just a poor defenceless animal?'

'What if there are other less friendly things here?' Vreya agreed. 'You could be drawing attention to us.'

'No…we could split up in different directions.' Bo said.

'Uh…guys?' Roxy began.

No one paid the small girl any attention.

'There's probably nothing here anyway!' Costa couldn't keep quiet for long, much to Zane's distaste.

'The most exciting thing we'll see is…a ladybird!' Sara said.

'People…' Roxy said again, her eyes fixed on big ones that were now hiding behind a near-by shrub.

'Okay, that's it!' Rica threw up her hands in defeat. 'This was a mistake okay? Let's just…'

'Hey…' Roxy said.

'I think we should…' Irvine began.

'You dragged us out all this way…' Costa complained.

'HEY!' Roxy yelled. 'WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME?'

They all looked at her.

'Huh?' Locky said. 'What's up?'

'Look over there!' Roxy's voice dropped to a whisper. She pointed at a nearby shrub. They looked, and at first didn't see anything strange. But then, Irvine said

'What's that?'

'Those eyes are huge!' Bo said.

Tai looked at Sara. 'A ladybird huh?'

She frowned. 'Well, what is that?'

Behind the small bush, a pair of huge, black eyes watched them. They seemed to be slanted up, but it was hard to tell because whatever it was, was hiding itself away.

'Is that what you saw in the tree?' Squall asked Rinoa. She nodded.

'It's the big-eyed thing!'

Vreya peered at it curiously. 'It seems small.'

'Okay, how are we gonna get it out?' Locky asked.

Roxy stepped forward. 'Hello there? Come out, we're not gonna hurt you!'

'Oh great.' Costa said.

'I'm sure it knows English.' Zane said sarcastically.

Costa sniggered. For once he and Zane were actually on the same wave of thought.

Roxy pouted. 'You two are mean!'

'Oh wow Roxy…I think it understood you…' Sara said in a low voice.

The mysterious creature had moved and now poked its head around the shrub. Then came its body, and finally a furry tail that was like a huge version of a fox's. The tail was large, almost bigger than the creature's body. The creature's head was small in comparison to its great tail, and it had huge ears which were like a cat's, but much larger. Its nose was small and black and it had small whiskers, and its entire face seemed to consist only of huge ebony eyes that reflected the light around it. Its body was rather plump, and the humans noticed that along its back there were grey spike like things sticking up. They looked sharp. The creature also had the same spike like claws on its small elbows. It was a foxy colour, but it had streaks of brown and grey on its soft looking fur. The tips of its huge, adorable ears were black, and it had a strange looking triangular mark in the middle of its forehead. The triangle was red in colour.

'Aw!' Roxy could hardly contain herself. 'What is that? It's SO CUTE!'

'What a sweet little thing.' Locky grinned.

'Looks like a weird cross between a fox and a cat.' Tai remarked.

'It's tiny.' Sara said.

'Look at its ears.' Costa said. 'And its tail…they're huge!'

'That has to beat Carbuncle in its cuteness factor.' Irvine said. 'Good thing Selphie isn't here. She'd eat it alive!'

The small creature surprised them by bounding forward, in movements that mimicked a squirrel's. It stopped a few meters from them, and looked up at them with huge, beautiful eyes. They noticed closer up that long lashes framed the eyes.

'That's such a pretty little thing.' Vreya whispered.

'Yea, but is it a guardian?' Costa asked.

'It has to be. I've never seen anything like this before.' Bo said.

'So…how do we get it to join us?' Sara said.

'What type do you think it is?' Rica looked at Tai.

'I have no idea. I hope we don't have to fight it. It looks so fragile.' Tai replied.

'Let's just tell it. Hey little fella! How about you help us out huh?' Bo said.

The little creature tilted its head in response, eyes looking up at them quizzically. Finally it let out a 'squeak'.

'AW!' Roxy said. 'I want it!'

'How do we know…?' Squall began, ever cautious, when the creature suddenly turned and bounded away with remarkable speed.

'Hey, it's getting away!' Costa pointed out the obvious.

'After it!' Tai said. The group ran after the small creature, with Locky racing in front. It was hard to follow, as it was fast and light. They carried weapons with them and lagged behind. They were led on a merry chase, jumping over low branches, avoiding stinging nettles and rocks, and weaving their way through difficult paths to follow.

They were tiring, especially the girls who weren't used to such long distant running, when they finally came to what appeared to be a dead end.

'What the heck?' Locky managed in between gulps of air.

'Where did it go?' Rica said.

'Are you even sure it came this way?' Irvine said.

'I'm sure…w…where has it gone?' Locky looked around. 'This is just…rock.'

Sara and Roxy, both gasping, finally caught up. 'What the hell happened?' Sara asked.

'Where did the thing go?' Roxy said.

'Looks like we lost it.' Tai frowned.

'Ah damn, I have a cramp from all that running.' Bo said, holding his side.

They looked at the rock. It was more like a boulder, and around it were a few more trees, and, the group guessed, after that, they would be out of the woods altogether.

Squall walked around the boulder, and saw that on the other side of it was an opening. Inside the little opening, sitting very snugly was the creature.

'It's hiding in here…'

They moved around and looked at the strange animal. It looked at them with huge, innocent looking eyes.

'Little critter.' Rica muttered. 'My legs will ache for a week…'

'Hey…it has something tied around its neck.' Rinoa said. Sure enough, there was a small, phial like object in the animal's possession. They had failed to notice it before. Roxy stepped forward, small enough to reach it, but it moved suddenly, bounding past all of them, and jumping on the person who stood at the back of the crowd…Zane.

Zane's eyes widened. The creature had leapt up from the ground and lightly and nimbly settled itself around his shoulders. The soft fur of its tail brushed against his cheek, and for a moment he was caught so much by surprise that he didn't respond. Then people were laughing and cooing at him, and he got angry.

'AW!' Roxy said. 'Look how cute it is!'

Vreya giggled. 'It likes you Zane.'

'How sweet.' Rinoa smiled.

Squall gave Zane a sympathetic look, and Irvine grinned at him. The adults sniggered to themselves.

Zane dropped his sword to try and get the creature off him, but it moved and settled on his head, and it poked its face into his, looking at him upside down while it balanced on his head.

It squeaked questioningly.

'Get off me!' Zane snapped, finding the entire situation very embarrassing. He wouldn't have this soft-toy as his guardian! He reached up with his hands but the creature avoided him again, squeaking in his ear. It was in his face again, and pressed its small muzzle to his nose. Zane was outraged. What the hell was the crazy thing thinking it was doing?

Costa was having hysterics. 'Ha ha! The asshole gets the mushy guardian!'

Zane gritted his teeth and finally got hold of the small creature. He pried it off, and held it at arms length away from him, under its arms, like it was a baby. He regarded it with a glare. It stared back at him, tilting its head and squeaking again.

'That's so cute!' Vreya grinned. 'I think it's chosen its owner. Its perfect for you Zane.'

He shot her a death-glare and looked at the animal. People were laughing at him and he hated to be laughed at. It was time to end this.

'No way.' Zane said, and let go of the creature. It fell to the floor, and looked shocked at its rejection. It turned its face up and looked at Zane with huge eyes.

'How can you say no to those eyes?' Sara said. 'Shame on you.'

Roxy scooped the creature up. It wriggled but finally looked at her with interest. It touched noses with her, and squeaked twice.

'Want to be my guardian?' Roxy asked, smiling at it. 'I think you're cute! Don't you mind that meanie Zane!'

Zane rolled his eyes, brushing fur off his clothes and reached down to pick up his sword.

The animal squeaked at her again, and jumped onto her shoulders. It rested its paws on her head, and looked out at the distance. Suddenly it began to squeak continuously.

'What's up with it?' Irvine said.

'That squeaking is getting annoying.' Costa said.

'It's like it's saying something.' Sara said.

'I don't talk Squeak-ese.' Locky said. 'I'm guessing none of you do.'

'Carbuncle would probably understand him.' Rinoa said.

'It is saying something…' Tai said slowly. They looked at him in surprise.

'You understand?' Vreya asked.

'No…but…I'm not sure it's on our side…look…' He pointed. In the distance, in the direction they had come from, something was now glimmering between the trees. It was golden, and it was moving closer.

'What is that?' Sara said.

'Don't tell me it's his dad…' Costa said. They watched, curiously, as the light weaved its way towards them. It stopped suddenly, glimmering between the trees, just out of sight.

Vreya felt a sudden urge to move to it. She stepped forward, but a hand swiftly grabbed her arm.

'Wait, we'll go together.' Bo whispered to her.

'What do you think that light is?' Rica asked, looking at Squall, Rinoa and Irvine.

'You know…' Irvine began, 'that kind of looks like…'

'It…it looks like…' Rinoa echoed.

'Holy…' Squall said, looking somewhat confused.

'Yeah.' Irvine and Rinoa nodded at him.

'Holy?' Costa repeated. 'What do you mean by that?'

'Holy. The spell. The light from it looks like that.' Squall explained.

'Maybe…it's the Holy guardian.' Bo said excitedly. 'Yes! I knew it!'

'Not all Holy wielding things are good…' Rinoa said slowly.

'I think it's calling to it!' Sara pointed at the creature. The animal squeaked and suddenly bounded off Roxy's shoulders, as a voice that didn't belong to any of the group called out.

'_Tuvalu!_'

The voice was pure and echoed all around them. Then, without warning something was hurtling toward them, straight from the place the golden shimmering was coming from.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_I have to stop there! It's SO long! Thank you so much for the reviews of the last chapter! I got so many this time around! I'm glad! I'd like to thank each and every one of you! Welcome to new reviewers; I've realised that I should only be responding if people ask questions, those are the rules apparently, so I'm going back and editing responses as well as the story. I still love you all though, even if I can't post comments back. The edited version will be up soon I hope. I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I hope you'll forgive me. The next chapter will be up very soon as I've done a lot of it, but for now enjoy this. By the way there were supposed to be two guardians in one chapter but it was too long. Please let me know if you prefer long chapters or shorter ones, as that will help me cut down. I feel like I'm loading you all with too much every chapter, it's just that the chapter count will be more if I make it shorter, so please let me know! Until next time, take care all and thanks for reading!_

****


	41. A Burning Brand

**Chapter XLI: A Burning Brand**

It took them a moment to realise that a huge arrow that was charged with golden light had been fired right at them.

'Oh my God!' Rica screamed, grabbing on to two teenagers. 'Get them out of the way!'

The group scattered, some being thrown aside, some throwing themselves to the ground. The bolt pierced the boulder behind them, and a bright, blinding golden light exploded all around them. They shielded their eyes, and it took a few moments for them to feel safe enough to look up again.

'Argh!' Costa yelled. 'What the hell is that?'

'I've never seen an arrow that big!' Tai said, looking at the arrow that had now lost its light. The boulder suddenly cracked, and crumbled, leaving a pile of rock in its place.

'Oh my God.' Sara breathed. 'Look at the size of it. It split that boulder as easily as…splitting cake!'

'I'm not sure that thing we found is friendly.' Squall commented, looking at the little creature. It tilted its head and squeaked again, hopping up and down.

'Hey little critter! Who's your friend?' Irvine demanded, as the rest of them started to stand up.

It didn't respond. Irvine pointed his sniper gun at it, but still it hopped on its feet. Then without warning it turned and shot off with alarming speed, squeaking all the way.

'What the hell?' Zane said, looking at the mentors. 'This isn't a game of cat and mouse.'

'You're right, this is getting stupid.' Tai agreed. 'But it seems like it wants us to follow it.'

'I'm not sure.' Vreya folded her arms. 'That thing fired at us.'

'It's still there.' Rinoa informed them. Sure enough, the light still glimmered.

Costa raised his arm and aimed with his shotgun. Bo grabbed his arm.

'What are you doing?'

'No one fires at us and gets away with it!' Costa exclaimed.

'But…what if it's a guardian?' Roxy said anxiously.

'Well it shot at us…I say we shoot back!' Costa shrugged off Bo's arm and fired before anyone could stop him. Vreya flinched, and hit him on his arm.

'What are you doing you idiot? You'll draw attention…'

'Too late.' Irvine said. 'I think it already knows we're here…'

Costa's bullet had been fairly well placed but the light had quickly moved out of the way. Now it moved along, at a faster pace.

Sara suddenly let out a cry of fury and rushed forward, giving chase. Locky tried to grab her back but she had moved so suddenly. He swore and ran after her.

'Sara, come back here!'

Costa ran after them, and Roxy looked back at Vreya. 'Something might happen!'

'I don't think…' Vreya began, but Roxy had bolted off. Vreya sighed in exasperation. Running it was then. She followed, much to Rica and Bo's irritation.

'Hey, hey kids, come back!' Bo yelled.

'If you can't beat them…' Irvine grinned, and he, Squall and Rinoa followed after Vreya and the others. Zane put a hand on his forehead, shaking his head.

'Never again.' He said, and took off himself. Rica and Bo looked at each other helplessly, shrugged, and followed suit.

Sara and Locky, who were leading the chase, had now closed in on the location of the light. It was glimmering just up ahead. Locky stopped and made Sara stop too, and they stood, catching their breath. Costa came up after them, and Roxy, who was frowning as she had stumbled a few times in trying to keep up. The rest arrived and Rinoa spoke up.

'That's gotta be Holy!'

Squall nodded. 'Has to be.'

'So let me get this straight. The Holy guardian is firing at us?' Rica said.

'Why would it do that?' Roxy said. 'I mean…and wait, what about that little cute thing?'

'It led us to it deliberately.' Costa said. 'Isn't that obvious?'

'Maybe it's the guardian's pet.' Vreya said. They all looked at her incredulously.

'Okay.' She said, feeling stupid. 'Or maybe it isn't. Heh heh.'

Zane shook his head, clearly annoyed. It was getting late and they hadn't gained anything.

'Can we hurry up?' he said. 'If we're gonna fight, let's go.'

'What? You want to fight it? Go ahead, don't expect us to follow you to death.' Costa replied.

Zane glared at him. Fine, if that was how Costa and the other losers felt, he would go ahead. They would only slow him down anyway. He angrily pushed past them all.

'Zane, come back here!' Locky said. 'You don't know what it is!'

'There's only one way to find out!' He called back. The others stood for a few minutes, surprised at his eagerness to face the unknown. Vreya frowned. So he wanted to be Mr. Hero? Two could play at that game! She followed after him. Squall, Rinoa and Irvine went right behind them, followed hesitantly by everyone else.

Zane, now being the leader, peered around a tree. To his surprise, the glimmering golden light had disappeared. No, it had moved. He ran along some more, until he managed to locate it again. It had moved away from them, but he could catch it up easily as long as it wasn't aware of his movement. He glanced back behind him. The others were some way away, following. Good, they'd probably just blow his cover. Zane crept forward, being careful not to make too much noise. He neared the light, and it didn't move away. He circled its location, weaving in and out of the trees. He wasn't so much scared as he was curious. Finally he was close enough to get a good look.

The light came from the huge bow and arrow the guardian was holding. Zane was surprised to see that the guardian was riding on something, a strange looking animal, which looked like a vicious kind of black jaguar. Except it wasn't any normal looking jaguar (not that Zane had ever encountered one), it was huge and had sharp teeth and glowing yellow eyes. It was big enough to carry the guardian, who had golden, long and flowing hair. He wore trousers that looked like they were made out of animal skin, and brown boots. He wore a sleeveless waistcoat like top, except it was very short and open and also made of animal skin and lined with brown fur. Slashed across the guardian's visible, smooth, well-muscled chest was a strange mark. It looked like a tribal symbol. The guardian's arms were slim yet hard muscled, and only half of his face was visible; a strange mask covered the eyes, coming down and stopping at the tip of his nose.

The huge jaguar like creature snarled suddenly and looked right at Zane. Zane's heart stopped and the guardian's head whipped around. Instantly he raised the arm that held the bow.

_Oh damn…_Zane thought, stepping back, but nowhere as quick as he needed to move. He was still without his own guardian and he didn't have any magic to protect him. The guardian moved forward on his mount, and Zane was forced backwards. He could hear people calling out to him, but he couldn't see anyone. He stumbled back, almost tripping over a tree root. He gripped his sword tightly; the guardian was going to fire at any minute. Zane wondered why he hadn't already.

Then he heard squeaking, and the small creature that had led them to this guardian was at his feet. It tilted its head and squeaked on, hopping about.

Zane was furious. It was this stupid thing's entire fault. He kicked at it but it came back. Zane tried to watch the bow-wielding guardian but the little creature at his feet was distracting.

'Get lost you stupid freak!' He snapped at it finally. His kick connected and the small creature fell back, looking stunned. It had again been rejected. It stared at the human boy with huge eyes. It considered a moment, and then grew angry.

Zane noticed that the small creature's eyes were changing. They were going brown and then crimson, and the spikes on its back were now standing sharp and straight. It gave out a sound, but this one was no mere squeak. It sounded more like a mini-roar. Zane somehow knew he was in trouble even before the ground started shaking. He continued to back away, until he suddenly felt that there was no more ground behind him. He glanced back to see that the ground had somehow caved and formed a steep hill-like drop. Perhaps Zane hadn't noticed it before and it had just always been there.

Or perhaps the little 'pet' as Vreya had put it, had caused the ground to crumble somehow.

The small creature was glaring at him now. It bounded over to the bigger, human-like guardian, and started squeaking again.

The guardian drew an arrow from the quiver he had strapped to his back. He put it on the bow and drew back his arm. Then he spoke.

'You stand on sacred ground. Do not disturb the sacred ashes.'

'What?' Zane said in a low voice. Behind the guardian the others had finally located him.

'Whoa!' Costa couldn't help himself from yelling. 'What the hell is that?'

'Hey!' Bo picked up a rock; ready to throw at the guardian. 'You leave that boy alone!'

'It has the triangle mark!' Rica was saying. 'It's a guardian!'

The guardian took no notice. As Costa fired a force field came up and deflected the shot. Rinoa cast a Fire spell but to no effect. Her magic was dispelled before it left her hands. Squall charged forward but the guardian didn't even move. An invisible barrier threw the young SeeD back, into the others.

'God, it's so strong!' Sara gasped. She cracked her whip, and to the horror of everyone else, an invisible force took hold of the end and jerked her forward, throwing everyone back when they tried to help her.

'Argh!' Sara screamed. 'Let go of me you…!'

But the guardian was still looking at Zane. He almost seemed to be waiting for Zane to do something, or for something to happen.

'Only One may possess the mark.' He whispered, and without warning, fired an arrow right at Zane. Zane was trapped. He had nowhere to go and he didn't want to fall down all that way behind him. He was going to get hit and he was going to die.

'Look out!' A voice close to his right screamed.

He was so stunned that he didn't feel himself falling until it was actually happening. Someone had rammed into him, and shoved him out of the way of the incoming, light-charged arrow. Zane fell to the left, amazingly managing not to fall down the steep slope. He looked up to see who had pushed him so hard, and his eyes locked onto brown ones.

It was Vreya. She was breathing hard; she had pushed him with all her strength, and had managed to get him out the way. The arrow was still travelling however, and Zane's stomach turned in on itself. She had saved him, but now she was going to get hit instead.

'Vreya…!' he began, trying to get up, trying to get to her and pull her down in time. But it was too late. Vreya tried to move but the arrow hit her, and golden light exploded. She screamed and fell back, down the steep slope. Zane's hand missed her by inches.

'VREYA!' Voices screamed. Costa fired bullet after bullet, Rinoa cast Ultima in her fury, Squall charged forward again, Irvine summoned Eden. It was chaos; they were all moving, all trying to get to Vreya, all of them trying to help free Sara.

Vreya had fallen all the way down and came to a stop on top of some nest-like shallow pit at the bottom of the steep slope. Grey dust flew up everywhere. She coughed, and touched her chest. There was no arrow. In fact, she had hardly felt a thing. It was the shock that had gotten to her, but she wasn't bleeding or anything. The Holy magic had had little effect on her.

For a moment she lay there, stunned that she had not been impaled and that she had felt little pain. For a few seconds she contemplated how this was possible.

_I'm alive? _She thought shakily, and finally sat up slowly. Her hands were stained with black dust…no…it wasn't dust…it was like…the ashes of a fire that had long gone out. Except that it felt warm. She stared stupidly, wondering what on earth she was sitting in. It was in her hair and on her clothes. She could hear a battle going on above, and turned her face up.

Zane wasn't there anymore. He was probably helping the others. They were probably trying to take the guardian down as he stood in their way to getting to her.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her left arm. It felt like…a mixture of electricity and fire. Vreya cried out voicelessly and grabbed her arm. It was convulsing beyond her control. The pain was intense. It travelled deep into her system and took her breath away. Vreya closed her eyes and doubled over, rolling out of the ashy nest, onto her back. As soon as she did, the feeling of being burned alive disappeared. She opened her eyes and stared at the canopy of trees high above her. She let out her breath, and raised her now still arm.

Undoing the straps of the black arm guard she wore and throwing aside her weapon, Vreya examined the underside of her right arm. The skin was red, as if it had been burned. Her mouth dropped open, as she made out something that looked like a symbol. It was forming quickly, the colour of flame, a mixture of swirls that looked like fire. In fact, she could almost make out…were those supposed to be wings?

She was scared and confused. What had just happened exactly? What was the strange symbol she now had on her arm? Vreya tried to rub it off, but her skin was sore and sensitive; in fact, it was cut, and the ash had dissolved into the cut, and it began burning again.

_Krysta? Elyria? _Vreya called to her guardian's fearfully.

_Your friends need you in battle! _Krysta urged her.

_Get going! _Elyria added. They both obviously didn't seem surprised or fazed by what had just happened to her. She decided to question them later. Too many crazy things were happening to her and she was getting suspicious. She wanted answers. Now was not the time to ask for answers. She stood, brushing as much dust as she could off herself, and putting her arm guard and weapon back on. Then she turned her face to the skies again and looked for a way to get back up.

---------------◊---------------

Costa summoned Ignatius. The fire elemental appeared with a mighty roar and let loose a devastating attack, _Hell Fury_. The enormous fireball slammed into the golden-haired guardian, but it seemed to cause little damage.

Rinoa frowned. 'Doesn't Fire usually hurt monsters that are immune to Holy?' She asked.

'This isn't a normal monster.' Squall replied, trying to think of what spell to cast. Roxy bravely tried to get close to the guardian in order to strike him with her elbow blades, but she was knocked back as if she were weightless. Bo steadied her, helping her up.

'He's deflecting everything!'

'He has to have a weakness!' Tai exclaimed.

Zane had managed to move around and join the group in the midst of battle. He couldn't do much without magic however.

'Yeah but what is it?' Locky said. He was worried about Sara who was still struggling to get out of the golden-haired guardian's grasp.

'Thunder, Fire, Ice and Wind are all not working!' Rica said.

'Eden did him some damage!' Irvine yelled. 'I'll summon him again!'

'It takes too long!' Rinoa said, and an idea struck her. She had a guardian force that had a quick and effective attack. Concentrating her energy, she called on the GF, and when ready, held up her hand and gestured outward.

'1000 needles!' She cried, and there was a yellow flash of light in the ground before them. Costa, Roxy, Zane and even Sara watched in disbelief as a green cactus like creature popped out of the light, and jumped swiftly into the air. It moved its arms rapidly, sending a blur of needles at the guardian in lightening speed. It disappeared once the attack was complete.

'What the hell is that?' Costa said. 'A cactus man?'

Sara almost laughed in disbelief. Zane couldn't belief what he had just seen. The mentors were equally as stunned.

Cactaur had caused major damage; the guardian was caught off guard and Roxy again threw herself forward.

'I'll save you Sara!' she got close to the animal the guardian was riding on and slashed at it. It roared in pain and raised a giant paw to slash at her in turn, but the small guardian lunged at Roxy, and knocked her back, squeaking.

'Huh?' Roxy fell on her back and the small guardian was on top of her, its cute face staring right into hers. It squeaked and sniffed her and then began hopping. It was impressed by her show of courage and loyalty to her friend.

'What?' Roxy said, and tried to push it off. 'You're getting us all hurt!'

But it got off and started circling her. It was moving so quickly Roxy had trouble keeping up. The movements became a blur and then red light, which swirled around her.

'Roxy!' Costa yelled. 'Look out!'

Roxy scrambled up and turned to run back to the safety of the group. Sara had finally managed to get loose and didn't hesitate to attack the guardian.

'Take that!' she cracked her whip and it connected with the animal. Then, amidst the confusion she managed to get back to her friends.

The light that the small creature had become tailed Roxy. Bo realised and called to her.

'Roxy, it wants to…'

But he couldn't finish. The light caught up to a wailing Roxanne and slammed into her. Roxy fell forward with a screech and didn't get up again.

'Junction to you.' Bo finished helplessly. Then he frowned, moving over to get the small girl out of the way of harm.

'What the heck?' Locky said. 'Why all this trouble? Why didn't it just junction to her in the first place?'

'It seems that it wanted to lead us to our friend here first!' Rica said, referring to the bow-wielding guardian.

Rinoa again summoned Cactaur, and this time Zane charged forward and hit the animal as hard as he could.

'Aim for its mount!' Squall said, 'Topple it!'

'Draw Holy!' Irvine said. 'It's strong magic!'

Costa had already worked this out and had been busily extracting spells from the guardian. Squall and Rinoa now did the same, stocking up on their supplies.

The animal the guardian was riding was weakening. It snarled and energy began to form about its mouth. It opened its huge jaws and a fireball charged at the group.

'Argh!' The group were flung in all directions, landing painfully on sharp rocks and twigs and into tree trunks.

The golden-haired guardian drew back his bow to deliver a finishing blow to the group.

'Cure!' Rica coughed. 'Cast healing magic!'

Irvine dug a hand into his pocket and took out a Mega Potion. He tossed it into the air and the small glass container shattered. The contents swirled around all the party members, restoring some of their energy.

Rinoa drew a cure spell from the guardian but she still felt strangely exhausted.

Meanwhile, Vreya, who had managed to climb back onto high ground, albeit with some difficulty as she was not used to climbing on trees, looked up and surveyed the progress of battle. Unfortunately there had not been much progress. Her friends were floored and the golden-haired guardian was readying an attack to strike them when they were down. Vreya noticed the small guardian, Tuvalu, was nowhere in sight.

Vreya hauled her somewhat exhausted self up and ran forward. She couldn't let the guardian strike now! She raised her left arm, which still ached, but she had to ignore the pain. She fired a round off her projectile weapon and it struck the guardian. To her frustration however, it had little effect. He completely ignored her. The guardian drew back his bow and let the arrow fly.

Vreya herself flew. She ran as fast as her tired legs could carry her to somehow deflect the shot. She had to do something. They would all get hurt otherwise.

Throwing herself again into the path of the incoming arrow she raised her hands instinctively and let out a cry of defiance. The arrow could not, would not hurt her friends.

'You…can't cross!' she yelled.

'Vreya!' Sara screamed. 'NO!'

But the arrow was flying and once again it slammed into Vreya. The others watched in a mixture of wonder and fear as something none of them could predict happened. The golden light exploded and encircled Vreya, but she felt little pain. Instead a powerful, blue light formed at her own palms, which were facing towards the guardian, with her arms crossed over each other.

The energy ball crackled and grew in her hands. She drew them close to her chest, and the light pulsated with pure power. Then with an angry cry she cast her palms out again, and released the powerful magic attack. The guardian was both surprised and impressed at this show of strength. However, he could not quite move his injured mount in time to avoid the attack. It slammed into him and engulfed him, and his mount roared in pain. Light flashed brightly and when it cleared and the smoke had cleared, they saw that the guardian still sat on his mount, and still held his bow. However, he clutched his chest, and it was bleeding severely.

His mount buckled and fell to the floor. There was silence for a while, and Vreya felt her own leg muscles shake with the effort to keep her upright. She was physically drained and fell to her own knees, breathing deeply.

'Ugh…' She groaned, her vision spinning. She wasn't sure what spell she had just cast. She hadn't seen it before, and she had felt as though she had cast it without thinking. It had been instinctive and had come to her in a time of need.

'Whoa.' Was all Costa could manage.

Zane couldn't believe it. Here they had all been trying to bring the guardian down and along Vreya had come and beaten him with one crazy spell.

He was impressed and didn't try and deny that he was. She had saved them all, and him, for a second time.

'Vreya!' Sara and Rinoa and Costa moved to the floored girl.

'That is…one heck of a limit break.' Irvine said, stunned.

'Limit break?' Tai looked at him.

'It's a special kind of attack used in critical situations.' Squall explained.

'So she can't do it anytime?' Rica said.

Squall shook his head in response.

'It tends to wear you out too.' Irvine added.

The guardian's lowered head rose and his eyes rested on Vreya.

'You have disturbed the sacred ashes.' He said softly to her.

Vreya was too tired and in too much pain to answer. She simply stared back, confused and disorientated.

Hands held her; it was her friends. She fell back into Rinoa's arms, letting out a huge breath.

'Okay, time up!' Costa said to the guardian. 'We beat you fair and square!'

'You're strong.' Sara complimented him. 'We could use your help, honestly. Please join us. We beat you.'

'He has to join us.' Tai said.

'I cannot leave the woods.' Came the response.

'What?' Irvine said. 'What kind of lousy excuse is that?'

'I am the guardian of the sacred resting ground.' The guardian went on.

'Sacred what?' Rinoa was confused.

'I thought you were the Holy one.' Bo said, rubbing his head.

'He is, but…the…the ashes…' Vreya managed.

'Ashes?' Sara repeated.

'Collect the ashes and I will consent to aid you in your quest.' The guardian said.

'What the hell, what ashes?' Locky frowned.

'It's…down where I fell…' Vreya explained.

'Ashes of what exactly?' Costa asked.

'Who knows?' Tai said. 'Let's just get them and get out of here.'

'But we don't have anything to put them in!' Bo said.

Zane walked forward and picked something up off the floor. He tossed it to Tai.

'The other guardian dropped this.'

Tai caught it and looked at it. It was a small phial. He remembered they had seen it around the small creature's neck.

'Is it gonna fit in this?' Locky asked the guardian. He didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Sara.

'I offer you the power of Holy. Do you accept?'

Sara was amazed. This guardian was so strong and seemed so wise. He seriously wanted to junction to her?

'I…I'd honestly be honoured.' She replied. The guardian nodded as if confirming something. Then, he looked at the others.

'None shall leave before the ashes have been gathered.' Then he disappeared into a flash of golden light, the same golden light they had seen swirling through the trees. It didn't slam into Sara. It moved softly over to her and golden light surrounded her. She was out a few moments later.

'Great.' Tai said. 'Now we have two people to carry.'

'I don't mind.' Locky grinned, picking up his blonde charge.

'Well kids!' Bo let out his breath. 'Two guardians caught with one stone! All of you who thought it was stupid to come here owe us an apology I think.'

'Whatever.' Squall replied.

Costa laughed. 'There're only two of us without guardians now!'

Tai looked to Zane. 'You and Gen…but there's only the Water element now. I wonder what the other will be.'

Zane looked away, not knowing the answer. He would never let the others know, but he was worried. Why hadn't he gotten a guardian yet? What if Gen got the next one? Then what? Why was it taking so long? He didn't want to be the odd one out. He already was in other ways. He seriously hoped he'd get one soon. Without magic he just felt…weaker than the others. Of course he would never admit it to anyone else.

'Let's get these ashes and go.' Irvine said. 'It's getting dark, y'all.'

'Good plan.' Rica nodded. She looked to Vreya. 'Now where did you say they were?'

---------------◊---------------

Lorne walked out of the building, satisfied. Spencer was sorted now. There would be no more opposition from him. Now all that was left was getting Vision's manager to sign the contract to advertise, and then, in a few weeks, Lorne would be announced official successor.

The ceremony would be spectacular of course. He expected nothing but the best, and he was going to get it.

He smirked. How easy this was going to be. But first, he had a fly to squash.

'General.' He spoke up. His right hand man who was flanking him on one side with his nephew on the other responded respectfully.

'Sir.'

'You remember Mr. Wrenart.'

'I…yes, if I recall, the man who refused to cooperate.' The General replied.

'I want him exterminated.' Lorne said.

'Sir?' The General was rather surprised.

Kane, who listened silently, frowned. Exterminated? But the girl…what of the girl he had been watching for so long?

'Find out where he lives.' Lorne instructed. 'Send a large group to destroy his home. They are to kill him, his wife, and any others that dwell there.'

'Sir…' Kane spoke up. 'The girl…'

'Except for the girl.' Lorne interrupted. 'She is not to be harmed. The foolish man will pay for his meddling and refusal to serve me. But his daughter is to be brought to me. Unspoiled.'

'Yes…Sir.' The General glanced at Kane, who looked unhappy.

'Is there a problem Kane?' Lorne asked, sensing his hesitation without looking at the young man.

'No…of course not Sir.' Kane said quietly.

'Good. You will carry out this order in three days.' Lorne said, as they reached the sleek black car. 'If the girl is hurt in any way there will be unpleasant consequences.'

'What if she struggles Sir? She is bound to resist.' The General said, as the driver bowed and opened the door of the car for Lorne to get in. The raven-haired man stopped and looked at his servant.

'Then make her sleep.' He replied. 'She is not to be harmed. She must not be allowed to escape. Hunt her, do whatever it takes.'

The General nodded in understanding.

'And if the fools come back empty handed…' Lorne whispered. 'There are punishments far worse than death…'

Kane spoke up. 'What if she isn't at home?'

'Then search for her; she must be found. I will not tolerate failure. Do you understand?' Lorne said in a deadly tone of voice.

Kane swallowed, afraid for the ones who were going to have to do this task. He was afraid for the beautiful girl. He didn't believe in this method. He believed in watching and learning.

'Do whatever it takes.' Lorne said again. 'I want her.'

They got into the car.

---------------◊---------------

The vans finally pulled up at the base. The teenagers got out slowly, and the drivers locked up. They had gathered up what they hoped was all of the sacred ashes in the phial, with the help of magic. It had taken time but they had finally done it.

'That was tiring.' Costa said. 'And look how bloody late it is!'

'Yeah.' Locky agreed, carrying a sleeping Sara. 'Still it was worth it.'

'Parents will flip.' Costa muttered. 'But what's new?'

'You okay?' Tai put a hand on Vreya's shoulder. The girl looked at him; she, perhaps more than anyone else here, was exhausted.

Vreya nodded.

'Thanks babe.' Locky smiled at her. 'You sure are getting handier by the day.'

'Yeah.' Bo said, grinning. Roxy was still knocked out, and he carried her. 'Well done.'

Vreya smiled back. At least she knew now she really could fight and defend herself and her friends. The adults went in, followed by Costa, Irvine and Squall.

Rinoa hung back and smiled at Vreya. 'You saved us all back there you know.'

'I…no…I was lucky…' Vreya said modestly.

'No.' Rinoa smiled, shaking her fringe out of her eyes. 'I don't think so.' She gave Vreya an intriguing look and giggled, and ran to catch up with her knight.

Vreya looked after her, confused. But strangely her words made Vreya feel happy. She reached the door to the base, when a voice stopped her.

'Vreya.'

Zane. She had almost forgotten he was behind her. She was so tired.

'Hey.' She said, nodding back to him. She automatically stopped so that he could catch up. When he did however, he stood a little distance away, but he was looking at her.

'Don't risk your life.'

His statement caught her off guard. She blinked, surprised.

'I…what?'

'I was supposed to get hit by that arrow.' He said in explanation.

'Oh.' She understood. 'Well…maybe…it doesn't matter does it?'

'No.' He said, and his voice was low, almost…almost soft to Vreya's ears. 'It does.'

'What are you talking about Zane?' Vreya asked, frowning. She was too tired, really, for an argument.

His eyes lowered. 'Don't get yourself hurt because of me.' He said finally.

Oh. Was this what it was about? Vreya felt angry that he thought like that, but she didn't know how he meant it. She was so used to him being cold and impolite that she didn't know that he was being sincere in saying that he really didn't want her to get hurt because of him, not because he didn't want to be blamed and held responsible, but because he wasn't worth the trouble.

'Oh. I see. You don't want to be responsible.' Vreya said, rather hurt by his words. Why did he have to speak at all, if it was just to insult and offend her?

'I acted. Even if I did get hurt it wouldn't have been your fault. And I didn't get hurt anyway, so you don't have to…'

'That's not why.' He replied, looking at her again. 'It's not worth it.'

_Now what is he talking about…? _She wondered, and worked it out a few moments later. She put her left arm on her hip. It still ached her, and she was still debating whether or not she should tell anyone about what had happened.

'What do you mean?' Vreya sighed. 'Look Zane, I'm tired, but I can tell you that even if you don't like it, you're part of the team now. We're supposed to look out for each other…I'm sure you care about everything even if you don't show it.'

'…' Again the intense eyes met hers momentarily and again they looked away seconds later.

Vreya shrugged, losing some of her sudden courage to talk openly and honestly with him. 'Besides.' She added in a quieter voice. 'I owe you.'

That statement made him look back. He frowned and said to her:

'I don't expect you or want you to pay me back.'

'You've helped me out more times than I have, so what's the big deal about me risking my life?' Vreya asked, confused.

Zane couldn't believe he was carrying a conversation this long. It was even more dangerous because he was carrying a conversation this long with Vreya, and she was a very beautiful girl, and, as he was becoming increasingly more aware, she was loyal, intelligent and could seriously do damage despite her small, fragile appearance. She also never backed down without having her say. Or seldom did, anyway.

For the first time in a very long time Zane decided to finish what he had started. Telling her it was nothing was very tempting, and it was even more tempting to just walk right past her without answering. But he decided to say what was on his mind, in a rare and uncharacteristic instant.

'…You…you're different.' He said. 'You shouldn't…risk your life.'

Vreya blinked. _Different? Oh God._ He didn't still think she was some kind of freak did he? She already felt so different…things were happening to her that were not happening to anyone else. She already felt different enough.

'Different?' She whispered, stung by his words, again misunderstanding. Zane wasn't very good or used to, expressing himself. This fact was now resulting in confusion on Vreya's part.

'Why? Why am I different?' She asked, looking him right in the eye. He stared back and shook his head in reply.

'Why can't I help? Why can't I risk my life? Why am I different? I helped today. I still owe you but I helped.'

'What you did today was enough.' Zane replied, and it struck Vreya that what he was saying was the closest thing she'd probably get to a 'thank you' from him.

He moved then, and she realised he was about to leave.

'But what do you mean by different?' Vreya persisted. Zane did decide to drop it then. The conversation was going in a direction he wasn't comfortable with, and he was already feeling uncomfortable enough.

_What do I mean? I mean you aren't like everyone else. Your power isn't like ours. You're different because your power comes from your heart, and from instinct and not from your head. You make magic come out of nowhere. It's not just that you're a sorceress. You're different because I've never met anyone like you and because…I don't know why. _Zane thought to himself. But to Vreya he replied evasively:

'I don't know,' and entered the building.

Vreya stared after him, utterly confused, and rather angry. That had been the longest conversation she had had with him to date, or one of the longest ones, and they hadn't been arguing either. She would have almost called it progress, but then he had had to leave so abruptly as ever.

_Wait a second…he can't mean…not to risk my life because I'm more important than…_The thought struck Vreya suddenly and she was surprised. Zane wasn't caring in that way. He couldn't have meant it in that way…maybe he was just angry that she had stolen the show or…

_How lame is that? Maybe he does care…_she debated, and then frowned, as her left arm ached. She clutched onto it. She was going to be late home again, so it didn't matter if she stayed for another half an hour. She remembered that she still needed to talk to Morgan. Sighing heavily she entered the building, closing and locking the door behind her.

Inside, Bo was triumphantly telling the people who had remained behind that they had acquired two guardians in the same place.

'Got lucky.' Zell commented. Beside him was a very satisfied looking Selphie. Obviously he had taken her to eat out just as she had demanded of him.

'No-one got hurt?' Quistis asked, eyes examining all of them.

'Nope. We almost did but Vreya pulled off what has to be the greatest magic trick ever.' Costa said.

'Well that is good news.' Fleck smiled.

'Hey Jez, happy now?' Harris twisted to look at the woman. She folded her arms and huffed.

'We still have two more to find.' She reminded them.

'Gee Jez, you always have to spoil the moment.' Locky had placed Sara down gently to rest on the couch.

'I am just reminding you the work is far from done.' Jez replied.

'Jez. Give them the night to relax. They worked hard today.' Tai said to her.

Seifer, who had been dragged along by Quistis to accompany Zell and Selphie to the restauraunt, sat with his arms folded across his chest.

'So which ones did you find?'

'Earth and Holy.' Irvine replied. 'Hey Seffie.'

'Hi Irvy! I ate SOO much.' Selphie gave him a big smile.

'You should have come.' Rinoa smiled. 'The Earth guardian is almost as cute as Carbuncle.'

'Cuter.' Rica said dryly.

'Huh? Oh NOOO way.' Selphie argued.

'Hello.' Vreya said, as she entered the room. 'Where's Morgan?'

'Downstairs.' Fleck replied. 'Waiting for you.' He saw Zane come back with a can of coke only for himself, and greeted him.

'Hey Zane! How are you?'

Zane muttered an incoherent response as he sat down next to Seifer. Fleck grinned. 'As sociable as ever! Excellent!'

Rinoa and Selphie giggled at that.

'So Fleck, ready to reap rewards on us for our brilliant plan?' Locky smiled.

'No, but I'll tell some news. While you were gone, Ortega called us.' Fleck replied.

'Oh yeah?' Tai said, interested. 'How is he doing?'

'Miriam and him are both fine. They've got some news though. I think it's worth us checking out tomorrow if we can.' Fleck said.

'What news? Costa, get us some drinks will you?' Bo said. Costa got up to do as he was told.

'They've been looking out for potential places where guardians could be as you know.' Fleck said.

'They reckon they've spotted strange activity in a lake south from here.' Harris said.

'Lake?' Rica said. 'Water guardian?'

'What kind of strange activity?' Tai questioned.

'Well they watched the lake once at night, and there seems to be something big swimming in it. Except they can't see it, they only hear it. Ortega said it sounded like a big fish splashing about.' Fleck responded.

'How do we know it's not just a big fish?' Locky asked, taking a can of coke from Costa.

'Well after your success today it's worth us checking out.' Fleck said.

'Agree Jez?' Harris smiled at the woman. She rolled her eyes.

Vreya said 'I think I'll skip tomorrow. I'm tired.'

'What?' Jez began but Tai stopped her.

'Sure Vreya, you were a big help today. You rest up tomorrow. And anyone else who wants to rest up can stay as well. Gen and Zane will have to go as they're the last two, and we'll take a few others who stayed behind today.'

'Thanks.' Vreya nodded, and looked to Jez. 'Can I talk to you now?'

'I thought you wanted to talk to Morgan.' Her mentor replied. Vreya shook her head and walked out the room. Jez sighed and followed her, leaving the rest of the group to talk on about what had happened.

'What's the matter?' Jez asked, as Vreya walked down the wooden corridor, and reached the ladder that lead down.

'I need to tell you something.' She replied, and jumped the rest of the way down. Jez followed her charge, hoping this would be worth her while.

'Is this what you want to tell Morgan too?'

'Yes. I think you should know because…you're my mentor and I'm supposed tot ell you first right?'

Jez was silent. They reached the small reading room and Vreya knocked softly on the door.

'Come in.' Morgan's voice said. Vreya pushed open the door, followed by Jez.

'Ah Vreya. You're back I see. Hello Jezebel.' Morgan nodded to Jez.

'Can I talk to you now? I want to tell Jez as well.' Vreya said, and sat down in one of the chairs. Jez closed the door and stood by it.

'Of course: before you left I could see something was troubling you. Please let me know if I can help.' Morgan said kindly.

'It's not help… I just need to know something.' Vreya said. 'But first, we got Earth and Holy guardians today.'

'In the same place?' Morgan looked surprised.

'Yeah.'

'That is strange, but welcome news.' Morgan replied.

'Now what do you want to tell us?' Jez asked, curious to know what was bothering Vreya.

'Uh…well…I…on Saturday… I went with my dad to the political affairs building…' Vreya began. She trailed off however, not sure how to break the news to them. Then she decided to stuff the entire details and get to the heart of the matter.

'I think I know who the threat is.' She blurted.

'…' Jez stared at her. Morgan did the same. Vreya ran her fingers through her hair.

'I know it's crazy but I saw him…I could feel his power and…'

'You saw him?' Jez practically yelled. 'And you didn't tell me until…two days later?'

'I'm sorry…I was scared…he doesn't look like how I thought he would…he…I just…he's threatening the president and he's black-mailing people so that he can take over…' Vreya was speaking quickly, trying to say everything at once.

Morgan held up his hands. 'Please Vreya let us start again. You say you saw a man you believe to be the threat?'

'Yes.' Vreya squeaked.

'What makes you so sure?' Jez asked.

'Because when I saw him…before I saw him I was feeling weird…he was in the meeting room and he was different to everyone else…' Vreya replied.

'How do you know what you were feeling wasn't coming from someone else?' Morgan asked gently.

'NO! I looked at him…I could feel that he was different.' Vreya insisted.

'Oh no…he saw you?' Jez groaned.

'I…I know it was stupid but I had to look…I think I've seen him before…' Vreya said. 'I mean…I've dreamt about him. Or someone like him…'

'God Vreya, you are so…' Jez shook her head helplessly. 'How can you let him look at you? For God's sake girl, he knows who you are now! What you look like! Does he know who your father is?'

'Yes…I think…' Vreya felt dread overwhelm her. 'He wants my dad's company to advertise for him but my dad is against it.' She then went on and briefed them about what exactly had happened to her.

'Vreya.' Morgan said finally once she was done. 'What did this man look like?'

'…' Vreya swallowed. 'He…he was young. He looked so young. He doesn't look evil at all but…I know he is…he had dark hair and…I think…I think…he's a sorcerer.'

'A sorcerer?' Morgan frowned. 'Are you certain?'

'I told Rinoa and she said that when another sorceress is around she can feel it. She described symptoms similar to what I felt…' Vreya replied.

'A sorcerer?' Jez looked at Morgan. 'Is that possible?'

'Well, it would explain why he has so much power, but not how he has it.' Morgan said. 'Vreya, do you know his name?'

'Lorne.' Vreya replied quietly. 'Lorne Decoudres. That's the name he was using anyway.'

'This is grave news.' Morgan said, looking worried. 'Vreya, if your father is not cooperating…'

Vreya drew in a breath. 'He…'

'He seems to be manipulating people from what you're saying.' Jez said to Vreya.

'He could very well send people for you.' Morgan frowned. 'For your father if he is not careful.'

Vreya was terrified. 'He…he wouldn't…I told my dad to play along…'

'The threat is not a fool.' Morgan warned. 'He has centuries worth of wisdom. We do not know of his power. If he is able to control an army of savage monsters, who knows what else he is able to do?'

'I think you should stay here for a while.' Jez told Vreya. 'You shouldn't have let the man know you are your father's daughter. In fact, why don't you ever do as you're told? If you had stayed with the man giving you the tour…'

'Stop blaming me!' Vreya had had enough of Jez's reprimands. 'How was I supposed to know? Why do you expect so much from me?'

Jez was silenced. But she finally said 'You have to be careful. Don't you understand that if you can sense what he is, he can also sense what you are?'

'I know that.' Vreya replied.

'You don't seem scared.' Jez muttered.

'I am scared! That's why I'm telling you. Morgan, please tell me if the man I saw could be the threat. He looked so young…he doesn't look centuries old.'

Morgan was silent for a long while. At length he looked up at Vreya and responded.

'It is possible Vreya. It is more possible than you know.'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Another one done! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter. However, I see I have some responding to do in general. Firstly, welcome to new reviewers, who know who they are; it's lovely to have you on board and secondly onto what I've noticed. A few reviewers are asking me why I don't update frequently like I used to. I'll be honest with you. I am an eighteen year old and time seems to be very scarce these days. I'm not making excuses or anything, but when I'm not writing this fic, I am working three days a week, or am with friends and family who also want my attention. I have two cousins who are always bugging me to take them out. I'm a very busy person. In the span of just over a year, I've done 41 chapters. I think that's pretty good. I'm not comparing myself to others, but not any people do that many in a year, from what I've seen anyway. I like to think of myself as a dedicated writer, and if I don't update it's not because I mean to upset anyone or because I haven't got enough reviews. It's all to do with time and how much I have of it. Now it's summer, and I have a job that is more than one day a week. I always try hard to update regularly, and it seems sad if people forget the story just because I haven't updated in a few weeks. It's not easy to write this, or any story, and it takes a lot out of you. I'm not complaining as I love writing and I promised to finish this. I've gotten further than I ever imagined thanks to all of you reviewers. This is directly to eviljedijackson. Welcome and I hope you will continue to read and review for me. But please understand that I'm not that kind of writer; if I have time I will update in a week like I have these last two chapters. If not, then you'll just have to wait; I'm only human after all. Also to chiefs18, thank you for understanding. It is difficult. And to Chargone, who I love getting reviews from, I'm really saddened to find that you've forgotten the plot just because I haven't updated in a while. I do my best, and I appreciate all my reviewers. Again, I'm not complaining, merely telling you how I feel on the matter. I still love you all and thank you for bringing this to my attention! Anyway, this is a long rant and I shouldn't be doing it, and thank you for all the feedback. Long chapters it is then! Hopefully the next one will be up soon. Please be patient. And by the way, please no bad language on the review board! It's not polite and the staff don't like it! _


	42. Time For A Swim

**Chapter XLII: Time For A Swim**

****

Sara stared vacantly at the teacher as he rambled on about something to do with literature. Was she supposed to be listening? How could she possibly listen? She had her own elemental now, and he was far, far more interesting.

She sighed impatiently. School was so meaningless, so pointless. It was obvious they were all going to have to repeat the year because of their higher responsibilities, and yet she still had to turn up so that she wouldn't get into any trouble at home. Not that anyone ever got worried; Sara was a straight A-grade student. Even if she didn't study she was pretty sure she would at least get a pass. Still, it would be unfair if she left her friends behind by a year.

Flipping the page of her English book, Sara smiled slightly. Now she would be able to cast magic like Vreya, Costa, Lila and Ash did. Now she would be a real force against whatever stood in their way. She had a guardian and in her opinion, she had the best one so far. So strong and wise and fast, and he had a spectacular attack. He wielded a bow; just how much cooler could guardians get?

Chaos, the Holy elemental, had not spoken to her since he had junctioned to her, but Sara could feel his presence, could feel that he was there. She was sharing her mind now, and it felt different, a slight pressure where there was nothing before.

'Hey!' A voice whispered to the young blonde woman. 'You look so dopey smiling to yourself!'

Sara glanced at the other person who had acquired a guardian recently. Roxy blinked at her, eyes wide, an impish smile on her lips.

'Quiet. Don't get us told off!' Sara whispered back.

Roxy pulled a face at her. 'This is so boring! I'm not even listening! I'm just talking to my…'

She was cut off. The teacher called out in their general direction:

'Quiet at the back! Listen for two more minutes and you're free for the day!'

Sara's eyes darted to the clock on the wall. Finally. Time to go home! The teacher was setting a homework Sara knew both she and Roxy wouldn't do. The girls stuffed their books in their bags, and a minute later, the bell went. Students stood and the teacher called out the deadline, and then teenagers were leaving the room, all trying to get out at once.

Roxy skipped along. 'I'm so happy today! I had a bad headache this morning but I'm all good now!'

Sara knew the feeling. Her head had felt like it had wanted to explode too.

'So you coming?' Roxy asked her.

'What?' Sara blinked, looking at her friend. 'Where?'

'To Vreya's house! Don't you know? I saw her in the morning. She got told off by the teacher for not attending revision classes.' Roxy pouted.

'Oh no. They'll be calling home soon.' Sara said.

'My parents won't care anyway.' Roxy replied. 'But anyway, all us girls are invited over to 'study' at Vreya's place.'

'Girls?' Sara repeated. The prospect sounded like a good one.

'Yeah you know! Me, you, Lila, Selphie, Quistis, Rinoa…'

'Oh they're coming too?' Sara was pleasantly surprised.

'Yeah, Vreya asked them around. Let's have some fun today! We can watch movies and eat snacks and play silly games and have a mini-sleepover!'

'On a school night?' Sara smirked. 'And aren't we going to revise?'

'That's just it! Her parents are going out tonight, so we have the house to ourselves until like ten at night.' Roxy grinned.

Sara smiled. 'Okay.' She replied. 'It's been a while since us girls have got together. Sounds good. What time?'

'After school you dummy!' Roxy laughed. 'Like now, at the school gates!'

'Fine.' Sara nodded. 'I'm up for it.'

'Hey!' A voice called as the two walked down the school hall towards the doors that led outside.

Roxy whirled and waved. 'Hiya Gen!'

'Hello.' Gen jogged up to meet them. 'How are you two doing?'

'As usual school was a bore.' Sara said.

'You've changed.' Gen smiled. 'You were so academic before.'

'Maybe.' Sara shrugged. 'But there's more to life than grades.'

'Yeah.' Gen nodded. 'So you two coming with us?'

'Us girls are going to Vreya's house!' Roxy stated.

'All of you?' Gen raised his brows. 'What's happening? A party?'

'Yes, and NBA!' Roxy stuck out her tongue.

'What?' Gen looked confused.

'No Boys Allowed!' Roxy grinned. Gen gave her an exasperated look.

'Right, okay, you enjoy your games of truth or dare.'

'How'd you know we're gonna play that?' Roxy screeched.

Sara laughed. 'Calm down! Where are you going Gen?'

'Well, apparently Ortega and Miriam have found the location of the last…' he stopped and shrugged. 'You know…'

'Oh, that!' Roxy nodded.

'Yeah. So me and Zane have to go since we're the only two without…you know…and I think Seifer's gonna come along with us and two adults.' Gen finished.

'Well, have fun and good luck.' Sara said. 'We're going now. Are you getting picked up?'

'Yeah, at the gates; I think Harris and Fleck are taking us.' Gen responded. 'And Ash is coming along too.'

'Cool.' Roxy said. They reached the school gates, where they found everyone had gathered.

'Ready to go?' Ash nodded to Gen. He had been standing with Lila and Vreya and Costa.

'Ready when you are. Are they here yet?'

Ash looked around. 'I don't…oh yeah, there's Harris.'

'Be careful.' Vreya said, looking at Ash and Gen. 'Ash, you take good care of him!'

Ash smiled. 'I won't let him drown…'

'Don't drown yourself.' Lila shot him a look. Ash merely shrugged, and the two boys turned and walked out the gates. Costa who was now the only remaining boy of the group, looked at Vreya pleadingly.

'Come on Bonita, you have to let me come to this party! I love girls too!'

Vreya gave him a stern look, linking arms with Lila and Sara. Roxy stuck out her tongue.

'NBA nah nah!'

'Huh?' Costa stared at her.

'No Boys Allowed.' Sara smirked. 'Come on Vreya, let's get going.'

'Just waiting for the girls to come out the van.' Vreya replied, peering over in the direction of the van. Fleck had hopped out of the front driver's door, and the back door opened, and out stepped Zane, Seifer, and then Quistis, Rinoa and Selphie. Selphie instantly spotted Vreya's group. She jumped up and down enthusiastically.

'Hi!' she called.

Fleck waved to them, and then turned to Ash and Gen as they reached the van, and began talking to the four young men. Quistis, Rinoa and Selphie met up with the other girls outside the front gate.

'Hello.' Quistis greeted, nodding to them. Rinoa smiled and exchanged hugs, Selphie grabbed onto Roxy's arm, grinning.

'This is gonna be SO much fun!' she exclaimed.

'Calm down.' Lila laughed. 'We haven't even gotten to her house yet.'

'It's not that far.' Vreya said. 'We just take a train, two stops and we walk a little and we're there.'

'I've been wanting to see the railways here.' Rinoa said. 'I bet they're so different to where we come from!'

'I love trains!' Selphie cried.

Quistis shook her head. 'Sorry about her.' The blonde woman apologised. 'She's always excited when it comes to trains.'

'Actually, when is Selphie not hyper-active?' Rinoa pondered.

'Come on Rin, you're just as excited as I am, let's go, all we've been doing since we came here is staying in that boring hideout and battling stuff, I wanna have some real fun!'

'Not so loud!' Sara warned.

'You're not on vacation Selphie.' Quistis sighed. 'Vreya isn't a tour guide.'

Vreya giggled despite herself. 'No, but I'm happy to take you to the nearest hotel, which is my house. Free drinks and food all round!'

Laughing, the girls walked away from the school together, looking to all onlookers like normal, happy, gossiping teenagers.

---------------◊---------------

The young man watched the group of females leave, and his eyes darted to the opposite end of the street outside the large, well known school. So today, the guys were heading one way and the girls were heading another.

He would follow the girls of course. More specifically, his self appointed task was to follow and watch the brunette girl, the daughter of the man his master wanted dead.

He began to walk on the opposite side of the street, just a normal pedestrian walking along casually. But all the time he kept his eyes fixed up ahead on the group of girls who walked together.

---------------◊---------------

'The lake's not too far off this time.' Fleck called back to the young men in the van. 'So don't get too comfy.'

'Thanks, we'll keep that in mind.' Ash said dryly. He sat next to Gen, and on the other, opposite seats sat Seifer and Zane, both with their arms folded across their chests.

'So.' Gen looked to Seifer, since he seemed slightly more sociable than Zane. 'What are you back at home? A SeeD like the others?'

Seifer stared at him. 'No.'

'So how do you know them?' Ash asked.

'Same Garden.' Seifer replied plainly.

'You helped save the world too right?' Gen nodded. 'Well, you are one of the Children of Fate.'

Seifer was silent in response. Saved the world? More like he was the psycho-crazed lunatic who had been responsible for the deaths of many, many people. But these people didn't need to know that.

The previous day, Quistis had given him one of her guardian forces. Seifer now had Doomtrain junctioned, which meant he could use magic and draw it from monsters. That was a relief to him. He didn't want to be the odd one out anymore than he already was, and it was important for him to feel like he could do equally as much damage.

He was grateful to Quistis for the effort she was putting in to make him feel more included. The others seemed to be tolerating him well, and except for the usual banter with Zell, Seifer wasn't getting into arguments with the others as much as he had expected he would, especially with Squall.

'Seifer.'

Seifer glanced at the young man who sat beside him.

'You and Squall have similar scars.' Zane said.

'…' Great. Well, so much for forgetting his terrible past mistakes. It was just like Zane to state the obvious. 'Really?' Seifer asked flatly.

'Oh yeah.' Ash nodded. 'That's weird.'

'How'd you get it?' Zane asked, without looking at Seifer.

'Training.' Seifer replied. 'Now drop it. I don't wanna talk about it.'

'Whoa, okay.' Ash said.

Zane shrugged in response. It was so boring here. Why did he have to be dragged along all the time? Why couldn't he take a day off? The girls were, and Zane found this unfair.

_I hope I get a stupid guardian and get it over with. _He thought moodily. _Then I won't have to go out every single time._

'You lot are deader than zombies back there!' Harris exclaimed. 'What's up? Why don't you get to know each other better?'

'Why don't you stop distracting Fleck?' Zane retorted. 'He's trying to drive.'

'Ha ha!' Fleck laughed. 'Hey Harris, I'm pretty fluent in the Zane language, and that means shut up and mind your own business. Am I right Zane?'

Seifer smirked and looked at Zane, who rolled his eyes in exasperation.

'Whatever.'

Seifer raised a brow. 'You sound like Leonhart.'

Zane had observed that Squall and Seifer didn't really get along all the time. 'So?' He said blankly.

'Puberty Boy.' Seifer sniggered. 'But I wouldn't call you that. You're not all the same.'

'Puberty Boy?' Gen repeated. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

Seifer laughed out loud. 'Long story.'

'Squall's nicer.' Harris said, overhearing the conversation.

Zane looked like he really didn't give a damn.

Ash said, just for the sake of keeping a conversation going: 'So Zane, you up for more practicing anytime soon?'

Zane's eyes reluctantly left the floor of the van and rested on Ash. He stared a moment, and finally responded: 'Are you challenging me?'

'What if I am?' Ash asked.

'You're dense.' Zane replied. Gen blinked, and laughed slightly.

'Man, I think you are the most unfriendly person I have ever known.' He told the green-eyed young man.

Seifer leant back in the chair and grinned. 'He doesn't care what you think.'

_Well at least Seifer isn't interrogating me_, Zane thought, grateful for a small mercy.

'I get it.' Ash said, trying hard not to let Zane get under his skin. 'You know I've improved and you're scared I'll better you.'

Zane met his gaze directly. 'No.' He said matter-of-factly. 'That'll never happen.'

'When an opponent challenges you Zane,' Fleck said from the driver's seat 'Never be overconfident.'

Zane sneered at this advice and went back to ignoring everyone.

Finally Harris said 'Here at last! That didn't even take an hour!'

The van came to a stop and the men got out. They had parked outside the large wooden gates of a park-like location. By the gates stood a familiar figure.

'Hey.' Fleck walked forward, smiling. 'Good to see you again.'

Ortega smiled and shook his friend's hand. 'It's been a while. Hey boys.' He nodded to the group of four young men before continuing: 'How many have you got since we last met?'

'Oh many.' Harris said. 'In fact, only these two don't have one.' He gestured to Zane and Gen.

'That's brilliant.' Ortega said. 'You've been lucky though, your progress has been slow.'

'Where's Miriam?' Harris asked.

'She's looking into something north from here. We figured it'd save time if we separated. But anyway, let's not hang about. Come and see what I think I've found.'

The group walked along until the rocky path led to grass. Ortega led them and bought them to a halt by a tree. He knelt down and motioned for the others to do the same.

'So what exactly do you think you've found?' Fleck asked quietly.

'Miriam and I happened to come across this by accident. Our car broke down near here a few days back. When we walked to find some help, we came across this lake.'

In front of them was a lake that was fairly wide. The bank on the other side was covered with grass and a few trees.

'This is a public spot right?' Harris questioned.

'I guess it is, but strangely, not many people have come here. We saw a family once, but that's about it.' Ortega replied.

The water rippled gently, stirred by the soft breeze in the air. The group knelt in wait for a few minutes, when Seifer said impatiently:

'C'mon, we just gonna sit around all day?'

Zane picked up a stone. 'You said something's in there?' He asked Ortega, and stood up.

'Get down Zane.' Fleck ordered, but his charge ignored him.

'Well we thought we saw…hey, what are you…' Ortega broke off.

'…' Ash realised what Zane was trying to do. 'Uh, Zane, I don't think that's a good plan. If something is in there, you might make it mad…'

Zane looked down at him. 'Well, at least it'd come out. Got a better plan?'

Seifer had stood up and taken a stone in his own hand. 'This plan is fine.' He drew his arm back and before Ortega could stop him, threw the stone as far as he could. It sailed high into the air and fell into the lake with a clearly audible _splash_.

'You idiot!' Harris said. 'We don't know what's in there!'

'I bet it's just a fish you saw.' Seifer folded his arms and he and Zane sniggered.

'Shut up.' Fleck said angrily. 'Stop being so immature.'

'Well nothing has come out.' Gen said. 'I think we should throw more stones in.'

'What?' Ortega exclaimed.

'Look, how else do you want to make sure there's something there? Just sit here and wait?' Seifer asked. He took another stone and threw it in.

'HEY!' He yelled. 'COME ON OUT!'

Zane threw a few stones, and Fleck shook his head, helplessly, as Gen and Ash began to do the same.

'I have a bad feeling about this.' Harris muttered, but picked up a stone.

'What are you doing?' Fleck demanded.

'If you can't beat them, join them.' Harris replied, and threw the stone in. Fleck and Ortega exchanged glances of disbelief.

'These stones aren't big or heavy enough!' Seifer said, rubbing a gloved hand over his blond hair.

'We need a boulder.' Ash said.

Gen, who was walking about in search of stones, spotted one that was larger than the other ones he had found. In fact it was rather big. He picked it up, and it felt rather heavy.

Walking back to the others, the dark haired young man drew his arm back and hurtled the stone with every ounce of power he had in his arm. It flew and fell into the water, with a significantly louder _splash _than the other stones had made.

'That was a big one.' Harris said. 'Where'd you…'

'Well done guys.' Ortega said sarcastically. 'I think you've drawn our little friend out.'

There was movement in the water, and the ripples began to turn into waves.

'Little friend?' Ash repeated. 'Only something big could make waves…'

'Still think it's a fish Seifer?' Fleck cast a look at the ex-knight, who waved a hand nonchalantly.

'Probably a…' he began, when suddenly, and without warning something began to swirl out of the water. It floated up and water flew up with it, and sprayed everywhere.

'Monster.' Zane finished. Why wasn't he surprised?

'Dear God.' Fleck whispered. 'These creatures are getting more outrageous each time…'

'This is so surreal.' Harris agreed.

What had risen was a strange jelly like creature. It was huge and its shape seemed to constantly change. It had strange antennae and two yellow dots that the group could only presume were its eyes. It was a transparent blue in colour, but it had two green-coloured, sharp wing-like objects on either side of its blobby body. They flapped slowly up and down, and a strange sound came from the creature. In the middle of its body was a purple dot.

'What the hell is that?' Gen said.

Seifer had never come across a monster like this back in his home world. It was definitely not from his realm.

'This isn't from my world.' He told the others.

'Oh great, so we have no idea what the weaknesses are?' Harris said.

Ortega stepped away. 'I don't think that's a guardian.'

In their shock, the group hadn't noticed that more humans were about to join them.

There were voices behind them, and Fleck turned and watched in horror as a few ordinary people came walking along the path. There were children with them.

'Can I swim in the lake?' A child cried. 'Please daddy!'

'Well, it's a nice day, I don't see why…'

'Hey!' Ortega called out, catching their attention. 'Get away from this lake!'

The group pf people, consisting of two women, three children and two men, looked at them.

'I beg your pardon?' A blond haired man began. The woman next to him screamed suddenly and pointed.

'Oh my GOD! Alan, Alan look what is that thing!'

'I guess they've seen the monster.' Ash said to Zane.

'I guess so.' Zane agreed.

'Oh look, daddy it's an alien!' a little girl said, and ran forward before her father could stop her.

'Patsy, get back here!' a woman, probably her mother, cried out. 'Patsy!'

Seifer grabbed the little girl before she could get close to the lake. 'Stop kid!'

The monster made another strange, blobby sound and without warning let loose with a water attack. It flew out and splattered everyone close to the edge of the bank. But it was no ordinary water. It was monster jelly, and from it began to sprout small jellyfish like creatures. A dangerous looking purple-black cloud radiated from the smaller creatures, as they broke free from the droplet like eggs and began floating towards the humans.

'Ugh!' A woman screeched, trying to wipe the gooey substance off her clothes. 'What is happening?'

Seifer gave the child back, and unsheathed Hyperion, slicing at the nearest jellyfish creature.

The ordinary group of people looked shaken. 'Oh my God.' One of the men, Alan, managed. 'What is this? Who are you people?'

'Get out of here, man!' Harris snapped. 'Take your family and go!'

'Mummy there's gooey stuff on me!' a little boy cried. His mother frantically tried to get the sticky stuff off of the child, but each time she touched it, she cried out as it stung her hand.

'What is that stuff?' Ortega wondered.

'It's some kind of poison.' Fleck realised. 'Hey lady, don't touch that!'

'My boy! Someone get this off him! It's hurting him!' Both mother and son were crying now.

Ash hurried over to the boy and regarded the jelly. Esuna and Cure would probably do the job, both for the mother and the son. He raised his hands and held them over the stain on the boy's arm.

'What are you doing?' A man walked forward to stop Ash. 'Don't touch my son!' The entire group were going hysterical, and understandably so.

'He's going to help him you stupid man!' Seifer replied.

The woman cried out hysterically as she saw purple light radiate from Ash's hands. It spread over the boy's arm, and was followed up with a blue light, Cure. When the light faded, the woman stared, pale-faced, at the smooth, flawless skin of her son. The jelly was gone and so was the redness.

'Oh my…' she whispered. 'How did you…?'

Ash healed her and another child and then ushered them away.

'Get out of here!'

'Thank you…' a man said, looking shocked. The group then turned and ran down the path, shouting back that they were going to find help.

'That's not necessary!' Fleck called after them, but they had already gone. He glanced at Ash.

'You shouldn't use magic in front of normal people.'

'So was I supposed to let the kid die?' Ash asked back. Fleck sighed.

'No. Okay. Look, we have to deal with this quickly, before their help arrives.'

The huge, amoeba like creature moved suddenly, with alarming pace. Something flew out of its body: transparent blue tentacles. They reached out to land and closed around Ash's leg. The creature had seen the human use magic, and it served a master who wanted magic users brought to him.

Ash cried out and fell to the floor. Gen cried out in panic, grabbing his bladed rod and hacking at the tentacle. It was no good. The creature just sprayed more jelly onto him and even more jellyfish cropped up. Zane grabbed hold of Ash's wrists, trying to stop the young man from being dragged into the lake.

'Damn it! Seifer, do something!' Zane called back to him. Seifer searched his mind for solutions, and decided to cast a Thunder spell. He cast it at one of the jellyfish and it squealed, burning. Seifer hit it with Hyperion and it fell, and became a puddle of harmless water on the grass.

'Thunder harms it.' Fleck realised. 'Get Ash free! He has Aquila!'

Zane was trying in vain to stop Ash from getting pulled into water, and as a result they were both going to go in. Seifer cast Thundaga at the monster and it let out a sound that all the men hoped was one of pain.

However it didn't let go of Ash. Angrily, Zane stabbed his sword into the ground, trying to gain more drag in order to win the tug of war for Ash. He felt hands grab hold of him in turn and realised it was Gen.

'Don't touch the water! It's…not normal!' he managed.

Seifer was having trouble coping without help. He cast Haste to gain extra speed, and followed up with a Double spell, casting Thunder and taking out two jellyfish in one go. He repeated this twice more before all the jellyfish were gone. Then he turned his attention to the monster.

Fleck, Harris and Ortega were trying to help by shouting at the monster and throwing stones at it in a bid to grab its attention, but their efforts were in vain. The monster was far more interested in Ash. It flapped its sharp, wing-like arms and more water squirted out at the humans.

Zane hacked at the tentacle with his sword. Sharp swords or other weaponry, however, could not affect the skin of the monster. At the touch of Zane's blade, the skin merely stretched but did not break. Zane looked up at the monster, horrified, trying to keep a grip on Ash.

'Magic! Only magic is going to work!' Gen yelled.

Seifer was growing frustrated. He tried another Thundaga spell, but the jellyfish that kept on sprouting up were distracting his attention from the larger monster.

'Damn!' Seifer cursed. He wished the Chicken-Wuss were with him. Zell had Quetzacotl junctioned, and he would have come in handy right now.

_Summon me. _A deep, gruff voice said in Seifer's mind.

It was Doomtrain, but Seifer wasn't sure that the guardian force would do the right damage.

_With my power I shall cripple the monster. _Doomtrain added. Seifer realised he had no other alternative. He needed to get Ash free and Doomtrain would provide a good distraction.

Concentrating, he focused on summoning the guardian. Luckily, the monster took no notice of him as it continued to drag Ash towards the water.

Doomtrain was not very compatible with Seifer as he had only recently junctioned with the ex-knight. But he eventually came, bursting into the air at the command of Seifer's hand. Light exploded in the sky, magical tracks appeared in the air, and Doomtrain came roaring along.

'Now we've seen it all.' Harris murmured in awe. 'A train in midair.'

Ortega was impressed. The children that were not from Earth clearly had sufficient resources themselves.

Doomtrain chuffed along, picking up speed. The guardian raced toward the monster, which suddenly noticed it. It spewed out water but to no effect. Doomtrain slammed into the water monster and ran it over. Seifer used the moment of confusion to cast a Thundaga spell at the monster. It finally released Ash, and Gen and Zane dragged the blond haired boy back and to his feet.

Doomtrain dematerialised, and Seifer tossed a potion to Ash. Ash took it, holding his breath, and wasted no more time summoning his guardian force. Yellow light shot up into the air, and the brilliant Aquila took form. The sky darkened, and the monster was still stunned from Doomtrain's attack. The status changes it had acquired were Blind and Petrify, and Seifer grinned in relief.

'Keep hitting it, and it'll eventually freeze over! This battle is ours!' He yelled triumphantly.

Aquila, screeching, let loose a devastating lightening bolt which crackled and slammed into the monster, electrifying it. It dealt triple the damage Doomtrain had, and the sky lit up with natural fireworks as Ash's elemental disappeared.

Ash scanned the creature, noting that it had half its life-energy remaining. It was vulnerable to the Thunder element, and Wind.

_Damn…if only Lila or Irvine were here_…he thought. He frowned, picking up on something else just as the Scan spell wore out.

'There's a guardian trapped inside it!' he told the others.

'Are you sure?' Gen asked, while smacking a jellyfish with his rod.

'Positive!' He looked back at Seifer who was laughing with exuberance as he took out three jellyfish with a Triple Thunder spell.

'Seifer! There's a guardian in it! Can you distract it again so I can try and draw it?' Ash asked.

'No problem!' Seifer replied, and cast a Meteor spell. The monster, blinded and unstable, thrashed its tentacles wildly. Waves of water flew and rushed towards the bank, soaking Ash, Zane, Gen and Seifer. The mentors and Ortega had wisely run back, but they too, got wet.

The sky was still dark and cloudy as Ash again summoned Aquila to weaken the monster. It let out another alien sound, but could not locate who was hurting it. It could not see past the dark cloud that obscured its vision.

As Seifer went about distracting the monster by yelling to it, aided by Gen, Ash concentrated on drawing the elemental trapped within the monster. It was much more difficult than drawing magic, and Ash's mind felt like it was on fire. He refused to give up however, determined to extract and free the elemental.

'Over here ugly!' Seifer yelled, hitting it with another Thunder spell. Outraged, the creature lashed out with three tentacles: one sent Seifer flying back, the other sent rocks flying into the air, and the third sent Zane and Ash to the floor.

Ash gritted his teeth, and yelled angrily. He focused again and felt a shift in his mind. The guardian Aquila was finally aiding him in drawing the elemental.

The monster now let out a sound that was definitely one of pain. It could feel a wrenching from deep within its body, and it hurt. The Blind spell was beginning to clear ever so slightly, and its eyes fixed on the source of its pain, the magic wielding boy. There were two of them, but the one who stood with his eyes closed was the biggest threat to it at that moment. The wrenching became a tearing, coursing pain, as its body began to split from the pressure. Purple light pulsated, struggling to break free.

'That's it!' Fleck yelled. 'You've got it!'

'Keep pulling!' Harris encouraged.

'Ugh…' Ash had droplets of sweat rolling down his forehead from the sheer effort he was putting in. The monster wasn't going to release the elemental without a fight.

'Seifer, I thought you said it'd freeze over!' Gen began, but he was caught by another tentacle. It wrapped around him and threw him into the air.

He shrieked, and landed straight into the water.

Fleck, Ortega and Harris raced forward, worry etched on their faces.

'Gen!' Fleck called. 'Gen, can you hear me?'

Angry that his friend had been hurt, Ash finished the drawing process. The purple light broke free, sending more monster jelly out onto land. But the monster was furious with pain, and it lashed out again.

'Watch out!' Seifer tried to warn Ash and Zane, but he was seconds too late. A tentacle swept both young men high into the air and into the water, to join Gen.

'Damn it!' Ortega yelled. 'We need to get them out!'

Seifer, exhausted, healed himself, and cast Triple, hitting the monster with three Thundaga spells. It thrashed again, causing more waves, making it harder for the three young men in the sea to surface.

'Look!' Harris exclaimed. 'There's Gen!'

Gen, sure enough, had managed to surface and was gasping for air. 'HELP!' he spluttered. 'HELP ME!'

'The waves are making it too hard to swim…' Ortega said, and looked up, purple light catching his eye.

'The guardian…' Fleck whispered, as the light exploded and in its place materialised a dragon-like serpent. It was a deep, dark blue in colour, with green spikes on its back and green claws. Its tongue was red and snake like, and it let out a huge, lizard like cry.

The Petrifying counter had reached five, and it would not be long before the monster would freeze. The guardian snaked up in the sky, and as it rose, the water of the lake rose with it.

'No, it'll drown them!' Harris yelled.

'Hey, hey, don't!' Fleck waved his arms desperately. 'You'll kill them!'

The guardian's eyes were a dark red, but it didn't seem to be listening. It had small, slender wing-like arms and it raised them, in outrage.

Ash was still below the surface of the water, struggling to push against the current. But he was very tired, and his arms and legs felt heavy.

_I'm gonna die…_he thought. There was no way he could fight against nature's power.

Zane gasped for air as he surfaced, his lungs aching, and looked up at the sky. It was dark, and purple light tinged the clouds. He saw the guardian; it was making the waves worse. He looked around, blinking to get the water out of his eyes, and shaking his head to get his drenched hair away from his vision.

He saw Gen, who was struggling to keep surfaced. Fleck had thrown him a log he had found on the shore and it was drifting towards Gen-Ray. Seifer spotted Zane and pointed at him, shouting to Harris, Fleck and Ortega that Zane had surfaced and needed help.

Gen would be fine, Zane was sure. But where was Ash? Zane struggled to remain floating, and whipped his head round, shouting Ash's name.

'Ash!' His eyes darted along the waves, as another rush of water threatened to drag him under again. Managing to fight once more, Zane coughed and surfaced again, and forced his exhausted lungs to push out enough air for him to shout again.

'ASH!'

A terrible realisation hit Zane as hard as the next wave that slammed into him. Ash had to still be under the water.

_Damn…I should save myself_…Zane thought, knowing what his philosophy was, but feeling unable to follow it at that moment. Save his skin and let Ash die? He didn't exactly think of Ash highly, but dead? He didn't hate Ash enough to wish him that fate, so taking a deep breath he dove under the water, and searched for the young man. The water forced him up and back again, as another wave hit him. Zane surfaced, grabbed some fresh air, and dove under again.

Back on land, Harris dragged Gen to safety.

'Damn, you okay?' he asked the drenched young man. Gen coughed in response, and slumped to his knees.

'Zane…' Fleck worried. 'Where the hell is he? ZANE!'

'I can't see him anymore.' Seifer replied. 'Or Ash.'

'That guardian is fighting with the monster.' Ortega pointed up to where the guardian was circling the monster. The monster had reached the end of its timer, and began to freeze over. The elemental didn't waste time. It flew at the now frozen creature and pierced through it in a streak of purple light, making it explode. Cracks of stone flew into the water and were lost forever. The monster was finally defeated.

'At least that's gone.' Ortega sighed. The elemental let out another cry, and danced in circles in the air.

'What's it doing?' Harris wondered.

Ash could feel the water pulling him down, could feel his life leaving him. He couldn't hold his breath any longer, and he had only managed to surface once.

He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe.

After a few minutes of fruitless searching, Zane finally found what he was looking for. Ash was quite deep down, and Zane wondered whether he was capable of diving that deep, and reaching him before his own breath left him.

The other alternative was to let Ash die. Not much of a choice to Zane.

Fighting as hard as he could against the current, Zane pushed himself down towards the blond.

_Hold on_…he thought, frowning with effort.

_It's over…I'm…_Ash's thoughts were leaving him. There was no way the others would find him; there was no way they could.

He thought he was imagining it when he felt something close around his arm. It was the monster; it had come to finish him. He forced his eyes open, and through the blur he saw a human face, light brown hair, green eyes that were wide and staring right back at him.

It was no monster. It was Zane. He had come back for Ash. Of all the people Ash had expected, this person was not one of them.

_Can't…believe…it's you…_he thought, and felt Zane pulling him up, pulling them both back up, towards the surface. Ash's eyes closed as he felt consciousness begin to leave him. His heart was beating slower, and slower, and slower…

_Too late…_

Zane finally managed to surface, surpassing all expectations he had previously held for himself. He didn't have the strength to feel proud of his accomplishment. He didn't have the strength to hold onto Ash either. His muscles were aching and they failed him at last. His grip loosened, and he felt Ash drifting away from him. Zane's eyes closed. He was physically drained.

The guardian was still circling in the air.

'Hey, there they are!' Harris shouted in relief. Zane and Ash had surfaced, and Ash was floating towards land. Zane however, was not moving.

Ash's survival instinct kicked in, and he automatically drew in a breath. It hurt his lungs but it had never felt so good to breathe. He opened his eyes and saw that Zane had succeeded in bringing them both up to the surface. He noticed, however, that Zane was no longer with him. Twisting his aching neck, Ash saw that he was drifting away from Zane. The young man's eyes were closed and he was not moving.

_Damn…this is my fault_…Ash thought, and gritted his teeth, trying to move back to get Zane. But the elemental had other ideas. It raised its slender, scaly arms, and the current pushed Ash, and Zane, towards land. In the space of a few seconds the elemental had pushed them back onto earth. Ash coughed, and lay, exhausted, on his front. The waves were now gentle laps of water that was harmless once more.

'Hey…dude, are you okay?' Harris said, helping Ash up slowly. Ash pushed away, and looked at Zane. He was lying on his back, his eyes were closed with strands of soaked hair plastered across his face, and he was not breathing.

Ash coughed and dragged himself over to Zane. He held up his hands and swallowed, hoping he wasn't too late.

Fleck reached them, along with Seifer and Ortega.

'Damn, you okay?' Seifer asked. Fleck fell beside his charge's body, shaking him.

'Don't you die on me now…' he whispered. 'Wake up…come on Zane, breathe!'

Hands shaking, Ash cast Life. The magic glowed and fell over Zane, spreading over his body. When it faded, everyone held their breaths, waiting.

_Please…_Ash thought praying Zane hadn't died because of him.

'Come on…' Harris said.

Finally, the spell worked its magic. Zane's chest rose as he took in a gulp of air. Another, and they were reassured he was going to be all right.

'Yes…that's it kid…breathe…' Fleck smiled, relieved. 'You okay there?' He touched Zane's shoulder.

'…' Zane's eyes slowly opened and he found everyone looking down at him. He hated being the centre of attention.

Seifer grinned when he frowned.

'…Hate…water.' Zane managed.

'Just as well the guardian isn't going to be yours then eh?' Ortega smiled.

Sure enough, the elemental, satisfied that both Chosen Ones were alive and well, was moving gracefully towards Gen.

It disappeared into purple light and swirled about the dazed looking young man.

'I don't deserve…' Gen began, believing that he had none of Zane's courage, when the light hit him suddenly and he stumbled.

'Obviously it thinks you do.' Harris laughed, and Gen fell to the floor, in sleep.

'That was the hardest we've ever encountered.' Fleck said. 'Especially since we were relying heavily on one magic user at a time.' He looked as Seifer, and nodded.

'Thanks Seifer, without you we wouldn't have made it.'

'Yeah.' Harris nodded. 'You were great.'

Seifer unused to such praise, looked away, uncomfortably. 'Uh…let's just get going.' He said, and turned and began walking back to the van. Ortega and Harris lifted Gen up, and Fleck and Ash helped Zane up, after retrieving the scattered weapons. They all walked to the van in silence.

---------------◊---------------

Selphie giggled like a schoolgirl, as she fastened the yellow bow into her hair. She jumped to face the other girls, and grinned.

'Suits me?'

'Oh completely.' Sara smiled. 'Yellow is so your colour.'

Lila laughed. 'I thought the green looked cute too.'

'They're all good.' Rinoa smiled. 'You have such an adorable room Vreya.'

Vreya, who had just brought in snacks and refreshment, smiled. 'Thanks. It's not huge, but I like it.'

'It's comfortable.' Quistis agreed.

'You have great parents!' Selphie said, plopping down cross-legged on the floor. 'Your mother is so beautiful! You look just like her!'

When the girls had arrived at the house, Vreya's parents had been pleasantly surprised to have new company, and Vreya had managed to give a brief, quick introduction to her new friends. Vreya's parents had talked a little and asked a few questions, before leaving the house for a night out together.

Vreya blushed from the compliment. 'Uh…thanks.'

'Her dad is so handsome too, I always thought so.' Roxy exclaimed. The girls all laughed.

'Too bad she doesn't have a brother.' Sara said dryly. Lila grinned, snatching a tortilla chip.

'Roxy, open the window.' Vreya said. 'Let's get some cool air in here. Hey Rinoa.' She turned to the raven-haired girl.

'Yes?'

'Since Selphie and Quistis are borrowing clothes off Sara and Roxy, do you want to wear some of mine? You can't keep wearing Squall's PJ's when you wash yours. Though you do look cute in them.' She giggled. The girls laughed, and Rinoa smiled good-naturedly.

'That'd be kind of you. I'm sure Squall would like his PJ's back.' She laughed.

'It's great you're here; I think you're my size. Take your pick from my collection.' Vreya opened the closet doors. Rinoa smiled, and jumped up, and the two girls began talking over what look would suit Rinoa.

'These marshmallows are delicious.' Selphie said, popping another into her mouth.

'So are we going to watch a movie?' Roxy asked excitedly, moving over to look at Vreya's DVD collection.

'We're supposed to be helping you to study.' Quistis smiled slightly.

'Oh yeah, Quisty is an Instructor, she can tell you all you need to know!' Selphie nodded.

'What do you teach?' Lila asked, pouring some water into a glass.

'I don't think it's relevant to what you learn here. It mostly concerns junctioning and magic and the history of our world and its monsters.' Quistis replied.

'Wow.' Sara said. 'Wish the learning here was that interesting.'

'It's amazing how different things are.' Rinoa said, having chosen a pair of jeans and a soft lilac, slim fit three-quarter sleeved top. Vreya handed her another deep blue one the girl had picked out, and put some socks and clean undergarments just in case. 'But a lot of it is the same too.' The sorceress added.

'Like the cars here.' Selphie nodded. 'But the city looks like one huge Deling!'

'I can see what you mean.' Quistis nodded. 'But there are far more roads here than we have. To get from town to town in our world, we walk along a path across fields. Well, in Balamb we do.'

'And how do you travel from country to country?' Lila asked.

'By sea, or air.' Quistis replied.

'We use cars here for almost everything.' Roxy said.

'It's not good for the planet.' Vreya said. 'The pollution I mean.'

'Yeah.' Selphie agreed. 'That's why we use less!'

'We can't afford to do that here. Society has changed.' Sara shrugged.

Vreya closed the closet door and pushed the drawers back in, rubbing her left arm. The mark she had gotten from the previous day still ached every once in a while, but the redness had settled, and the symbol now felt like a slightly bumpy tattoo mark.

_I have to ask Morgan about this…_she thought. She had not mentioned it to him on the previous day, as she was afraid of what he would say. She wore long sleeved tops to hide the mark, so no one else would realise.

Rinoa sat down next to Roxy, but not before spotting the framed picture of a slightly younger looking Vreya with her arm around a bubbly looking brunette, who was hugging her back. She reached out and took the photo frame in her hands, and looked at it. Selphie peered around her shoulder, and pointed.

'Hey, that's your cousin right?'

Vreya glanced at the picture, and sighed sadly. 'Yes.'

'How many years ago was this?' Quistis asked, as Rinoa passed her the picture to look at.

'Two years back.' Vreya replied. Rinoa looked at her, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

'I'm sure she's proud of what you've achieved since then.' She offered. Vreya shrugged. She didn't really want to talk about Katrina and her death. It still made her feel sad, even though the event had happened a few months back.

'I've been thinking.' Sara began slowly. 'Not to dampen the mood, but…are you still having strange dreams?' She looked at the other girls.

'Oh the weird one that makes no sense?' Lila said. 'Well, not as much actually. But I still don't get any sleep. I always spend quiet time bothering Tempest.'

'And I practice summoning my guardian and asking it if I can stroke it.' Roxy giggled.

'Guardian Forces aren't pets…' Quistis raised a slender brow.

'I know but Tuvalu is so cute.' Roxy grinned.

'I still haven't seen it.' Selphie reminded her.

'I haven't had bad dreams in a while either.' Rinoa said.

'That's good.' Sara nodded. 'I haven't in a week.' She glanced at Vreya, who was now holding Katrina's picture in her hand, looking down silently.

'Vreya?'

Silence greeted Sara. The girls all looked at Vreya, who sat very still, as if thinking.

'Vreya?' Sara said again.

'Heeyy.' Selphie put an arm around Vreya's shoulders. 'You okay?'

'I always dream.' Vreya whispered finally, looking up and meeting Sara's gaze. 'He sent them and they killed my cousin. He'll send them again and they'll…they'll go after my father.'

'Oh sweetheart.' Sara sighed. 'I don't think Kat's death was intentionally aimed at upsetting you.'

'I think it's a cruel coincidence.' Lila agreed.

Vreya had told all the girls about what she had seen when she had gone with her father to the political affairs building.

'I don't know.' She shrugged. She was personally afraid of having her parents out of her sight, but duty required that she spent long periods of time away from them.

'Are you having any different dreams?' Lila asked.

'They vary. Well, not really right now. Just the same one I always have.' Vreya replied.

Rinoa was interested. 'As a sorceress, your dreams can carry meaning. Would you tell me what you see?'

Vreya hesitated. 'Uh…it's nothing really.'

'It's enough to make you sleepless, so it must be something.' Quistis remarked.

Vreya sighed. 'Well, okay, I'll tell you…'

---------------◊---------------

The parents were gone. Good, it would make his task easier. When he had finally arrived he had seen that the family car was gone. Being careful not to make any noise, the young, now cloaked man stealthily crept across the back garden grass. Climbing over the fence had been relatively easy. He was young and athletic after all. The sky was darkening, but he would have to be careful not to be seen. He turned his face up and saw that the window to a room was open. From it came female voices.

_Perfect. Must be her bedroom_, he thought. He moved slowly and purposefully and pressed his back against the outside wall of the house. He stood beside a small hedge, so that he could quickly hide should anyone happen to look out of the window.

'…It's always the same…' a sweet, breathy voice was saying. He knew that voice. It was the girl he had been following for well over a month now.

'So you're always alone in a dark field with this stranger in this dream?' Another voice asked.

'Yes.' The voice of the girl replied.

'Hey Vreya, what about the guy you always see?' Another female voice asked.

'Oh…I don't really see him…' The girl responded.

_So, it's Vreya. I thought that was her name…_The young man had heard the name mentioned a few times but had not been sure if it belonged to the girl. Now he was certain.

Inside the room, Selphie grinned. 'Guy? The guy of your dreams?'

'Selphie.' Quistis shot her a look.

'I don't really see him. I just reach out to take his hand and he tells me not to be scared.' Vreya went on.

'Scared of what?' Rinoa asked softly.

'I don't know. He always disappears before I can take his hand though.'

'Do you know what he looks like?' Quistis asked.

Vreya felt rather embarrassed. She knew he had green eyes, but if she admitted to that, she knew what they would all say.

'No, I…' she began, but Lila smirked and spoke up.

'He has green eyes.' She glanced at Vreya, who glared at her.

'Green eyes?' Selphie repeated, and then grinned. 'HEY! I know who that is!'

'Have you ever considered the possibility…?' Rinoa began, trying to hold back a smile. 'That…it's Zane you're seeing?'

'No.' Vreya said, too quickly and too loudly. 'I mean. Yes, of course, but it's not him. I know it for sure.'

'How?' Sara asked. 'We think it is.'

'Because the guy isn't anything like Zane, his tone of voice is different, the words he says would never be anything Zane would say.' Vreya argued.

'Perhaps.' Sara said with a slight sly smile. 'It's a new and improved Zane.'

'No.' Vreya replied, furious that she was going red. 'It's not.'

'Vreya.' Rinoa began. 'You still don't have a knight. I think Zane would agree if you asked him yourself. He's like Squall was. He hides behind barriers to distance himself from his emotions and other people's. You can knock them down. It's already happening isn't it?'

'No.' Vreya replied, but thought of the conversation she had had with him the previous day. 'He's…confusing.'

Selphie and Roxy giggled.

'But he's hot too.' Roxy reminded Vreya. 'And he can kick ass!'

'…' Vreya rolled her eyes. 'It's not Zane. Maybe there's someone else we haven't found yet.'

'That sounds unlikely to me…' Lila said.

Rinoa could see how embarrassed Vreya was getting and decided to close the subject. 'I'm sure it will all make sense soon. Now, you promised movies!'

The girls cheered. Outside, the young man had heard it all.

_A green eyed young man who she keeps seeing in her dreams but doesn't know the identity of_…he thought. An idea was forming in his mind, a brilliant idea that could not fail.

He himself had hazel eyes that were tinged with green. With the help of contact lenses he could easily mask the true colour. With the help of lenses…or even more convincingly, magic.

He was there age. He could fight using two blades at a time. He was skilled with the gun. He had everything it took to fool the girl and her friends that he was one of them. Except the heart stone, the Earth stone; if he could somehow find a way to obtain one and use magic to make it glow to his touch as if he were a Chosen One himself, the others would accept him and he could find out vital information for his master. A traitor in a disguise none of them would see past.

A small smile graced Richter Kane's well-formed lips. With a little luck he would make the girl, Vreya, trust him, and he would deliver her to his master personally. The reward would be enormous. Of course, in order for is plan to work, he had to make sure the girl was not captured in two days time, when the attack on her house would take place.

If the girl was not captured, Kane would suggest the plan to Lorne, and he was pretty sure his master would agree to it, and aid him with powerful dark magic. All Kane needed to do was to somehow get hold of one of the stones the Chosen Ones all wore for protection, and make sure that the monsters that would be arriving here in two days would not harm or capture the girl.

Smiling smugly to himself, Kane quietly made his way back across the garden and over the fence. He had heard enough.

---------------◊---------------

'Want some water to drink?' Harris asked the teenagers in the back of the van. Gen was out cold, and Seifer sat beside him, polishing Hyperion.

Ash sat beside Zane, who had his arms folded across his chest, as usual.

'I think they've had enough water for one day.' Fleck laughed.

'We almost there?' Seifer asked. He needed to get out of the wet clothes.

'I think Costa can give you spare clothes.' Ash said. 'You look his size.'

Seifer didn't respond.

Ash turned his attention to Zane. 'Uh…Zane?'

Zane's eyes were closed, but he opened them and glanced at Ash.

'Thanks for coming back for me. I would have died.'

Ash expected a sarcastic response, but to his surprise, Zane merely shrugged.

Silence filled the van for a few moments. Then Ash spoke up again.

'You still need more practice to out-do me though.' He added to Zane. He felt the boy's eyes turn to him in surprise. Ash turned his head, and offered a genuine smile. However moody and rude Zane was, he was certainly irreplaceable on the battlefield. Ash was glad he had such a skilled and brave fighter on his side. He hoped he could learn from Zane's courage and follow in the young man's footsteps, in terms of battle only of course, and perhaps also how to get Vreya's attention.

Seifer laughed and at the front Harris and Fleck smiled. Ash expected a frown from Zane, but once again the boy proved unpredictable. Part of his lips curved up in something that was not quite a smirk.

Zane met Ash's gaze evenly, and gave a smug half-smile back.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_It's finally up! Sorry this took so long, but the new computer has been giving us all headaches. I'm not too impressed as you can imagine. Anyway, thank you all so very much for the reviews of the last chapter. I treasure each and every one of you readers. I hope you can forgive the delay, and I hope you liked this chapter. The next one shouldn't take too long now that the PC is in working order. Until next time then, fare well, and happy reading!_


	43. A Narrow Escape

**Chapter XLIII: A Narrow Escape**

****

Gen sat alone, looking at his hands. They looked quite ordinary, like normal human hands. But a day earlier, a brilliant spark of red magic had erupted from his fingertips for the first time.

It hadn't taken him long to get the hang of using magic. Seifer had been a good teacher, and together with Quistis, he had even become familiar with the art of drawing magic and summoning his elemental. Of course, the real test would come when he would need to summon Dragoone during battle.

He had junctioned with his guardian two days back, and he was still getting used to sharing his mind with another being. He was glad that he could finally use magic like everyone else; he had felt rather left out, having been one of the last ones to acquire an elemental.

_I never expected I'd get the water type…_Gen thought, and smiled slightly. Perhaps it was fitting. A year ago he had done a project on water and its importance to life on Earth. He had always had an interest in the liquid of life.

Looking up, he watched as a few of his friends practiced magic and improved their skills with weapons. Costa, Ash and Lila were standing together, laughing over something, and Squall and Zane were training with swords again. Fleck stood with his arms crossed, observing the two and calling out advice to Zane. Locky was standing with Sara and pointing to a target that hung on the wall. Zell, Irvine and Roxy sat together, and the small girl looked thrilled sitting between the two young men. Rinoa was sitting and helping Rica with a task that Gen supposed was sorting through various items. Harris was helping them and so was Selphie. Jez, Tai and Bo were across the far end of the training room, and were busy setting up another piece of training apparatus.

'May I join you?' A voice asked, breaking into Gen's thoughts. Gen looked up to see his mentor, who smiled down at him kindly.

'Sure.' Gen moved over on the floor so that Morgan could pull a chair that was placed nearby closer.

'I couldn't talk to you earlier because I did not want to interrupt you in your training. But I have been watching you and you have certainly improved.'

Gen shrugged. 'Well, I have you to thank for my skills with the rod. And as for the magic side of things, well, we have experienced teachers.'

'The Fated Children have indeed been valuable to us. I feel that they have a larger part to play in the upcoming events. They are not only experienced and efficient fighters. They are good guides and know how to deal with many hardships that you have yet to face.' Morgan said wisely.

'That's true.' Gen nodded. A silence fell between the two and Morgan was the one to break it.

'You are quiet. Is something troubling you? Perhaps you would like to share your thoughts?'

Gen stared at where Ash, Lila and Costa were still talking. Tai had gone over to them and clapped his hands and urged them to get a little training done.

'I guess I'm worried.' Gen began. Morgan waited patiently for his charge to continue. 'I'm worried. Our exams are now two weeks away. We've been missing a lot of final lessons, but I think teachers think we're studying at home so we've been lucky not to get into any real trouble. But the fact is, I mean, we haven't studied. All of us; I've tried but I just can't focus. There are more important matters at hand here.'

'I see.' Morgan nodded. 'It is unfortunate that these events have coincided with your examinations.'

'I don't know what to do. My parents will be back in town in a month. What am I supposed to tell them?'

'Perhaps you should tell them the truth?' Morgan suggested.

'They'd never believe me.'

'You have proof. You can use magic now.' Morgan reminded him.

'They'd freak out, Morgan. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to get relatives involved. Look what happened to Katrina.' Gen said.

'The monsters that the Threat commands will surely make themselves more known as time passes. Perhaps you will not have to sit these exams. There is already speculation on the news.' Morgan offered.

'What if we don't make it?' Gen asked. 'I'm sorry to sound so pessimistic, but I'm thinking realistically here. There are going to be so many and we're just a group.'

'There are fifteen warriors here.' Morgan said. 'And you forget the importance of The One. The One alone has enough power to strike the Threat dead.'

'Well, when are we going to know who it is?' Gen asked. 'We need to keep whoever it is alive, but what if one of us dies and we are this special 'One'?'

'The planet will not let The One die.' Morgan responded. 'And all shall be revealed in good time.'

'Hope that's soon.' Gen mumbled. His eyes moved to where Zane was rubbing his arm. Obviously Squall was more than a match for the young swordsman.

'Hey Morgan.' Gen spoke up again suddenly. 'I didn't expect to get Dragoone. If anything, I deserve to get an elemental last. But Zane-he's a great fighter, and he's pretty fearless. He kind of risked his life to save Ash. I don't understand why someone as strong as he is doesn't have a guardian to call his own. Why is he the last one? He should have been first, maybe even before Vreya.'

Morgan's eyes also moved to watch Zane. 'The Guardian King of legend is very wise, Gen-Ray. He will have his reasons for withholding Zane's guardian from him.'

'So he will get one?' Gen asked. 'Soon?'

'For every one of you, there is a guardian. Zane also has one. When it will come to him must surely depend on matters which are out of his, and our control.' Morgan replied.

'He's at a pretty good level even without a guardian and magic.' Gen remarked.

'The boy has been using a sword all his life.' Morgan said. Gen nodded.

'Yeah. Well, I hope he gets one soon, and one that's as tough as he is. He deserves it.'

Morgan smiled. 'He would not like you to compliment him so.'

'Well what he doesn't hear can't hurt him.' Gen smiled back.

In the opposite corner of the room, on a small, worn out, yet comfortable sofa, Quistis and Seifer sat together. There was a space between them, enough room for another person to sit, as both the ex-knight and the Instructor sat at opposite ends. Quistis was busily readjusting the spikes on her whip, and Seifer was reloading his gunblade with bullets. They had been sitting together in a companionable silence for quite a while, occasionally exchanging a few words.

Seifer glanced over at Quistis's weapon. He noticed that it looked like a very different and modified version of the one he remembered her using back at Balamb Garden's Training Centre. He had often seen her training there before the entire Ultimecia incident. Back before he had completely lost his mind.

'How many times have you modified that?' Seifer asked, breaking the silence.

Quistis glanced at him, and then looked down at her whip. 'Oh I don't know, maybe three or four times. I can't remember. Visits to Junk Stores were always so quick because of all the fighting…' Her voice trailed off.

The silence was now an uncomfortable one. Quistis looked at Seifer's Hyperion.

'You haven't modified yours.' She observed.

'Never had the time.' Seifer looked across the room to where Squall's Lionheart gunblade rested against the wall. Even Seifer had to admit it was the most awesome gunblade model he had ever seen.

Quistis nodded and they both went back to busying themselves. The silence stretched on, until Quistis could no longer stand it.

'Seifer.' She said bluntly. 'Why did you turn your back on Garden?'

Seifer winced. He knew the question was coming, but he hadn't exactly expected it to be put so directly right at that moment.

'…' He felt uncomfortable and part of him wanted to tell her to mind her own business. But Seifer knew he couldn't run away from what he had done forever. It was high time he faced his crimes and answered for them, even if it cost him an injured pride.

He sighed heavily. 'What do you want me to say Instructor?' Using her formal title made it a little easier for him to talk normally. 'I was offered something I couldn't resist.'

'Power.' Quistis said. 'That's right. You always wanted to be a leader. Perhaps you could have been. Did you ever think that maybe you could earn that right instead of cheating your way into the role?'

'…You don't understand how she influenced…' Seifer began indignantly.

Quistis cut him off. 'Stop making excuses Seifer. I'm doing this for your own good. It's time you faced up to the fact that you put yourself into a position where you could easily be manipulated.'

Seifer frowned and finished loading his bullets. Finally he said grumpily: 'Maybe.'

'Always the loud one, always wanting to be the star of the show.' Quistis looked at him, her light blue eyes cold and hard with anger and accusation. Seifer never imagined it would sting him so much. 'I never liked your personality much Almasy, but I respected your talent. We would have had a much easier time if you had put aside your differences with Squall and helped us.'

'…' Seifer gritted his teeth. Taking such harsh criticism certainly required more stomach than he had thought. Especially since he wasn't used to taking criticism lightly and without retaliating.

'I'm curious.' Quistis went on. 'Didn't you ever think about us after you betrayed us all? Didn't you ever think about what was going to happen to your home and to all the people you had grown up with?'

'Of course I did!' Seifer snapped. He was angry, but more with himself for choosing the losing side instead of standing and fighting alongside the only family he had ever known.

'Yet you still continued to issue orders to kill.' Quistis folded her arms, lips pursed.

Seifer struggled with guilt. He struggled to find the words. Everything she was saying was right. 'I wasn't happy when Edea issued the order to attack Garden. But I couldn't stop it. Every time I spoke up she'd…' he broke off.

'What?' Quistis pressed. 'She'd what?'

'Stop sending me dreams.'

'…' Quistis looked puzzled. 'What _dreams_, Seifer?'

Seifer shook his head. He was no way ready to talk about that. Quistis seemed to understand this, and sighed.

'It didn't have to be like this Seifer. In fact, more people may have liked you if you weren't always so rude and such a bully.'

'…' Seifer was silent. It was harder taking this kind of criticism from Quistis than he had imagined.

'It's hard to forget something like this. Cid believes in you and Edea feels responsible. Squall never really despised you before. You irritated him a lot, but he respected your ability. Zell…well, Zell always hated you, I admit. You were always putting him down. Selphie and Irvine never had anything against you until you threatened their homes and their friends. Rinoa…' Quistis now broke off.

She didn't need to say anything about Rinoa. Seifer knew everything already. There was another silence, and finally Seifer said quietly:

'And…_you_, Instructor?'

Quistis looked at her hands that held her weapon. After a pause she finally responded: 'I admired your spirit and your fearless attitude in battle. I hated your loudness and brashness, and your inability to follow orders.'

'…I hated how you always tried to act above us when you were really just the same as us.' Seifer retorted.

'Teaching is what I've always wanted to do.' Quistis argued.

'Is it, Trepe?' Seifer now looked at her. 'Haven't you ever wanted to be…free, like your students? Not weighed down by all those Instructor duties, not distanced because of your job?'

Quistis met his gaze and was speechless. Of course, what he was talking about had always been in her mind. Because of her rank she could not be what she still was: a teenager.

'I…this is hard for me to say.' Seifer began. 'I…okay, I've done some pretty stupid things in my life, and I admit it, joining with that hell-bitch was not one of my smarter ideas, but there hasn't been a day gone past where I…I haven't regretted it. I lost, and I hate losing.'

Quistis couldn't believe it. Was she dreaming? Was Seifer admitting to his faults?

'It was wrong but maybe it's good it happened. Nothing would have changed if it didn't. I'm…sorry for betraying Garden and everyone in it. I'm…sorry because people died because of me. I probably won't ever get over it.'

Quistis could only stare in amazement. Her heart was racing. She realised she was holding her breath and let it out slowly.

'And here you all are giving me another chance. Even Zell is trying. People can go crazy and I completely lost it. Okay? Are you happy now? I admit I was wrong.' Seifer finished, feeling terrible for admitting and apologising, and yet relieved that he had said it to Quistis. Then he did a gesture he never thought he would and put his head in his hands, letting his gunblade fall to the floor.

Quistis gathered herself and finally spoke. 'That was brave of you to admit, Seifer.'

'Don't rub it in Instructor.'

'Please just call me Quistis.' Quistis said, eyes lowering. 'After all I'm…well. The same age as you are.'

He looked up, and she looked up. Their eyes met and held. Seifer couldn't help but notice how pretty a shade of blue her eyes were and how pale and beautiful she was.

They had reached an understanding. Both had admitted to pressures that had been weighing them down and now they both felt lighter.

Quistis Trepe smiled slowly, and nodded. The she got up and walked away from him, leaving the room. Seifer couldn't help but notice that she had had a faint blush on her cheeks as she had turned away from him. He looked down, picked up his gunblade, and smirked.

---------------◊---------------

The words on the page were becoming a blur, and she had only been studying for two hours. Or at least, she had been trying to study. Now the black ink printed on the paper in front of her was becoming increasingly impossible to comprehend.

Vreya sighed heavily, and rubbed at her eyes. It was hopeless. She may as well have been studying Latin text. She was in no mood to study anything, let alone Biology and the complex transport system of plants.

'I'm so going to fail.' Vreya groaned, resting her chin stressfully in her hands. Staring at the pile of textbooks helplessly, she groaned again and lowered her head to rest in the cradle of her arms, which in turn rested on top of her desk. It was impossible to cram revision for four different subjects into two weeks. She was going to have to rely on her own not so brilliant memory to see her through, which she knew meant that she was going to fail badly.

She wished that she had Sara's excellent memory. Vreya was the sort who had to go over details many times before she finally memorised them. It was a painful and extremely frustrating process. She despised exams. She had always done well in them if she studied well enough, which she usually had in the past, but this year was going to be a disaster.

Her parents would be furious and disappointed. Vreya herself was furious. It wasn't fair that she had to fight monsters when she really should be worrying about exams like normal teenagers.

_Krysta, do you know anything about plants? _Vreya asked one of her guardians, her head still buried in her arms.

There was a pause before Krysta's voice replied: _I'm afraid I do not know enough._

_Great…Elyria? _Vreya tried her other guardian.

_I never did like Biology. _Came the response.

Vreya huffed and raised her head, looking at the clock on her wall. It was five-fifteen, and she had taken the day off training in an attempt to get some revision done. Of course, now she found herself wishing she had gone to train instead. She was just wasting time trying to study while taking little facts in. Her friends were all at the base improving their skills. Here she was improving nothing but her time-wasting skills.

She needed to eat. She was a little hungry. Maybe that would help. Standing up she pushed back her chair and made her way out her bedroom door. She heard a door close downstairs and her father's voice.

_Hey…dad's back early today_. Vreya thought, and smiled. She heard her mother greet him, and as she padded along the hall to the top of the stairs, her mother called up to her.

'Vreya, dear, will you join your father and I for some dinner?'

'Coming.' Vreya replied, and made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen. Her father had put his briefcase down and had taken off his tie. He smiled as his daughter came into the room.

'Hello precious.'

'Hi daddy.' Vreya kissed him on the cheek. 'How was work? You're back early.'

'Yes, our meeting was over quickly. I've had a talk with our manager and I'm relieved to say that he's having second thoughts about backing this successor. My colleagues and I agree that if we don't support our original employer, then we sit out the elections altogether. Of course this means a loss of income for all of us, but we'd be doing the right thing.' Mr. Wrenart said.

'Well, what does the president think of all this?' Vreya's mother asked as she handed the plates to her daughter to set on the table.

'I still haven't been able to see him. He's very busy.' Her husband frowned.

'Dad…have you seen…that guy again?' Vreya asked. 'Umm, the successor.'

'I did see him at work two days back. I tell you, I don't like the look of him. He seems much too young to be running for president. Why…I'd say he's little older than our girl here!' Vreya's father exclaimed.

_Dad, do you know that he's really centuries old? I wonder what anti-ageing product he uses…_Vreya thought silently.

'Really? I thought he was in his thirties.' Mrs. LillyMoore said.

'No, he looks young and I don't know-there's something about him…he's very suspicious. I don't know why, but I'm not the only one who doesn't think too well of him.'

'Well darling, he did appear out of nowhere.' Vreya's mother nodded her head. 'Vreya, can you carry this or is it too hot?'

'I can take it.' Vreya took the gravy off of her mother and set it carefully on the table. Her father sighed.

'Can I help?'

'You've had a hard day daddy.' Vreya smiled. 'You should sit down.'

'How was your day Vreya? How is your studying going?' Her father asked her.

_Terribly…_Vreya felt guilty, but shoved it aside. 'Oh uh…well, it's going well.'

'You don't sound too convincing.' Her mother remarked.

'There's so much to learn.' Vreya said truthfully.

'Well my dear, just try your best. That's all anyone can ask.' Her father nodded. Her mother had put the final item on the table and beamed at her husband and daughter.

'Well, let's eat shall we! Vreya it's wonderful to have you here for dinner. We hardly see you now.'

Vreya smiled, not feeling any better. 'Yeah I…I miss it too…'

---------------◊---------------

Dark, sinister, hungry eyes watched the silhouettes of humans move within the house. There were many pairs of evil eyes, more than enough to complete the issued task of annihilating the adult male and female that inhabited the home, and capturing the young daughter.

They had been hiding in the shadows for hours and had waited for the human male to return to the house. Now the time to carry out the killing was almost upon them.

The dark creatures knew only how to hunt and kill. They were sick, twisted demons that had been awakened from the deepest, darkest and most horrible depths of nothingness to serve the master that had summoned them.

They lived, and they were hungry.

One of them licked its dry, deformed lips with a long, red, snake-like tongue. It giggled hideously and moved forward, eager to taste human blood. A strong hand clamped down on its black, lumpy shoulder, and sharp fingernails dug into its skin, drawing dark, black blood.

'Wait.' The savage hissed to the demonic goblin. 'You will wait for the signal!'

---------------◊---------------

Mr. Wrenart noticed his daughter's sad look and smiled. 'Vreya, we're not angry that you hardly join us. These are very important exams and we understand that you need to study as much as you can. So cheer up eh? We only miss you terribly. That's all your mother meant by it.'

'He's right darling.' Vreya's mother nodded to her. 'We want you to do your best.'

'Thanks…' Vreya managed.

Her father beamed at the women of his house. 'I shouldn't be getting worked up with all these political issues. They're not as important as family are they?'

His wife smiled at him.

'And I have been blessed-I do have a beautiful wife and a lovely daughter.' Mr. Wrenart chuckled, and held out his arms to embrace both.

They both went, and shared a warm, family embrace. Vreya's eyes stung with the effort to withhold tears of sadness. She knew the day would soon come when she would be leaving them for good until the threat was over. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her father's shoulder and clung onto him tightly, and her other arm wrapped itself firmly around her mother's slender waist; as if she were afraid to let either of them go.

---------------◊---------------

There it was, the sign they had been waiting for, the sign of weakness that they could take advantage of. The three humans were all huddled together and there was no way they would be prepared for the attack that was about to take place. The kitchen window was open and from it drifted the pleasant aroma of human food.

But the aroma of human blood that was so close to being shed was far more appealing.

'Now.' The savage leader whispered, and silently the deadly, armed group moved forward towards the open window.

---------------◊---------------

Vreya's eyes opened. Over her father's shoulder she could see the kitchen window that her mother had left open. It was strangely dark outside, and it looked like it was going to rain.

A strange feeling was starting to come over her. She felt tingly and her heart beat suddenly quickened. The feeling was…was similar to what she had felt when she had stood close to Lorne, but it was not as powerful or as painful.

But she knew the feeling. She knew what it meant. Her body was warning her that darkness was nearby. Very near…

She peered around her father's shoulder, staring hard through the window. The shadows of trees out in the back garden threw themselves around the window. The shadows seemed to be moving along with the trees as the branches swayed in the wind.

_There…is no wind blowing…_Vreya realised, and gasped as dark, black shadows moved closer and closer to the window.

'Daddy…!' Vreya cried suddenly, as the shadows reached the window, their red eyes glowing menacingly. 'Look out-!'

'What…' Her father began, releasing both his wife and daughter and moving to turn to see what troubled Vreya. He didn't get a chance to finish.

The window exploded and shattered glass flew everywhere. In the blink of an eye, shadows moved into the house. Another explosion and the same wall crumbled, sending bricks, debris and dirt all over the place.

Vreya's mother screamed. Mr. Wrenart stood in front of his wife and daughter, staring in horror and disbelief at the creatures that had destroyed his kitchen wall.

Vreya couldn't believe it. She knew what two of the creatures were. She had run into them before, when she and Zane had led two of the same kind on a chase through various alleyways on the day Vreya had discovered Katrina was dead. They were savages, who almost looked human but were dressed in strange, dirty clothing. But the five black, shadow-like creatures were something else she had never seen. They looked like goblins. They were small in height but wide at the belly. They had claws at their hands and feet, and had strange, red tribal marks on their lumpy foreheads. Their skin was lumpy and they stank. Their ears were sharp and pointy, their noses looked like pig snouts and their lips were deformed. Their eyes changed from a dark black to a throbbing red.

They were hideous. They looked like goblin-demons that had come straight out of hell. And they were carrying weapons. Spears, spiked clubs, small sharp axes, and blades that had old, crusty, dried blood on them.

'What unholy things are you?' Vreya's father was clearly terrified, but he was determined to protect his family. Vreya's mother was sobbing, and Vreya was afraid the woman would faint.

She could understand their shock. After all, she had felt the same thing when she had first seen her first monster.

'We are…your death…' A savage sneered, and raised a sharp sword, pointing it at Vreya's father. 'Fulfil our master's wishes!'

_Their master…_Vreya felt sick with horror as realisation hit her. Her father had interfered. Morgan had warned her that this would happen. _He_ had found out where they lived and he had sent them to kill her father and mother.

The goblins licked their lips with serpent like tongues and crawled forward, eyes bloodthirsty.

'Leyton!' Vreya's mother cried. 'What are they?'

'God.' The word was all that her husband could manage.

'What do they want?' His wife shrieked, and grabbed the hot gravy from the table. Bravely she threw it at the closest goblin. It scalded the black skin and the stench was almost unbearable.

'You'll pay for that wench.' One of the savages hissed. 'Kill them both and seize the girl!'

Vreya couldn't believe this was happening. It was her personal nightmare. If anything happened to her parents she didn't know what she would do.

'Mum, get out of here!' Vreya whispered. 'The door…!'

But two of the goblins had moved to block the exit.

'Don't try and call for help.' The other savage grinned. 'Your neighbours are all asleep and they will not wake until we wake them…'

'No…let them scream…I like human screams.' The other said and they cackled together.

'Who sent you?' Mr. Wrenart shouted, his horror and fear turning into anger.

'Ah…you have displeased our master. He asks us to tell you not to meddle in affairs that do not concern you…' Came the response.

'…' Realisation washed over Vreya's father's face. 'Oh God.' He said hoarsely. 'Lorne…what is he?'

The goblins pounced. Vreya screamed and shoved her father out of the way. Her mother was also screaming and grabbed a kitchen knife from a drawer. Her husband snatched it from her and bravely attempted to stab at one of the goblins. The goblin had a chain whip however and struck the knife out of his hand, injuring it in the process.

Vreya was afraid but she had the best chance of doing damage to the disgusting creatures. Part of her didn't want her parents to know what she was capable of but she had no choice. She had to use magic if she wanted to save their lives.

Angrily, she summoned an explosive Firaga spell and sent it in the direction of three goblins. Her mother screamed and looked at her daughter, face deathly pale.

'Oh God…what…w…what…'

The look on their faces hurt Vreya deeply. It reinforced the fact that she was a freak. She didn't have time to explain, so she simply said:

'I have the power to fight them. I'm sorry…I didn't want to tell you…'

'Since when…God Vreya, how did you…?' Her father exclaimed, horror clearly visible on his face.

'That's why you're always not in…' Her mother gasped. Tears streamed down her cheeks. 'Oh God, is that why Vreya?'

'I'm sorry.' Vreya said again, not bothering to hold back her own tears. She cast a Flare spell but the monsters scattered. A savage moved quickly and attacked her father.

'No!' Vreya screamed and moved as fast as she could, intercepting the savage. 'Leave them alone!'

The savage had his sword raised but he did not strike Vreya. 'Don't make me disobey my orders, human scum!' He gestured with his other hand and she was flung back. She landed on the floor, hard.

'Vreya!' Her mother cried. She stood helplessly between her husband and daughter. Goblins advanced on her daughter and her instincts to protect her child kicked in.

'Get away from my daughter you monsters!' She flung a plate at them and it caused them to scatter again. Vreya's mother threw everything she could find at the goblins.

Vreya got up and gritted her teeth. She grabbed a plate and charged at a goblin. It hissed, its club rose, and it swiped at her. Vreya evaded and hit the plate on its head. It staggered, dazed, and Vreya kicked it as hard as she could, disarming it of the spiked club. She grabbed it off the floor and hit the goblin again. Dark blood flew up into the air. Vreya clutched her new weapon and turned to help her father who was bravely trying to hold off a savage. But as Vreya moved to cast a spell at the savage, something knocked her off her feet sending the club flying out of her grasp.

It was another goblin and it snarled at her, its teeth sharp and threatening.

'Send her to sleep!' The other savage yelled. 'The master wants her unspoiled!'

Furious, Vreya punched the goblin. It hurt her knuckles but she ignored the pain. Scrambling up she saw that two were surrounding her terrified mother. Vreya readied herself to summon Krysta. She needed to concentrate but she wasn't sure she could. Both her parents were in danger.

But Krysta would so more damage than she could, and so Vreya stopped and concentrated.

_Please…I need you quickly…_Vreya pleaded.

A goblin noticed her and jumped up and down, catching the attention of the other savage.

'She is summoning! Stop her!' He yelled. A goblin cast a Silence spell at Vreya, but she broke off her summoning attempt and dispelled it quickly.

Vreya glared angrily at the savage. They were more of a threat and smarter than the goblins. She threw the dish of roast chicken at the goblins that were around her mother and stabbed one with a knife while it was distracted. Her mother was now throwing glass mugs and metal pans. The kitchen was a mess. The entire back wall was destroyed.

A piercing cry split the air. Vreya turned, her heart leaping wildly, to see that the savage had thrust a spear into her father's gut. Vreya screamed.

'FATHER!'

'LEYTON!' Her mother shrieked. 'NO!'

The savage grinned and yanked the spear out. Vreya's father was no warrior and he fell instantly to the floor. A pool of blood began to spill on the white tiles. Vreya's mother threw pans to clear the way to her husband. She dropped to her knees, sobbing, holding him, and putting her hand over the deep gash in his stomach.

'Hold on…' Mrs. LillyMoore sobbed to her husband. 'Please…hang on…'

Inside Vreya's mind, Elyria was wild with fury.

'Krysta! We have to help! I'm going to go!'She cried. It was painful to see her family suffering while unable to act.

'You know we cannot act without being summoned!'Krysta scolded her.

'They're going to die! They're not letting Vreya call us! We have to do something!' Elyria argued.

'Have you forgotten all that our King instructed you? Would you displease him?' Krysta snapped.

Elyria was frustrated but she didn't want to get into trouble. She watched helplessly as Vreya grabbed a pan.

'Stay away from them!' Vreya screamed, and threw it at the savage. 'You…you demons!'

'Now…she is vulnerable!' The savage that had impaled her father shouted.

Vreya readied an Ultima spell, and as she ran forward to cast it she felt herself slowing down.

'Uh?' She cried in confusion, and in the next instant she fell to a knee on the floor. A strange feeling was coming over her. She felt the sudden need to…sleep. She was exhausted and she barely had the strength to keep her eyes open.

'What?' She whispered. Her head lowered and she could feel the triumphant laughter of the monsters.

'Yes! We have her now! Finish the mother! Let the man bleed to death!'

Vreya's eyelids felt heavy. Her limbs felt like a terrible weight that she couldn't lift. Her head lowered, and she fell to the other knee, her palms resting on the cold floor.

She knew what had happened. They had cast a Sleep spell, and because she was already tired from the sudden activity, it was working remarkably well.

She had over sixty Sleep spells stocked. She ought to have some kind of resistance…

_No…I can't…it'll be over…_she thought, desperately trying to fight off the urge to give in.

_Vreya! _Krysta's voice was frantic. _Fight it! You must fight it!_

'So…tired…' Vreya whispered.

_Don't you dare give up! _Elyria screamed. Then, completely unbidden, the young guardian materialised, breaking all rules. Angrily, she hovered above her cousin, a dazzling sight of gold and bronze, holding a glittering lyre. She plucked the strings and instead of singing she shrieked in fury, delivering a Silence and Blind combo attack. She dematerialised as quickly as she had appeared.

Vreya's mother was sobbing in disbelief. Two goblins licked their lips and giggled hideously at her. She scrambled back and grabbed a pan that was on the floor nearby.

'Get back you devils!' She cried. She swiped with the pan and missed. Trying again, she failed miserably as a goblin intercepted and knocked it out of her hands. In another swift motion it struck out with its small, sharp dagger and connected with human flesh. Blood spurted from Mrs. LillMoore's right shoulder.

The woman could not withhold her scream of pain. She clutched her shoulder, staggering.

The goblins hissed, eyes hungry and sadistic.

The scream echoed in Vreya's mind. Her mother had been hurt. Anger and pain swelled within her and with a huge effort she shook her head and fought off the effect of the Sleep spell with sheer will power.

'Ugh…' she pushed herself up, fighting off the feeling of nausea. For a moment she saw double but the sensation quickly vanished.

'It's not possible…' A savage gasped. 'We had her!'

'That…that witch! I say we hit her!' The other snarled.

'The master said…' The first argued.

'Have you a better idea!' His companion snapped back.

Vreya moved, a furious and dangerous light blazing in her eyes. The savages saw this change and so did the goblins. The goblins that were advancing to finish her mother turned and eyed the girl and hissed.

Vreya evaded a sword swipe and grabbed the goblin by its arm. She elbowed it hard in its face and disarmed it of its sword. Whirling she struck at another. Untrained in the use of a sword she missed. The monsters had scattered again however. Throwing the weapon angrily, she decided to forget about dealing physical attacks and finish them with magic.

Her blood was rushing very fast and her heart was pounding. She felt that her fingertips were on fire, and she stood between her parents and the monsters.

'Vreya…' Her mother sobbed. 'Please…save yourself…'

Vreya looked at her mother and saw the pain in her face, and the blood staining her clothes and her hand. A deep pain like a knife being thrust through her heart filled her. She looked at where her father lay, shaking violently, his eyes wide and full of fear, and a pool of his blood surrounding him. The same pain filled through her.

She remembered Katrina, and how she had discovered her cousin's broken body covered with blood.

So much pain, so much suffering.

Vreya felt so much hate and anger. And without a knight's bond to channel the powerful emotions that coursed through her body, the results were uncontrollable and completely devastating.

Letting out a scream of rage Vreya spread her arms in an instinctive motion. A bright red light pulsated from her palms and the fire rang up along her arms.

The savages were screaming at the goblins to attack, too afraid to act themselves. The goblins were afraid by what they saw in the girl's eyes and hesitated.

Her mother screamed in fear and confusion.

Vreya heard nothing, felt nothing but fury and pain. With another cry she gestured with her arms and the light swelled and flew at the creatures that had caused her pain, in a powerful, lightening fast arc. The monsters were struck directly, unprepared for such a powerful attack. A great gust of wind accompanied the attack and sent them soaring back. When the dust and smoke and light had faded, another wall of the kitchen had crumbled.

The bodies of the goblins were on the floor. Or what remained of them. The force had been so powerful and had exerted so much pressure that they had exploded. The savages were bleeding severely. One had an arm missing and the other had a deep wound to his chest. They looked at her with fear and disbelief.

'She…she has…the master's power…' One said hoarsely.

'A…a sorceress…' The other coughed.

Vreya's limit break had drained her, but she grabbed the wooden end of a broken spear, and moving quickly thrust it into the gut of the savage that had impaled her father.

Her eyes were dark and cold.

'I am letting you live.' She said in a slow, deadly and low tone of voice. 'Because you are going to tell your master that I will find him and I will kill him.'

The savage writhed in pain. His friend was too afraid to help him. He began to back away, knowing he was beaten.

Vreya thrust the wood deeper and the savage could not stop the cry of pain. A strange feeling of satisfaction filled Vreya. Her hands were bloody but she felt no remorse.

'Do you understand me?' She whispered.

'Argh…argh…y…yes!' The savage managed.

'Good.' Vreya said, and hauled the wood out ruthlessly. She pushed the savage angrily. 'Now get out of my face before I change my mind.'

They scrambled off like wounded dogs, and Vreya let the wood fall out of her hand. She turned slowly and saw her mother staring at her, a look of disbelief in her face. Vreya avoided her eyes and moved to her father, pain and sorrow replacing the anger she had felt.

'Dad…' She whispered. Raising her bloody hands she cast a Curaga spell. The blood cleared but the wound did not close. Vreya looked at the wound in confusion, and then at her father.

'It's…over…' her father whispered. 'I've lost…so much…'

'No.' Vreya said, and looked at her mother. She went up to her and raised her hands. Her mother flinched.

'Trust me.' Vreya told her and tried the same spell. Her wound closed, and she looked at her smooth skin in wonder.

'Vreya…' she began. Vreya cut her off.

'Go to dad. I'm going to call the ambulance. They'll come for you. I'll come by and see how you're doing later.'

'W…what?' her mother managed. 'Vreya…you're hurt…where are you going?'

Vreya could feel a sting on her left cheek and her right arm had a minor cut that was still bleeding. Her hands had been cleared of blood when she had cast the Curaga spell on her mother.

'I need to talk to someone.' Vreya replied. As she moved to leave, her mother caught her arm.

'Vreya…'

'Mum. Do this for me. Please.' Vreya met her gaze directly. She could see the confusion in her mother's eyes, and the fear, but she could not address the questions her mother wanted to ask her now. Her mother seemed to understand and released her, and moved to her husband.

'Please be careful.' She whispered.

Vreya moved out of the ruined kitchen and to the family room. Picking up the phone she dialled for an ambulance.

'Hello this is the operator which service do you require?' A woman's voice asked pleasantly.

'Ambulance.' Vreya replied flatly.

'Just a moment…okay, can I have your name and your address?'

Vreya gave her address but withheld her name.

'Okay, and the nature of the problem please?' The woman asked next.

'My parents have been attacked by murderers. My father is losing a lot of blood.' Vreya said. 'Please send an ambulance here now.'

'Okay an ambulance should be there in ten minutes. While you are waiting, you can administer a few basic first aid techniques. What is the nature of the injury?' The woman asked.

Vreya told her and listened to the advice. When all was said, Vreya hung up and went back to the kitchen.

'Mum, here, bind the wound.' Vreya tossed two cloths she had tied together to her mother. Her mother did as she was instructed. Then they sat in silence, waiting.

Her father spoke up in a weak voice. 'Where is…Vreya…?'

Vreya moved closer so that her father could see her. She took his hand. 'Right here daddy.'

'You…you saved you mother.'

'Dad don't speak like that.' Tears stung Vreya's eyes. 'You're going to be fine okay? The ambulance is on its way.'

'I…I don't know what…you did…or how…but…those things…they…' He broke off, face twisting in pain. Vreya knew of no spell that could relieve him of pain.

'Lorne sent them.' Vreya said. 'You opposed him, dad.'

'I…when the police get here I'll…I'll see that man in court!' Her mother said tearfully. She was still trying to come to terms with everything, and she was still in shock.

'No. Leave him to me.' Vreya looked at her. 'I have people who can help. You just concentrate on helping dad recover.'

'Vreya…how did you…get involved in…all this?' Her mother asked. 'It was like you'd seen them before.'

Vreya was silent. Finally she replied, as she heard the wail of an ambulance car in the distance: 'I've been chosen.'

Her mother stared in confusion. Vreya hugged her suddenly and then looked at her father.

'I'll drop by. You're going to make it daddy.' She stood up and moved to leave the house out of the destroyed wall.

'Vreya…wait!' her mother cried after her. 'Come back!'

But Vreya did not turn. She knew it was too dangerous for her to be with her family now. Ignoring her mother's calls she left the house, crossed the back garden, made her way to the front of the house and hurried across the street, seeking refuge behind a car as the ambulance arrived with police cars behind it. Paramedics hurried in and Vreya waited as they entered and then left, carrying her father on a stretcher. Vreya's mother followed and looked about the street. The staff spoke to her but she looked dazed and frail. Vreya hid behind the car, and when she felt it was safe, peered around it again. Her mother had gotten into the ambulance. The ambulance drove off and two police cars remained.

The first gentle patters of rain touched Vreya's face. She turned her face to look up at the sky that was dark with rain clouds. She let out a long sigh. She was exhausted, so tired that she didn't even bother to heal herself. It would ease the pain but she needed a special potion to take away the tired feeling and she had none on her. Looking down again she dug a hand into her jeans pocket and felt that she had some spare change, enough for a bus journey to where she wanted to go. She didn't care that she looked a mess. It was not important to her at all. She didn't care if people stared. Slowly, she began to make the long trip to the base alone, tired and cold and hungry.

She did not see the shadow that hid watching her, as it in turn turned and made its own way home.

---------------◊---------------

'She's not picking up.' Lila said, as she closed the connection. She had been trying to call Vreya on both her house phone and her mobile.

'They've probably gone out.' Gen said.

'Haven't we trained enough?' Roxy asked. 'I'm so exhausted.'

'I'm hungry.' Zell said.

'What's new?' Rinoa teased.

'Hey Bo!' Zell called. 'You gonna starve us to death here?'

The mentor yelled back at him and the teenagers laughed. Sara looked at her watch.

'Well, it's nearly seven o'clock. We should eat and get back.'

'Sounds good to me.' Ash said.

'Well you can at least get off your backsides and help.' Fleck said. 'Come on, we need more hands!'

'I'm up!' Selphie jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Sara followed and so did Costa.

Squall walked over, having finished with his training sessions with Zane. Irvine grinned at him.

'Some intense training you've done leader.'

Squall rolled his eyes and sat down next to Rinoa, who smiled at him, and patted his stomach.

'Well…he's got to stay in shape.' She giggled.

Her knight gave her a sarcastic look in response.

---------------◊---------------

It had taken Vreya over two hours to find her way to the base. She had gotten lost on a few occasions and she was soaking wet. The light rain had turned into a downpour and it hadn't helped her mood that people had stared at her all the way o her journey. An old man had even asked her if she needed a place to stay.

Exhausted and starving, she finally found the small alleyway and the door she was looking for. Tiredly, she pushed the hidden doorbell and slumped against the wall, waiting.

---------------◊---------------

Zane had used the shower and put on the fresh clothes he had brought along with him to training. He now wore a clean white t-shirt that rested snugly to his body, and black jeans. Suppressing a yawn he sat down on the couch in another of the smaller leisure rooms. It was time for some alone time. Lifting his cell phone he checked for any messages and missed calls. Just as he was about to read one, the sound of the front doorbell went off.

_Great…_Zane thought. Since he was a level up above the others, he guessed he would have to answer.

'Zane, you up there?' Locky called from down the ladder.

'I'll get it.' He called back. Making his way up another level, he went to the front door and peered through the looking hole. The sound of heavy rain could be heard outside. A person stood outside, soaking wet. It took him a moment to realise who it was.

Unlocking the door, he opened it and stared at the person in disbelief.

Her hair was drenched, and she had a cut on her cheek, and on her arm. Her shoes were muddy and her top was slightly torn at one shoulder, giving him a glimpse of her smooth skin. Her eyes rose and tiredly fixed on him.

'…' She said nothing in greeting.

'…' He blinked, unable to hide his surprise. 'What happened to you?' He asked at last.

More staring…Vreya really wasn't in the mood. Her vision blurred and she stumbled forward. Zane caught her by her shoulders and pushed her back to a steady position. She looked physically and emotionally drained.

Closing the door with one hand he turned back to her. She was shaking, obviously cold. Then he realised she had also started crying.

'What happened?' He asked in a quieter tone of voice.

'…They…attacked my house…' She managed. 'I…managed to hold them off…but my dad…I…I don't know if he'll…' Her head lowered and it lightly brushed against his chest. The contact made his heart react in a way he knew he shouldn't feel, and he let go of her, and stepped back.

'They're downstairs.' He said, turning away and leading her to where the others were.

'Hey Zane.' Fleck looked up at him as he set a pizza down on the table. 'Who was it?'

Zane moved aside so that they could see Vreya. Lila dropped her fork and her friends gasped in shock.

Jez's mouth dropped. Everyone was silent and staring until Jez broke it.

'My God Vreya! What on Earth happened to you? You look a mess!'

Vreya met her mentor's eyes miserably.

'He sent them to kill my parents and capture me.'

'Who?' Tai asked.

'Lorne.' Morgan said gravely, quickly understanding.

'…' Vreya's head lowered and her eyes closed. 'If my dad doesn't make it…'

Arms wrapped around her. It was Lila, and her other female friends also gathered.

'Vreya…tell us what happened.' Sara said. 'And we'll retaliate.'

Vreya looked at her friend and met her gaze directly.

'No.' She whispered, and there was an anger in her eyes that none of her friends had ever seen before. 'No 'we'. _I _am going to kill him.'

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Hope you liked! Thanks for the reviews of the previous chapter; they're all wonderful as always. By the way, Zane didn't smile in the last chapter, he only half smiled. There's a difference lol. Sorry for the delay, as I was on holiday. Anyway, read and review and expect the next one soon!_


	44. Plans, Pain and Car Parks

**Chapter XLIV: Plans, Pain and Car Parks **

He knelt on one knee, struggling to hide his terror. The wound in his chest that the girl with the unnatural fire in her eyes had given him still hurt. He had healed it with dark magic, but splinters of wood still lay deep within his skin.

His companion, who was far worse off, having lost an arm, stood behind him, head bowed.

He cursed. Breaking the news of their failure to the master was not going to be pleasant.

Lorne sat behind the desk of the library of the current residence he was staying in, and lowered the large and heavy looking book he had been studying. His eyes rested on the savages. Studying them for a moment, he gritted his teeth. He guessed, from the looks of them, that they had failed.

However, he was interested in hearing their excuses.

'Well?' he said expectantly, clasping his hands together and narrowing his eyes at them.

The savage on the floor swallowed. Lorne could see he was shaking with fear.

'My…Lord.' He began in a hoarse voice.

To Lorne's left stood Kane. He had his arms folded, and watched the savages. He knew that they had failed. He had seen them. After all, he had been there to make sure that they did. Fortunately for him, he hadn't needed to interfere. He had seen how powerful the girl was. She had caused a kind of mini-nuclear explosion and killed all the goblins and severely injured the savages.

'We…left the father to bleed to death.' The savage paused. 'And the mother…much the same.'

'…' Lorne blinked. As long as the father was out of the way he didn't really care about the mother. She was harmless and could easily be silenced. But the girl was an entirely different matter.

'And…' he prompted. 'The girl?'

'The girl…' the savage grimaced. 'My Lord…she…we…weren't prepared for her to defend herself so well.'

'…I see.' Lorne said. 'So you have failed to capture her.'

'My Lord.' The savage with one arm spoke up. 'She was very powerful…her magic skills are…my Lord, they were alike to yours.'

Lorne stared at him. He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again.

'What?'

'She…she cast some kind of magic.' The savage said.

The one on his knee nodded. 'It came at us so suddenly; it pushed us all back and it killed all five of the goblins that had come with us. He lost his arm-the power my Lord-such power. It severed his arm cleanly. And then she thrust the end of the wooden spear into my chest…she was unfeeling when she did it my Lord. She is no ordinary human.'

'Unfeeling.' Lorne repeated. 'Fool, you hurt her family did you not? What did you expect? A Chosen One would not surrender like a normal human. You should know this. You should have been prepared!'

'But my Lord, a Chosen One should not be so powerful.' The one-armed savage insisted. 'And your instructions were not to physically wound her.'

Lorne glared. Not so powerful? The planet was not foolish. Lorne realised that only truly capable people had been 'chosen'.

'You could have quite easily sent her to sleep!'

'B…but my Lord.' The one on his knee stuttered. 'We almost had her. We cast Sleep, and she fell. But somehow-she managed to fight it off.'

Lorne couldn't believe what he was hearing. The girl could not be so powerful. Unless…unless she really was like him, unless she really did have powers that were like to his.

'And it was after that she sent the powerful attack at us.' The same savage finished.

'My Lord…her guardian spirit also appeared unbidden.' The one-armed one added. 'We did not give her a chance to summon, but it came regardless.'

Lorne frowned. This was getting more worrying by the minute. 'So you say she is like me.'

'Of course not nearly so powerful.' The one on the floor stammered.

'A sorceress.' Lorne whispered, closing his eyes. Perhaps she was indeed one. After all, when he had seen her for the first time he had sensed something more than just ordinary magic junctioned to her. Perhaps this was the reason why. The girl could truly have the gift.

Which meant she was more powerful and more dangerous than he had originally thought.

'My Lord…please forgive us…next time we will capture her for sure…she will visit her family in the place the humans take their sick and wounded. We can find her again.' The one armed one said. 'We will know what to expect.'

Lorne's eyes opened and rested on him. He stood up, placing the palms of his hands against the top of the desk.

'I do not regret to inform you both that there will be no next time for either of you.' He said.

The savages looked horrified.

'But…but your Greatness…' The one on the floor scrambled up. 'Please…we did not know…'

'Imbeciles!' Lorne had lost his temper. 'I warned you of the consequences of failure. When I first brought you to this realm, I made it clear that failure was not an option! You have failed and so you are deficient. I have no use for the likes of you.'

'Please!' The one armed savage exclaimed. 'We will bring her to you…by tomorrow!'

Lorne sneered. Their promises were desperate and he knew they would not be fulfilled. Turning his nose up, he looked away haughtily and gestured with a graceful flick of his left wrist.

'Remove them from my sight. Have them punished for their failure.'

Two men clothed in black moved from where they stood in front of the doors and took the savages.

'No…my Lord! Please!' They pleaded. Lorne was not interested and turned his face away. Their cries faded as they were dragged from the room and the doors slammed shut after them.

Lorne sighed and slumped back into his chair, rubbing his forehead.

_A sorceress…I must somehow find a way to locate her…she will ultimately lead me to the others…but how? The parade is in less than 2 weeks…she will be there…there must be a way…_he thought, closing his eyes.

Kane took this opportunity to speak up. 'My Lord, you don't look too happy. May I make a suggestion?'

Lorne's amethyst depths opened and fixed on him. 'What?' he asked flatly.

'Since the monsters can't get her directly, I have a more subtle way.' Kane said, walking around from his place and standing in front of his desk.

Lorne listened. The boy was certainly clever, and more or less the girl's age, and he knew these times much better than Lorne did.

'I went to her house a few days back, before the attack, and I overheard her speaking to her friends. Apparently, she has been having dreams which concern a green-eyed young man she does not know the identity of.'

'…' Lorne blinked. A green-eyed young man… 'Soren…' He whispered.

'My Lord?' Kane frowned, not quite sure what his master had uttered.

Lorne shook his head. 'Nothing. Continue.'

Kane's uncle watched his nephew curiously. He had not spoken of any plan to him.

'I thought that I would disguise myself as this stranger and in doing so I'd be able to find out a lot of information. And I will send word back to you and then once I have gained her trust, I will lure her to a location where I will trap her and bring her to you.'

Lorne stared at him as if he were crazy. 'Do you call that a plan, Kane?'

'Well it's guaranteed to work.' Kane reasoned.

'How can you be so sure, boy? You assume that she is foolish. And how can you be certain that there is not already a green-eyed youth in her life?' Lorne demanded.

Kane thought of the boy the girl's had teased Vreya about. 'She is not convinced it is someone she already knows.'

'You do not have green eyes Kane.' His uncle reminded him.

'That's just the thing my Lord. I would need your help. To make the disguise convincing.' Kane explained.

'Use magic.' Lorne said in understanding. His eyes lowered and he was silent for a few moments. Kane held his breath, waiting.

Finally Lorne looked up again. 'I am not sure I like this plan.' He said.

'Why my Lord?'

'Richter.' His uncle hissed. 'Don't question him…'

But Lorne held up his hand to quieten the General. 'Because I am not sure what your motives are.'

Kane blinked. 'I would do it to bring the girl to you.'

'You would go through all that just to bring her to me?' Lorne demanded, his eyes fixed on him suspiciously. 'That is all you want to do?'

Kane swallowed. Lorne's eyes were unearthly and they pierced through his own and into his mind, and Kane felt as though the intense gaze was searching for a hint of falseness or any intentions of betrayal in him.

'Yes my Lord. I serve you don't I?'

His uncle was shaking his head, believing him to be in trouble.

'And what reward would you seek boy?' Lorne asked in a softer tone. 'You are young and must desire much.'

Kane shook his head. 'Nothing…my Lord.' But his voice was unsteady as he said it and Lorne pounced.

'…It's the girl isn't it?' He said slowly.

'No.' Kane gritted his teeth.

'Do not lie to me.' Lorne warned. 'It appears that you have been thinking through this 'plan' very carefully and for quite some time.'

Kane fell silent.

A small knowing smile curved Lorne's lips. Perhaps this would be a perfect plan after all.

'She is indeed very fair.' He said quietly, enjoying the way Kane avoided his eyes. 'And I think you know her name.'

Kane couldn't believe how stupid he had been. Of course Lorne picked up on his reasons. The raven-haired man was very smart and extremely quick at coming to understandings.

'Yes.' He said, clearing his throat, uncomfortably.

'Then tell me, what is the little nuisance's name?' Lorne asked, raising a brow.

'Vreya.'

'Ah.' Lorne repeated. 'Vreya. Such a pretty name.' He didn't sound too enthusiastic in his statement however.

_Such a pretty girl…_Kane thought.

'My Lord, he is a youth…' Kane's uncle began, but once again Lorne cut him off. His attention was fixed on the foxy-haired young man.

'…What is it about this girl?' Lorne went on. 'You do not feel for her. She is the enemy, boy.'

'I know.' Kane said, shrugging. 'But she is pretty, and smart, and trying to grab her so openly clearly isn't going to work. Look what she did to those savages. Plus…I always wanted to play detective.'

'I see.' Lorne smirked. He understood very well. 'You wish to…what do you say these days? …Have 'fun'.' He pronounced 'fun' very distinctly, and with something like disgust in his voice.

Kane was silent. He certainly didn't love the girl, but she was prettier than most he had seen, and he did not mind the thought of getting to know her.

'I have changed my mind. Perhaps this is a very good plan.' Lorne announced.

Kane looked up, not believing his luck.

'I will give you the magic you need to disguise yourself and you will find out everything you can from her. I want to know who her friends are, who the other Chosen are, and most importantly, who the One is. I want to know which guardians they have acquired and those of the Fated Children. Everything they know I must know. Do you understand?' Lorne demanded.

'Yes my Lord.' Kane bowed his head.

'Once you have as much as you can, you will bring her to me. That will lure the others to find her.'

'What will you do to her my Lord?' Kane couldn't help but ask.

Lorne smiled a strange smile. 'It is a difficult task and if you succeed I am willing to negotiate the reward. What would you desire should you fulfil this?'

Kane thought. Asking for freedom from Lorne's services would only end up in him being hung in the dungeons or worse. As long as he worked for and pleased the raven-haired man, he was immune from his wrath. Kane couldn't really think of anything he wanted apart from the money that came with the job.

_Actually…there is one thing I wouldn't mind having…_he thought and spoke up.

'…I don't want her to die.'

Lorne laughed a smooth and cool laugh. 'I suppose she _would_ be useless to you dead.'

Kane blushed. Lorne only looked amused.

'Very well, if she is not the One, then once the others come for her, I will release her and you may have her. Alive. However, if she discovers your treachery and you fail…then you will die, she will die and your uncle will die, as well as all the other Chosen except for the One. Am I making myself clear?'

'Transparently so.' Kane replied, glancing at his furious uncle. 'I won't fail, my Lord.'

Lorne regarded him, looking satisfied. 'The magic will be so convincing that you cannot. You can already fight like a Chosen One. And since you have been blessed with a face that shames your uncle's I do not see any reason why she will not fall into this trap.'

'Or my arms.' Kane added, grinning, gaining confidence. Lorne's brief smile faded and he glowered at the dark-red haired young man.

'Upstart. Do not be so sure of yourself. If you fail your fate will be worse than those of the miserable fools that just left this room.' He censured harshly.

Kane silently cursed himself. Lorne looked so much like someone his age that it was hard to remember that the raven-haired man was so much older and did not like to joke.

He glanced at his blushing uncle. 'Then you leave it to me, my Lord?'

Lorne's eyes narrowed. 'No. Not yet. I would personally prefer to get information from her myself so that I may kill her. Allowing even one of the Chosen to live would bring me much displeasure. We shall wait until after the parade. I will send out a few more subjects, and if they fail to capture her before the parade, and during it, then you may go ahead with your little plan.'

'Why after the parade?' Kane asked, confused.

'I am sure that she and the rest will all be at the parade. They will come to see what they are up against. If they are captured during the parade then you will not need to go through with your plan.' Lorne told him.

'…She will die.' Kane said.

Lorne glanced at him. 'I do not care about the little wench, or about you. Feelings, Kane, are dangerous things. Women are even more so. I am sure you will not want her to be captured during the parade. If she is, then she is mine. You will not interfere in any case. Do we have an understanding?'

'…' Kane swallowed. He wasn't going to let Vreya die before he had the chance to know her. He had watched her for a long time, and his plan was perfect for getting information and for getting the chance to be with her for a while.

'Yes my Lord.' He replied slowly, much to his uncle's dismay. 'We have an understanding.'

---------------◊---------------

She was floating again. It was very similar to where she had been when she had first met her king. Hazy sky that wasn't quite blue surrounded her, and clouds gently floated past.

She wondered why she was here and how she had come. One moment she was inside Vreya's mind, the next she had opened her own eyes to find herself in a strange place.

Looking down she saw nothing but endless sky. She was truly floating.

'What am I standing on?' She wondered.

'Air.' A voice told her from behind her. Elyria turned and her eyes rested on impossibly blue ones. Tempest's wavy, unruly brown hair fell into his eyes and he stood with his arms folded.

Elyria smiled. She found him quite handsome.

'Hello.' She said, smiling. She hadn't really spoken to any of the other guardians, especially not the handsome ones, save for the guardian king.

He nodded in response, but did not smile back.

'So do we have some kind of meeting? How did I get here?' She asked.

'I sent you.' A clear and familiar voice said. Elyria saw how Tempest bowed his head respectfully and she turned.

Aurion had appeared so silently and so suddenly that she was quite startled.

'Oh…' she stuttered, unused to standing before such an important figure. 'M…my king…'

Aurion didn't look too impressed. 'Do you know why I have summoned you?'

'…' Elyria cringed. She had a feeling she did, but she wasn't sure what would happen if she admitted to it. 'Uh…I…'

The beautiful golden-eyes narrowed at her. Elyria couldn't look into them for too long. They were so intense, and in them raged such a blazing and dangerous fire.

'You have broken one of the rules that every elemental must honour.' He said matter-of-factly.

_Oh no…I know I shouldn't have…_she closed her eyes and opened them quickly again. She blurted out, feeling terribly afraid and guilty:

'I'm…I'm so sorry…but she was in trouble and they weren't giving her a chance to summon, and if I didn't act they would have gotten her and it would have all been over, she would have died and I couldn't let that happen, she's my family and I had to I didn't mean to break the rules I was just so angry and…'

'Shut up!' Tempest hissed at her in warning. She gasped and broke off abruptly, even more afraid.

Aurion was frowning. 'You speak far too much.' He said, rubbing at his forehead with a gloved hand.

'Uh…yeah…old habits die hard.' She laughed nervously.

He glared at her. 'This is not a jest. You must learn to grow up.'

Elyria's head lowered and she quietened.

Aurion shook his head. 'I was aware that the girl was in danger. But you are not to interfere. These hardships are a test of her endurance and her ability.'

'…'

'To appear without being summoned is one of the more serious faults.' Aurion added, his voice hard and angry. 'You knew this and yet you still broke the rule. I told you that you must abide by the laws no matter what. What have you got to say?'

'I'm sorry.' Elyria whispered. 'I was scared I'd lose her.'

'…The planet will not let her die so easily, nor will the Threat.' Aurion responded. 'And I warned you that it would be difficult. In order to be a guardian, you must rise above your…human emotions.'

'…My Lord.' Tempest spoke up from behind her. 'If I may say, she is still a novice.'

'I put her in Krysta's care.' Aurion frowned at him.

'Yes, and she disregarded Krysta's warnings.' Tempest said.

Elyria whipped her head round and glared at him. She had thought he had been standing up for her. 'Why don't you stay out of…?'

'You will show more respect to your elders.' Aurion cut her off. She looked back at him, guiltily.

'I'm sorry.' She said grumpily. 'But he's right. I did. I was just angry. They hurt my aunt and uncle, and…I know I shouldn't have.'

Aurion looked at her gravely. Finally he said: 'I should strip you of your powers for your disobedience and send you across to the other side.'

'No!' Elyria cried. 'Please…I'm not ready to go there!'

'Neither do you seem capable of following orders!' Aurion snapped back.

'It won't happen again, I promise!' Elyria begged.

He glowered at her. 'You promised the first time. How do I know you will not break your word again?'

'If I do, then you can really send me across.' She cried.

Aurion glanced at Tempest, who was smiling slightly.

'Well my Lord.' He said slowly. 'She is still young.'

Aurion looked back at the small guardian girl. 'Very well Katrina.' He said, not looking too pleased with his decision. 'You have one more chance. I rarely give second chances so consider yourself lucky.'

'Yes my Lord!' Elyria nodded frantically, relief sweeping through her. 'Thank you…your most…mercifulness!'

Aurion's lips twitched as if he wanted to add something else but he seemed to change his mind and merely chose to scowl at her.

'Now will you return to your cousin or are you going to disobey me and go on some kind of escapade?'

She couldn't hold back the giggle that escaped her lips. 'I think I'll go back.' She bowed her head the way she had seen Tempest do, and disappeared in a dazzling flash of gold light.

Aurion glared after her. 'Children.' He said in disgust.

Tempest smothered the smile of amusement he had been wearing and waited to hear his master's orders.

Sure enough the golden-fire turned onto him. 'Tempest.' The guardian king said abruptly. 'It is time.'

Tempest was surprised. 'So soon my Lord?'

'The Threat knows more about the girl than I would like to admit. He will hunt for her now, tirelessly, as the eagle hunts its quarry. He forces me to act before I would like.' Aurion turned away, frowning. He paced about for a while, before turning back to Tempest.

'Yes. There is no other way. As the Threat sends out more of his minions the Chosen will need more protection. The ashes of the Phoenix have been gathered and all is in place.' Aurion said. 'It is time.'

'My king.' Tempest said. 'There is still one more that does not have a guardian.'

Aurion's eyes lowered. 'Yes…the boy.' He was silent. 'He will wait. He is physically prepared but he is emotionally lacking.' Aurion's eyes rose and fixed on Tempest and there was anger in them. 'I will not permit the last guardian to junction to the boy until he is mentally prepared. He must learn not to repress his emotions.'

'I understand my Lord.' Tempest nodded. 'But I believe that perhaps he may be starting to soften.'

'…' Aurion snorted disdainfully. 'I think not. The boy is arrogant and so he is stupid. He will get his guardian…once I am convinced he is ready.'

Tempest fell silent. Aurion spoke up again.

'But the One is a different matter entirely. It is time for you to fulfil the promise you made to me so long ago.'

Tempest's eyes rose and met with liquid gold ones that were not quite human. He understood exactly what his king meant, even before the words were whispered to him.

'It is time for you to lead the One to the Heart.'

---------------◊---------------

Zell shifted uncomfortably on one leg. He had never liked hospitals, and they were few and far between where he came from. Many of the towns of his world had small walk-in clinics, or many people visited their local Garden to see a doctor. Illnesses were few in his realm.

He guessed it was the opposite on Earth. The hospital was huge, bigger than any of the labs he had seen in Esthar. Staff rushed around, the doctors in white lab coats, the nurses in blue uniforms. The corridors were endless and they were full of people.

'Wow.' He heard Rinoa whisper beside him. 'Have you ever seen a building so huge, and dedicated to taking care of sick and injured people?'

'I think it's great.' Irvine said. 'We should have more where we come from. Why'd ya think so many children were left as orphans after the first sorceress war?'

The three were dressed as ordinary teenagers, so as not to stand out from the crowd. Irvine wore a dark blue T-shirt and black jeans and his own boots. His cowboy hat and trench coat had been left behind. Zell wore a black and red sports pullover and jeans. Rinoa also wore jeans and a soft blue top she had taken from Vreya.

They were unarmed, but their weapons were all stashed in the van they had used to come to the hospital, just in case they met any hostility.

In front of them walked Lila, Harris, Vreya and Roxy. Vreya wore a hooded top and had the hood on her head. It hid much of her features, but she didn't have a choice in the matter. Visiting her parents was a risky idea but she needed to see them. And so she had agreed to let six others accompany her just in case.

They were following directions given to them by the receptionist. Rounding a left corner, they came to the intensive care unit.

Lila squeezed Vreya's hand supportively. The group walked down the white corridor and came to the door they were looking for. The window was draped with a blind but it was partially open. Vreya stepped forward and peered in through the spaces, resting her hands against the cool glass.

Her friends gathered to take a look for themselves.

Inside the room was a woman. She had plasters on her cheeks and she sat next to a bed, her head lowered, hair dishevelled. Her hand held a limp one that belonged to the man who was on a life-support machine. The machine monitored his heart rate which was, at that moment, steady.

Vreya's eyes watered. The fact that her father was on a life-support unit meant that he was not breathing easily on his own, and worse, that he was probably in some kind of coma. The sight of her stricken mother and her motionless father was too much. A choked sob escaped Vreya's lips. She had tried so hard to protect them, but alone she had been able to save her mother only. Her hands slipped from the glass and fell motionless to her sides.

Lila put an arm around her, and Roxy held her hand. Rinoa placed a slender hand lightly on Vreya's back. Irvine, Zell and Harris stood back, heads lowered.

'Man, this sucks.' Zell said at last. 'She's hurt so much already.'

'Kind of seems like they're targeting her.' Irvine agreed.

'Well, I guess the plan was to kill her dad.' Harris said, looking at Vreya sympathetically.

'How many did she hold off by herself?' Irvine asked.

'I think she said seven.' Harris frowned.

'Whoa. Yeah. She killed five in one go.' Zell nodded.

'I just had a thought. What if the enemy is after her specifically? I mean, they're gonna know she's pretty strong now.' Irvine mused.

'Yeah, she let two of them go.' Harris agreed. 'I don't know. She can't keep coming here, that's for sure. There are bound to be spies for the enemy. It's safest if she stays with us.'

'I should have exchanged myself.' Vreya whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. 'I could have stopped it.'

'No way! Roxy said. 'Those monsters would have probably ended up doing the same once you'd left!'

'She's right.' Lila agreed. 'Your parents would have both died. But they're alive Vreya…'

'Your dad will be ok.' Roxy nodded.

Vreya freed her hand and glared at Roxy angrily. 'How do you know that? I've had enough of hoping for the best. Maybe being realistic is the best outlook. He…he probably won't make it and I…I…' she broke off, closing her eyes.

'Vreya.' Rinoa said softly. 'You've got to be strong for your dad.'

'I'm so tired.' Vreya whispered. 'I'm so tired of being strong.'

'…Are you going to let him get away with it?' Lila asked quietly. 'Because you need to be strong to face up to him.'

Vreya's eyes opened. The despair was again replaced with anger. 'No. I'll kill him for everything.'

'You can't do it alone.' Rinoa said. 'We're here to help you.'

'…' Vreya sniffled. 'I…I just feel so angry. If I lose my dad…I think I'll lose my mind.'

'…He's alive and they'll do everything they can.' Lila reassured her friends.

'Yeah.' Irvine spoke up from behind her. 'Now why don't you go in there and sit with your Ma for a while? We'll wait outside.'

'I…I don't know…she's going to ask me questions…' Vreya said, looking frightened and uncertain.

'Then you tell her what you feel is right.' Harris said.

'Don't be scared.' Rinoa said. 'She's your mother.'

Lila gently pushed her to the door. 'Your mum needs to know you're ok. Don't let her face this alone.'

Vreya looked at them and nodded. 'Ok.' She whispered, wiping her tears away.

'Take all the time you need.' Zell nodded. With that the group turned and began to walk away.

Vreya took a deep breath and entered the room. Her mother's head did not rise, as Vreya closed the door and made her way around to her mother's side.

Mrs. LillyMoore's eyes were closed and Vreya was afraid she was asleep. But as she moved to look at her dad, her mother's eyes opened and she blinked sleepily, eyes red with lack of sleep and many shed tears.

The tired eyes turned and looked up at Vreya.

'Oh.' She said softly. 'Vreya…I'm so glad you're alright.'

'…' Vreya fell to her knees on the floor and hugged her mother, resting her head against her mother's shoulder. Her mother trembled and held her tightly back. They stayed that way, mother and daughter for a while, in silence, the only sound the steady beeping of the life-support unit's heart monitor.

Finally Vreya pulled back. 'What did the doctors say?'

'…' Her mother sniffled. 'They stitched the wound but he lost so much blood. They gave him a blood transplant and all they can do now is wait.'

'…How long?' Vreya asked quietly. She held her mother's hands in her own

'He…he's in a coma. He has been since yesterday. They said it's normal as a result of shock…anything from one to five days.'

'And…what if it's more than that?' Vreya asked, looking straight into her mother's eyes.

'…' Her mother shook her head, lips trembling. 'I…I don't know. Head injury…blood poisoning…oh God…oh God…what has happened?' She sobbed.

Vreya's eyes lowered. She would get her revenge. She swore it. The same pain that had ravaged the face of her father and mother would be reflected in Lorne's face before this was all over. She would make sure of that even if it cost her own life.

'He'll make it.' Vreya whispered. Her friends were right she needed to believe. A world without hope was not much of a world at all.

Her mother's tear-stricken face looked down into hers. 'Baby. Where have you been? I was worried.'

She reached out and stroked Vreya's silky hair. Vreya swallowed.

'I'm safe mum. I'm staying at a friend's house…don't worry about me.'

'I…' Her mother's voice was thick with emotion. 'There's so much I don't understand. So much…I can't believe.'

'I know.' Vreya said. It was as difficult for her to admit just as much as it was hard for her mother to accept the facts and reality of the situation. 'I'm sorry mum. I can't tell you everything. I told Kat and she died.'

Her mother looked startled. 'Vreya…how did she die?'

Vreya was silent for a few moments. Finally she responded: 'The same kind of things that stabbed dad killed her.'

'You knew all this time?' Her mother whispered. 'Why didn't you tell your aunt?'

'Mum, what are the chances she'd believe me?' Vreya demanded. 'It's not easy…b…being a freak! I don't want these powers, mum. I never asked for them. It's not just me. It's an entire group of people and we're the only ones who can fight these…these monsters.'

Vreya's mother looked very upset. 'I don't believe this. I keep hoping…it's just a terrible nightmare. That I will wake up soon and everything will be normal again.'

'Me too.' Vreya replied sullenly.

'So…all these time you haven't been home…you've been…' Her mother broke off.

'Yes. Learning to fight. Killing monsters.' It still sounded ridiculous to Vreya's ears.

'And who are the others?' Her mother asked. 'People you know?'

'…I can't tell you.' Vreya replied quietly. 'But they're friends.'

'Who is teaching you? Who gave you this responsibility?' Mrs. LillyMoore looked angry all of a sudden.

'I have teachers and no one gave it to me. I was…chosen to carry this burden. I'm not alone mum.' Vreya stood up and looked at her father's still form.

'By whom?'

'…Mum, I can't tell you. You wouldn't believe it…you don't need to trouble yourself. I'll take care of it…I promise. Lorne is going to go down. I'll make sure of it.' Vreya said.

'You've changed Vreya.' Her mother whispered, eyes wide. She looked frightened.

'Yes. Circumstances have demanded I do.' She replied, avoiding the woman's gaze. She took her father's hand in hers and stared at his stitched face. Sadness and anger threatened to overwhelm her again but she resisted the urge to fall into despair. Her father wasn't dead.

_Please daddy…please…_she thought out to him. _Please. I need you. Mum needs you. Please fight it. I know you can do it. You're so strong daddy. Please…please daddy…please don't leave us…_Despite her effort to remain composed, she was crying silently again before she knew it. She closed her eyes and prayed that her father would pull through.

The power that coursed through her veins responded to her silent call and flowed from her hand and through her father's. It seeped into his skin and worked its way through his body, slowly and with great purpose.

Her mother's eyes were lowered and so she did not see the soft glow of light that pulsated from her daughter's hand for a brief moment. It was gone in seconds and Vreya did not see it either.

Vreya let go of his hand and turned back to her mother. 'Mum, are you alone?'

'Your aunt just left a while ago. Some friends have come. Vreya. Please stay. I need you here.'

Vreya's guilt was a horrible weight on her shoulders. 'I…I want to. But I can't.' She whispered back.

Her mother caught her wrist as she stepped back. 'Vreya, you are the only family I have left!'

'He's not dead mum!' Vreya said, anger rising. 'Stop condemning him to death!'

Her mother was angry in turn. 'Don't you care? Why won't you stay with me? I need support!'

'I do care!' Vreya responded. 'But I can't stay!'

'Why? I'm scared, damn it Vreya! If you leave here I won't manage alone. At least I know you're safe if you stay. I don't know what insanity is happening but your family should come before everything!' Her mother exclaimed.

'…' Vreya was furious at her fate and furious at her mother. She didn't understand how it felt. She made it sound like Vreya wanted to be away from her family.

'You think I don't know that? I would give my life to protect you and daddy! But I don't have a choice! You don't understand! They're after me…he's after me! They know I'm coming here and they will attack the hospital to get to me. I won't be responsible for anymore tragedies!' Vreya wrenched her wrist out of her mother's grasp.

'Vreya…I need you here! There is security here…you'll be safe!' Her mother pleaded.

Vreya sneered. 'Security. They can't do anything. You can't fight the monsters with normal guns or bombs or anything! I'm sorry mum, but I can't risk your life. I won't. I'll call you, but I can't come and see you many more times.'

'And what if you don't call?' her mother was on the verge of tears. 'How will I know you're alive? Vreya, I'm frightened and I don't understand, please stay with me!'

'Don't do this.' Vreya whispered. 'Don't make me choose.'

'I need you!'

Vreya backed away. 'You're not the only one. I…I'm sorry mum, sorry that I can't change what I am. I understand if you hate me for leaving. But I…I'll always love you.'

'Vreya…'

The door opened and a doctor entered. She was a middle-aged looking woman with brown hair and was slender in build.

'Sorry I'm late. How is he doing?' She glanced at Vreya and nodded. 'Your daughter? She looks like you.'

'Yes…' Mrs. LillyMoore replied. She looked at Vreya. 'Vreya…please…?'

'I have to go.' Vreya replied, using the doctor's entrance to make her escape. 'I'll try and come back soon.'

'Vreya!' Her mother's voice rose and the doctor looked confused. Vreya closed the door on her mother's calls and hurried out of the hospital before her mother could even think to come after her, feeling terrible and miserable. But she had to let her family go. She needed to concentrate on matters that were more important.

Near the entrance stood her friends. Lila looked up at her.

'Hey.' She said. 'Ok?'

'No.' Vreya replied. 'I think my mum hates me.'

'Huh?' Zell said. 'Nah. She's your Ma.'

'What happened?' Rinoa asked.

'…She asked me to stay.' Vreya said. 'And I told her I couldn't…she needs me and I can't be there!'

The group walked out of the hospital to the huge car park.

Roxy pouted. 'This is so bad. Vreya should be able to be with her family.'

'I'm afraid that being a Chosen One means you need to sacrifice things.' Harris shrugged.

'You know I never asked you…why have we specifically been chosen?' Lila asked.

'Because you have inner strength and qualities that set you apart from other normal people?' Harris said. 'It's pretty obvious. Normal people couldn't deal.'

'So does that make you Chosen as well?' Irvine asked.

'Well, yeah I guess. We're the teachers.'

'Must have been a shock when you found out huh?' Zell said.

'Yeah.' Harris admitted.

They walked into the car park and Rinoa cried out suddenly.

'Hyne! What happened?'

Lila looked down at the Heart stone, the Earth stone that all of them possessed and kept with them. Lila wore hers as a bracelet. She had gotten a jeweller to attach it to a silver chain for her. She noticed it was glowing faintly.

'Oh no…'

'…' Harris looked around at the wrecked car park. Cars were destroyed and a few dead bodies lay on the cold concrete floor. Glass littered the floor and metal pieces from cars.

'They're here…the monsters!' Roxy said.

'We need to get to our weapons.' Rinoa said.

'Can you see any of them?' Harris said, as the group moved and hid behind a car.

'No…nothing…' Lila whispered.

'You know…I don't know if y'all noticed…they seem to be following us.' Irvine said.

'…' Vreya grabbed the keys to the van off Harris.

'Hey!' Harris exclaimed.

'They're following me…if that bastard wants me so bad let him try and get me!' She said, outraged.

'Vreya, what if they've already moved to the hospital?' Rinoa asked, dread in her voice.

A scream filled the air. It was nearby, and the group exchanged glances.

'Uh…I'm guessing they're still here, Rin.' Zell said. Vreya got up from where she had been crouching and darted from behind the car, running forward.

'Vreya!' Her friends called after her.

'Damn!' Irvine ran after her. 'Wait up!'

The others followed. They ran past bodies that could not be saved and stopped as they rounded a small corner. What they saw were three savages, a huge caterpillar like creature and two enormous flies.

'Kill all of them!' The savages ordered. The caterpillar was covering everything with slime. People were running out of their cars and screaming.

'The van!' Lila said. 'They're almost getting to it.'

'…Vreya, give me the keys!' Roxy said. 'I'm small, I can sneak past!'

'Yo, I'll come with you in case.' Zell nodded. Vreya gave her the keys reluctantly. The small girl grabbed them and sneaked around some cars with Zell. They kept as low as they could and managed to sneak undetected to the van. Roxy fumbled with the keys and unlocked the back, grabbing the weapons with Zell's help.

'Stop!' A savage said, holding up a hand. 'I smell more humans!'

'You sure you're not smelling yourself, pig?' Irvine asked, trying to distract the attention away from Roxy and Zell.

'Argh! Chosen Ones!' Another savage cried, pointing at them. 'Get them!'

The third looked at Vreya and did a double take. He seemed to know her. 'Y…YOU!'

The other two stared at him. 'You know that one?'

'She…she's the same one who escaped with the boy! I'm going to tear your insides out wench!' He snarled, moving forward.

They all looked the same to Vreya, but she guessed he was one of the two savages that had chased her and Zane away from the ruins of Katrina's former work place.

'Uh…you sure? Because we have weapons and magic and…you're outnumbered by one.' Irvine said, as Zell and Roxy reached them, handing them their weapons.

'Wait you dimwit!' The other savage snapped at his eager friend. 'If she's the same girl then she's the same one our master is after!'

'…Where's your insolent little friend?' The savage snarled at Vreya. 'I would have enjoyed killing him.'

Vreya raised her arm and aimed with her weapon. 'Not as much as I will enjoy kicking your ass!'

'Bite-bugs and a Caterchipillar.' Irvine smirked.

'No problem baby!' Zell rubbed his knuckles, smiling just as confidently.

'That's comforting.' Harris nodded. 'You know these things.'

'Bite-bugs littered Balamb.' Zell said.

'Kill them!' The biggest of the savages ordered. The Bite-bugs flew over and Roxy screeched.

'Yuck they sound like huge flies!'

'Uh…that's because they are.' Lila informed her and fired with her crossbow.

It struck the bug, and it buzzed even more loudly. Its comrade retaliated by flying quickly and trying to sting Roxy. She yelped and evaded. Irvine aimed and fired at the same Bite-bug that Lila had struck. It fell, defeated, and disappeared in a purple puff of smoke.

'That's it?' Harris said, surprised.

The Caterchipillar was a bigger problem however. Seeing that the humans had defeated a Bite-bug, it directed a Thunder spell at Zell.

'Watch out!' Roxy yelped.

'Hah!' Zell laughed. 'Heal me baby!'

'…' Vreya whipped her head around and gave him a strange look.

'He's junctioned Thunder to his elemental defence.' Irvine explained. He took out the other Bite-bug. The savages snarled.

The Caterchipillar crawled forward, leaving a trail of slime behind it. It suddenly bounced forward and smacked Roxy in the face. When it pulled back the small redhead spluttered, covered with slime.

'Argh! My hair! Ugh this slime!'

Lila fired at the savages but they evaded. One cast dark magic and aimed it at the weakened Roxy. Vreya intercepted, stopping the dark purple ball of matter with a hand. She motioned and the magic twisted at her will and was sent right back at its casters.

'She…she reflected it using her hand?' The biggest savage glared at Vreya.

Harris looked just as stunned. Vreya had great power and he was just realising how useful it could be.

Rinoa cast a Demi spell and directed it at the Caterchipillar. It wriggled and cast a Thundaga spell at her in retaliation. She had auto-Shell junctioned and so the damage done was not great. Zell ran forward and attacked one of the savages. The savage was quick and evaded, striking out with the chain whip he carried. Zell jumped back and cast a quick Fira spell at the savage. It hit him and he snarled in fury and pain.

Irvine fired at the same savage. He staggered back and fell to the floor and quickly drew a Cure spell from the Caterchipillar. Healed slightly, he stood up again.

Roxy was glaring at the huge caterpillar that had attacked her. Focusing her thoughts she let loose with an explosive Firaga spell.

'Take that!' she yelled.

Vreya fired with her projectile and it connected with the savage that had threatened her. He snarled and sent his own boomerang in her direction. It struck her and she clutched her injured shoulder.

Rinoa instantly healed her and looked at Roxy. 'Call your guardian! It will finish the Caterchipillar at least!'

Roxy nodded and began to focus. Meanwhile, Zell and Irvine were trying to wear down the savages.

'Come on stinkers!' Irvine taunted, aiming and firing again. 'Come on!'

Zell punched a savage and dropped down and swept him off his feet. The savage recovered quickly and somersaulted back.

Harris was pointing orders. 'Watch out for that monster! Lila, hit it!'

'Will you let us take care of this?' Lila demanded, firing at the Carerchipillar. It evaded and sent slime her way.

'Oh no!' She cried. 'MY HAIR IS MESSED UP AGAIN!'

Roxy suddenly opened her eyes and pointed at the huge caterpillar, angrily. 'Shock Wave Sonar!' She yelled.

A bright red light exploded and shot up from the ground. Tuvalu raised its graceful, small head and stretched lazily, squeaking. It shook its head and its large ears perked up. The huge adorable eyes blinked at the caterpillar that was so much larger than it was. It seemed unfazed however, and dug its claws into the Earth, letting out a strange cry. The fur on its back shot up and its eyes glowed. At its call the ground began to shake violently and split.

Behind it a glowing barrier protected its summoner and her friends.

The Caterchipillar writhed in pain as the shock caused it to fly high into the air. As it fell at high speed, the ground cracked and swallowed it whole. The savages had managed to scramble back on cracked land. Tuvalu squeaked and jumped into the air, disappearing into a hole in the ground.

'Oh right!' Irvine smiled at her. 'You got it!'

'Woohoo!' Roxy cheered.

Rinoa aimed a Tornado spell at the savages, looking to unsettle them and make them fall through the same cracks. However they were quicker and smarter than she had anticipated. They had cast Reflect and the spell went straight back at Rinoa who cried out and fell towards a large crack, managing to grab onto the edge in the last moment.

'Help!' She called out. Zell moved quickly, running back to help her. Harris did the same.

'Finish her!' The biggest savage snarled. He was bleeding but seemed determined to kill at least one of them.

His comrade aimed a Thunder spell to make her lose her grip but a jolt of pain cut him off. He had failed to notice Vreya cast a Blizzard spell at him. He froze. Vreya charged up her next projectile shot and fired. Magic streaked with the metal shard and it slammed into the savage cocooned in ice. The ice shattered and his limbs flew everywhere.

The other two looked horrified. Harris and Zell had pulled Rinoa to safety but two of the enemies still remained.

'Alright!' Lila exclaimed. 'Let's finish them off! Tempest! Combo-bolt!'

Her guardian appeared within seconds. His blue eyes rested on the enemy. They screamed in rage and sent all kinds of dark magic his way. Vreya quickly cast a Reflect spell to protect him. As the savages moved to dispel, Tempest moved. Lila fired two bolts from her arrow and Tempest whirled, using his element to send them at unstoppable speed directly at the savages. They were both impaled by the arrows and stumbled back. Tempest sent a great gust of wind and they fell back, screaming, into the cracks, swallowed by the Earth.

The wind slowly died down. Tempest dematerialised, and Lila let out a breath.

'Phew. It worked.'

'Wow.' Harris looked at her, impressed. 'That was impressive.'

'I've been practicing a lot.' Lila admitted. 'I reckoned I could combine my bolts with Tempest's natural element.'

'It paid off.' Irvine said.

'You kick ass! You don't need us!' Zell exclaimed.

'They're definitely getting better.' Rinoa smiled.

'And how'd you learn to charge your weapon?' Harris asked, turning to Vreya.

She shrugged. 'Practice.'

'Hey, are we forgetting the person responsible for sending them to hell?' Roxy demanded.

Irvine grinned and turned to her, putting his arm around her small shoulders. She grinned, immediately happier.

'We'd be so dead without you, babe.'

'Don't encourage her.' Lila warned.

'This place is a mess.' Rinoa said, looking around. 'I think I hear people coming.'

'Then that's our cue to leave.' Harris said. 'We've done all we can here. They shouldn't come back. They're after us.'

The group moved to the van. The heat of battle had distracted them from the fact that CCTV cameras had recorded everything that had happened.

As the van pulled out and carefully began to make its way off, the figure that had been watching stepped out of his hiding place and smiled at the wreckage he saw. They had failed again, and there were no survivors. The young people were definitely stronger than he had thought. He hoped this would keep up. Then he could carry out his own plan.

A plan that he vowed would not fail.

---------------◊---------------

Zane glanced at the time. It was almost seven, and almost time for him to leave. Practicing his sword fighting skills with Squall was definitely making him improve, but it also took a lot out of him. Stifling a yawn he moved to the storage room to replace his sword.

Squall's Lionheart was already there. Zane walked up to it and examined the weapon. He had always wanted to inspect it up close but wasn't the kind to ask. Placing his own sword down, which looked like a toy in comparison, he took the handle of the sword. He tried to lift it up but found that it was harder than he thought. The hilt was so different to any sword he had ever handled.

_This is an amazing blade, and it's so heavy. He must have so much power…_Zane thought. He replaced the sword back against where it had been leaning against the wall. Shrugging he turned away back to the training room. It was empty. Everyone had gone upstairs to eat.

As he crossed the room, scooping up a fallen target, he paused. Very faintly, he could hear voices. Standing up again, he looked around, trying to locate where they were coming from. He discarded the target on one of the tables and moved to the right. It seemed to be coming from the small room that was joined to the training room, the one that also led upstairs and had extra tables stacked in it.

He quietly stopped just outside the closed the door. The voices were coming from the room. They belonged to Costa and Ash.

His curiosity satisfied, he moved to leave the room, but the mention of his name made him stop.

'Zane saved your life? I can't believe it.' It was Costa.

'Give the guy a break. He's not exactly cheerful, I agree, but he's a good fighter.' Ash's voice replied.

'Hmph.' Costa replied. 'Anyway, if he really was in it he would have let you die.'

Zane frowned. What were they talking about?

'He's rude, not evil.' Ash said. 'And I still think he does feel something.'

_What the hell are they going on about? _Zane was tempted to twist the knob and surprise them and demand why they were talking about him. Didn't they have anything better to do?

'No way! He doesn't look at any girl.' Costa replied.

'Vreya isn't any girl.' Ash sighed.

Zane's stomach knotted despite his face staying emotionless.

'Man, is that why you're holding back? You're waiting for Zane to make his move? You've been digging for that chick for so long now!'

'…It's not easy. What if she takes it the wrong way?' Ash's voice said.

Costa snorted. 'If you're waiting for that asshole to make his move you'll still be waiting until you're old and have grey hair. I don't think he likes her at all. The most he would admit is she's not ugly.'

'Costa. Zane's a guy just like us.' Ash argued.

'No way, he's a freaky alien. Has he ever smiled or is he scared his face will crack?'

Zane's hands closed into angry fists. He hadn't exactly had much to smile about in his life. And unlike Costa he wasn't the sort to be arrogant over how he looked.

'Look, the problem isn't Zane. It's her. I just…I don't know. I want to tell her, but…something's stopping me.'

'I know. It's Lila. Ash, bud, you're in a serious problem here. You tell Vreya, Lila finds out and their friendship is over. She doesn't deserve that.' Costa said.

'…' Ash sighed again. '…Lila.' He said quietly.

'She's liked you as long as you've liked her best friend. She's pretty and clever and she really cares about you man. Why don't you pay her a little more attention?' Costa asked.

'…She's not like Vreya.' Ash said.

'Man, personally, I don't think Vreya is your type. And if you want my honest opinion I don't think she sees you in that way.' Costa said.

'You think I don't have any chance?' Ash asked softly.

'You never know unless you try, but I've never noticed anything, unless she hides it very well.' Came his friend's response.

_Ash has liked Vreya for ages and he hasn't told her? That is pathetic. What a wimp. _Zane thought.

'Better to stay friends than ruin what you have now and break Lila and Vreya up.' Costa added.

'That's just the thing. I tell myself that but I really care about her.' Ash said sounding frustrated.

'Ever thought that maybe you don't love her in that way?' Costa suggested. 'Maybe it's a little crush.'

'Unlikely. I…I don't know. I want to tell her but I don't at the same time. I guess I'm scared what her reaction will be. Maybe you're right. Maybe it's better if I try and forget it. Maybe…maybe I could try and like Lila.'

Costa laughed. 'Don't force yourself man. She does really like you though and Lila is a nice girl. But if your mind is made up, I'll help get Vreya alone if you really want. I just don't know what the outcome will be. If she doesn't like you that way it'll make things awkward.'

'No…just…forget it.' Ash said. 'She's got her eyes on him anyway. Even you can't deny that.'

Zane blinked. Vreya…had her eyes on him? For a moment he was stunned. Then he felt angry. Had he been so soft with her that she actually thought she had a chance with him? He almost wanted to laugh. He half wanted to punch himself.

_Over my dead body…_he thought.

'I don't see how she can like him. What's he got?' Costa huffed.

'Come on. Why are you so jealous of him?' Ash asked. 'If you stay out of his way he's not bad at all.'

'Yeah right.'

'Well he looks the part of hero. Maybe that's why Vreya likes him.' Ash suggested. 'Plus he has saved her life a few times.'

'Oh come on there's no way she can just like him because of his face.' Costa scoffed. 'And I don't think she's really into him. So if you really wanted to, you could get there first because he won't be telling her anything anytime soon.'

Zane was angry that they thought he could like Vreya. He admitted that she was a pretty better fighter than he had thought initially, and yes, she wasn't ugly, but that was it. That was all there was. That was all there could be. He wouldn't allow it to be anymore.

He twisted the knob and opened the door. It was time to get the facts into the two young men's thick skulls.

Costa jumped and Ash looked surprised.

'Zane?' He managed after a few moments of meeting an angry glare.

'Excuse me for listening in, but you were talking about me, so I don't count that as eavesdropping.' He said.

'You…you little…you were listening?' Costa exclaimed.

'I don't have anything to say to you.' Zane said, and turned his attention to Ash. 'I heard, and I think you need to know a few things. You know. A freaky alien's advice to a guy.' Zane tossed a dark glare at Costa then looked back at Ash.

'Firstly, let me clear this up. I couldn't care less about Vreya. Whatever you idiots are thinking, I think you can stop thinking it right now.'

Costa frowned, trying to comprehend the statement quickly.

'You…really don't like her at all?' Ash's brows rose. Zane glowered.

'I just said that didn't I, moron? Secondly, using my super alien powers, I can tell you right off that she's not interested in you.'

Costa's mouth dropped open. 'Since when did you care asshole?'

'I don't. But you'll cause problems and we have enough already.' Zane snapped back.

'You don't know anything about how she feels.' Costa argued back.

'I don't want to know.' Zane replied. 'And if you can't see that she isn't interested then, man, you must be blinder than a bat.'

Ash stared, just as stunned. 'You…you're saying you're not interested and then you tell me to back off?' He laughed slightly. 'You're kind of contradicting yourself. You don't care about me making a fool about myself. I think that you do care more than you think Zane, and I couldn't blame you. She's unique and if you insult her you're fooling no one.'

Zane glared. 'What you think is none of my business, but don't go telling me what my feelings are.' He hissed. 'Feelings get you nowhere. You win fights with your head not your heart. But go ahead and tell her. Don't say I didn't warn you when Lila leaves us and takes Tempest with her.'

Costa couldn't think of a suitable comeback.

'Any of us can be the 'One', Ash. Are you forgetting?' Zane added. 'If it's Lila and you drive her away, then I know who will be responsible if she ends up getting herself hurt and we lose.'

Ash couldn't believe it. He suddenly believed everything Zane was saying. Of course he was being honest. It was just like Zane to think of the bigger picture.

'And, to conclude this pointless little chat,' Zane finished, 'You'll be glad to know that once this stupid little quest of ours is over, you won't be seeing me again. Oh, of course, not as glad as me when I'm hightailing it and leaving all you losers behind me.' He added, sneering at them both. He then turned and left them both, slamming the door behind him. Ash and Costa glanced at each other, shocked beyond speech.

'Oh my God.' Costa said, finally breaking the stunned silence as Ash began to laugh in disbelief. 'Can you even think of a comeback for something like that? What an infuriating idiot. I can't believe him.'

'Well, at least we know he doesn't like Vreya.' Ash smiled. 'And you know, he's actually right.' He laughed again as the two began to make their ways up the ladder to the floor above.

'At least we know he's capable of more than a few words in his vocabulary now.'

Costa laughed out loud and followed after his friend.

**_Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_Wow. Long. Thank you so much for all the reviews of the last chapter. They were great as ever. Odin will be making an appearance. I haven't forgotten! I hope you liked that chapter. I'm trying to include more battles, and I hope that one was ok. Anyway, please leave your thoughts and I'll begin working on the next one._


	45. To Catch A Chocobo

**Chapter XLV: To Catch A Chocobo**

****

'Hello?' The tired voice spoke at the other end of the line.

'Mum. Hi.' Vreya rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. It had been six days since the monsters had attacked her house, and she had been calling her mother on a regular basis, to check on her father's progress.

It was an early Wednesday morning, and she was staying at the base. She had woken up an hour earlier, and for once she did not need to worry about going into school. Her exams started the following week and all students in her year had the week off to do final revision at home.

Vreya knew she was going to fail her examinations. But strangely, she didn't care.

Around her, Quistis and Rinoa were waking. Selphie was still huddled on the floor, sleeping peacefully.

'Vreya.' Her mother said.

'Sorry, did I wake you?'

'No…how are you? Is everything okay?' Mrs. LillyMoore asked.

'Fine…how are you? How is dad? You told me the doctors said he was making an improvement.' Vreya cut to the chase.

'Yes…like I told you yesterday…he seems to be breathing easier. He even opened his eyes a little earlier this morning.' Her mother sighed.

Vreya let out a deep breath. He was going to be okay. Her father was going to make it. Relief flooded her and she closed her eyes.

'Is he off the life-support machine?' She asked.

'No, the doctors are keeping him on oxygen until they are absolutely sure. He's a fighter. He'll make it.' Her mother said, her voice straining with the effort to remain strong.

'He will make it.' Vreya assured her. 'How are you?'

'Tired Vreya, so tired; I haven't seen you for three days. Why aren't you coming to see me?' She asked.

Vreya had only visited her father once after they had run into the monsters at the hospital car park. It was far too risky and she was not prepared to tempt fate and cause any more problems.

'I have exams next week…' Vreya sighed. 'I have to get some studying done mum. I'll keep calling to let you know I'm okay.'

'Your exams are next week? Oh darling. I completely forgot.' Her mother sounded apologetic.

'It's okay. I almost did too.' Vreya replied.

'How is your revision going? Did you go back to the house to get your notes?'

'Okay. It's been hard. I'll…try my best.' Vreya promised. 'And no, I'm borrowing off friends. I don't feel safe going back there.'

'Don't.' Her mother said and added: 'What about…your…other responsibilities?' Her mother sounded hesitant and Vreya understood why.

'Oh…don't worry mum. I'm just focusing on…exams.' Vreya replied, wanting to reassure her mother that she wasn't out doing anything reckless. 'You get some rest, if dad is getting better you should try and relax a little.' She added, quickly changing the subject.

'Yes, that's a good idea. Will you come and see me if you have time, please?' Mrs. LillyMoore asked.

'Sure.' Vreya nodded. 'I have to go now mum. You take care. I love you.'

'I love you.' Her mother replied.

Vreya closed off the connection and placed her mobile phone in her lap. Rinoa smiled at her in greeting.

'Morning. How long have you been up?'

'About an hour.' Vreya replied.

'Was that your mother?' Quistis asked her usually sleek blonde hair dishevelled from sleep.

'Yeah.' Vreya nodded.

'How is she? How is your father?' Quistis asked, folding her blankets neatly and automatically moving to help Rinoa with hers.

'The doctors said that my dad's breathing easier and he woke up for a little.'

'That's great!' Rinoa looked genuinely happy for Vreya. She smiled and nodded. 'I told you! Where do you get your fighting spirit from, after all?'

Vreya almost smiled. She looked over at Selphie and then at the girls.

'Since Selphie is still asleep, I think you'd better take advantage and use the shower quickly.'

Rinoa giggled. 'She does hog it in the mornings.'

'Not as much as Irvine does.' Quistis said and the girls laughed softly together. 'Would you like to go first Rinoa?'

Rinoa shook her head, stood up, and stretched, yawning loudly. 'Go ahead Quisty.' She replied. 'I'll go and see if the others are up.'

---------------◊---------------

By the time everyone had woken up, finished arguing over who got to use the shower first, gotten dressed and had breakfast, Vreya's friends had arrived. Lila, Ash, Costa, Roxy, Sara and Gen had all squeezed into Ash's car and arrived together.

'No school?' Irvine asked, as they arrived in the leisure room, to find that breakfast had already been eaten.

'Nah, we have the week off to revise.' Costa replied as he sat down next to Selphie.

'Not that we're going to!' Roxy said. Then she pouted. 'Hey, I haven't eaten!'

'I told you to.' Gen said to her.

'Neither have I.' Sara said. Locky emerged from the kitchen. He blinked and smiled at Sara.

'Good morning sunshine!'

Sara smiled back. 'So are you going to get your charge some breakfast? You're supposed to take care of my well being right?'

Bo, behind him, chuckled heartily. 'That is manipulation Sara! Locky, she's wrapping you around her little finger.'

Locky flashed a brilliant smile. 'Hey, you don't see me complaining. Just you babe?'

'And me!' Roxy waved her arms. 'The rest have already stuffed their faces.'

Locky laughed again and turned to get them some breakfast.

'I only had a piece of grapefruit and orange juice.' Lila said defensively. 'How can you call that stuffing my face?'

'I had a big breakfast.' Costa grinned.

'That's because you're a pig.' Ash replied. Lila laughed.

'You're like Zell. He ate all the pancakes.' Selphie smiled.

'What? He only had two more than you did, Selphie.' Rinoa exclaimed. Selphie placed a finger to her lips.

'Shhh Rinny!'

Vreya, who had washed up the dishes, entered the room. 'Hi.' She greeted. 'About time you came.'

'I could hardly drag myself out of bed.' Sara admitted.

Seifer yawned loudly, his arm resting back on the back of the couch. Zell glared at him. Seifer rolled his eyes.

'What now?' He demanded.

'Tch.' Zell muttered. 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks.'

Quistis looked confused. 'What?' She asked, on behalf of Seifer.

'Nothing.' Zell replied, averting his eyes.

'Can't teach a Chicken how to fly.' Seifer shot back, and smirked. Quistis placed a hand over her mouth to hide the smile that threatened to show itself.

Squall, despite his dislike of Seifer, found this comment strangely amusing. He kept a straight face and glanced at Zell before the young martial artist could react.

'Zell.'

It only took a word and a look for Zell to quieten down and resort to glaring at Seifer.

'Vreya.' Lila looked at her best friend. 'Why don't you stay at my place? We could try and revise together.'

Gen laughed. 'When you two get together, the last thing you'd do is study.'

'Tell me about it.' Costa said.

'And I suppose you have been studying?' Sara shot back at him.

'I have learned one chapter for one module.' Costa said.

Roxy laughed. 'That's so crap. I've done more than that!'

'Yeah well, maybe I don't like studying!' Costa said, exasperated.

'Thanks for the offer Li.' Vreya said, sitting next to Lila. 'But no: I don't want to risk anything happening to you.'

'There's no risk…we can fight them off if they…' Jez, who had just arrived from her flat, cut Lila off.

'No Lila, it's safer that Vreya stays here.' She nodded a 'morning' to her charge.

Locky came in and set two plates on the small table, in front of Roxy and Sara. Bo followed with two glasses of orange juice.

'Here you go, girls! Eat up!' He smiled.

'So Sara…I hope you're happy with the service.' Locky said.

'Depends on how this tastes.' Sara raised a brow at him.

'The rest of you, enough lazing about.' Fleck had just finished his own breakfast in the kitchen and now stood in the doorway. He clapped his hands. 'Training, NOW.'

'We have exams to revise for.' Costa protested.

'You are such a hypocrite.' Irvine grinned.

Zane, who had also just arrived from his home, found the group sitting in the large leisure room.

Fleck grinned at the sight of him. 'Zane, my main man! Morning!'

Zane nodded at him.

'Had breakfast?' Fleck asked.

The green-eyed youth shook his head and sat down in the first available place, which happened to be beside Roxy. She smiled in greeting, and spoke, despite her mouth being full of food.

'Mmmph…mornin'…m…you…like…pancakes mmmph?'

Zane gave her a look of distaste, clearly not impressed with her table manners.

'Hey sunshine.' Bo nodded at him. 'What will you have?'

Zane eyed Roxy's plate, and nodded at it. 'Same.'

'Coming right up.'

'Okay the rest of you lazy bums.' Locky called. 'You heard Fleck.'

'Lazy?' Ash repeated. 'Us?'

They began to get up and make their way out of the room, leaving Sara, Roxy and Zane alone in the room.

Bo fixed Zane breakfast quickly, placed it on the table and nodded. 'Don't be long.'

Then he left after the others.

---------------◊---------------

As Lila entered the training room, she cried out in surprise as she saw who was already there, waiting for her.

'Hey! I thought you were in my head.'

'Clearly not.' Tempest replied. The others entered after her and Jez said, looking confused.

'What's he doing here?'

Tempest's eyes searched through the crowd and stopped briefly on Vreya. He looked back to Lila.

'You must come with us.'

'What?' Lila asked.

'Where are you going?' Locky asked.

'You shall see.' Tempest looked at Lila again.

Another light filled the room and suddenly, beside Tempest stood Krysta, and in another flash stood Chaos.

'You guys look like something out a fantasy movie.' Gen laughed.

'I will carry four.' Chaos said.

'And I three.' Krysta said.

'And I…one.' Tempest looked at Vreya.

Vreya gave him a strange look. 'Krysta is my guardian.'

'You must come with me.' Tempest told her.

'Hmph.' Lila said. 'If you don't like me, why did you junction to me?'

Tempest ignored her.

'Wait up, dude.' Zell said. 'Where are you going all of a sudden?'

'You need not follow, Fated Children.' Krysta replied, looking stern and beautiful. 'This does not concern you.'

'Are we getting dumped?' Irvine asked. 'I don't think so!'

Quistis folded her arms. 'They may need us.'

'Yeah! We aren't pushovers!' Selphie said.

The guardians exchanged looks. Finally Chaos replied: 'Do what you see as fit. But there is no need for all of you to come.'

'I'm going!' Selphie exclaimed.

'Heck, what is this? We're all going!' Zell exclaimed.

'No.' Chaos said 'There are too many of you. We will permit a maximum of three.'

'…' Rinoa looked at Squall. 'Squall?'

Squall glanced at her and then looked back at the guardians. Finally he shrugged his consent.

'Selphie, Zell and I.' He informed them.

'And can any of us come along?' Fleck asked.

'…We cannot afford for so many to come.' Krysta frowned. 'But three of you may.'

'…Uh…I will.' Rica said. 'I haven't been out in a while.'

'I'll go too.' Bo said. 'That okay?'

'Fine…' Fleck looked puzzled. '…Anyone else want to go?'

Jez shrugged. 'You go, Fleck.' Locky nodded his agreement.

'Okay…who's going to take us?' He asked.

'We'll carry you with us.' Squall replied. Sara, Roxy and Zane had finished their breakfasts and had come down to the training room.

'Hey.' Sara exclaimed. 'Chaos! What are you doing here?'

'What's happening?' Roxy peered at the three guardians.

'They're taking us somewhere apparently.' Ash informed them.

'Where?' Zane asked him.

'Don't know. Seems to be important.' He responded.

'Come, let us leave.' Krysta said. 'Meet us outside. Bring your weapons.'

The three guardians disappeared in glimmers of light and the group stood together, confused.

'Uh…what's going on?' Costa asked.

'I guess we'll find out. Morgan…' Fleck glanced at his elder. 'Any idea?'

'I am afraid I have no idea.' Morgan replied from where he had stood watching.

'Okay all…well, training is cancelled for now. Get your weapons.' Fleck ordered. 'Then get outside. We'll leave together.'

He turned to Seifer, Quistis, Rinoa and Irvine, who were staying behind. 'You kids may like to go out with Jez and Locky, just to make sure everything is okay around town. We shouldn't be long, and it'd be a way to pass time for you.'

'Sure.' Irvine nodded. 'We could do that.'

'Be careful.' Rinoa called after them as the group turned to leave.

Once they had collected their weapons they met outside, in the secluded alleyway. The three guardians waited for them.

'Sara, Costa, Gen, Ash.' Chaos said. 'You will travel with me.'

The four moved obligingly.

'Zane, Lila, Roxanne.' Krysta said. 'Come with me.'

Vreya blinked and looked at Tempest. The other two guardians had already dematerialised, carrying the teenagers they had called for. They rose into the air, waiting for the others to follow.

Tempest held out his gloved hand. 'Come, Vreya.'

Vreya hesitated, wondering why she was being carried alone. But she moved and took his hand anyway, and felt herself being lifted effortlessly.

'All right!' Squall said to Zell and Selphie. 'We've done this before. Call on your GF's and follow!'

He took hold of Fleck. Zell grabbed hold of Bo and Selphie took Rica by her arm.

One by one the remaining group of people disappeared into glimmers of light and rose up into the sky, and began to follow the leading guardians at a speed that was so fast human eyes could not see the streaks of light as they passed over land.

---------------◊---------------

They arrived at their destination relatively quickly thanks to the high speeds the guardians were able to travel at. The group were dropped onto ground at last, and as they picked themselves up, they found that they were in a huge meadow of some sort, full of lush green grass and yellow flowers.

The sky was a beautiful, deep blue and fluffy white clouds floated along slowly.

'Uh…' Costa shook his head groggily. 'I can't get used to flying…'

'I don't think any of us will ever get used to it.' Gen agreed.

'Wow!' Roxy exclaimed. 'Look at this place!'

'The grass is so green, and the sky so blue!' Lila said, in wonder.

'Reminds me of home.' Selphie said, looking wistful.

'You have fields like these in your world?' Sara looked at them.

'Oh yeah, all over the place.' Zell nodded.

'You're lucky.' Ash said.

'This is certainly a rare sight here.' Rica said, brushing grass off of her clothes. The group stood for a moment, admiring the view.

Vreya, who had been dropped by Tempest, frowned. 'Ummm…guys? Tempest told me we have to climb up the rocky paths.'

'Rocky paths?' Fleck looked at her. 'What rocky paths?'

'Ummm…I don't know.' Vreya said. 'All I can see is grass.'

'He sure is acting weird.' Lila put her hands on her hips.

'Well, let's walk ahead.' Bo suggested. 'Maybe we'll find something up ahead.'

They walked ahead and Rica turned her face up to the sun. 'It's really warm here.'

'Yeah, if I didn't know better, I'd say we aren't even in the same country.' Ash commented.

'I don't think we are.' Sara looked at him. 'I mean there's nothing like this that I've seen, unless we're in the countryside again.'

'I don't think we're in another country.' Costa rolled his eyes. 'That would be stupid.'

'Why?' Zell asked. 'We had to travel all over our world to save it.'

'How did you travel?' Fleck asked.

'Ragnarok, an airship.' Squall replied.

'You know how to pilot planes?' Vreya asked, walking beside him.

'I flew it once. Selphie usually flies for us.' Squall shrugged.

'That's me!' Selphie grinned.

'For such a small lady you sure are talented.' Costa grinned at her.

'Hey.' Gen said. 'What's that up ahead?'

'Just yellow flowers.' Sara said.

'…Uh…they are big flowers.' Ash said, squinting.

'I don't think they are flowers.' Lila said.

Zell looked ahead, and suddenly yelled. 'HEY! What the heck!'

'What?' Rica asked, looking surprised.

'Is that…what I think it is?' Squall frowned.

'No way, dude. It's not possible!' Zell laughed, shaking his head.

'Hey…' Roxy said. 'They look like…'

'Overgrown birds.' Bo said, confused.

'…' Selphie blinked and suddenly she was crying out joyfully and running forward. 'CHOCOBOS!'

'…' Zane frowned after her. Why on earth was she getting so excited?

'Well I'll be damned!' Zell exclaimed, grinning and running after Selphie. 'A Chocobo!'

'Ummm…what's a Chocobo?' Vreya asked Squall.

'A riding bird that can travel over long distances.' Squall replied.

'Those are from your world?' Lila asked.

'…' Squall nodded. Selphie and Zell were getting closer to the group of yellow birds. 'A lot of monsters have come from our world. I didn't expect these though.'

'So they're friendly.' Rica said. 'Good.'

'It seems that your world is very close to ours. After all, that is the Threat's ultimate aim. To make the worlds collide and merge.' Fleck said.

'Come on!' Costa began to run. 'Let's go check them out!'

They soon joined Zell and Selphie. The Chocobos had been grazing and nibbling on grass. There were five adults, two medium sized ones and three small ones. Their heads rose and they looked at the newcomers with interest.

'Aw!' Roxy cried, 'Aw they are ADORABLE!'

'Sweet.' Lila smiled. 'Look at the little small ones.'

A large adult waddled over and tilted its head, its large eyes looking at Selphie.

'Chocobo!' She smiled, reaching out with her hand to pet it. It stepped back and made a strange sound, looking at its group.

'Zell, do you have any Gyshal greens?' She turned to Zell.

'Let me see.' Zell opened the pocket of his top and dug his hand in. He pulled out a small strand of grass. 'Uh…one.'

'What are…greens?' Sara asked.

'They make the Chocobo like you.' Zell explained as he gave it to Selphie. The large Chocobo stared at it, and tilted its head curiously.

'We tamed them all already.' Squall placed a hand on his hip. 'All of them.'

'Maybe they forgot when they came here.' Zell suggested.

The Chocobo butted Selphie's hand with its big beak before snatching the Gyshal greens. It chewed on it and then looked at Selphie expectantly, waiting for more.

'Ah, sorry fella.' Selphie smiled apologetically. 'I don't have anymore. We lost it all when we came to this world.'

The Chocobo clucked and turned away. The group of Chocobos moved as if to leave.

'Those aren't the rocky paths you were talking about are they?' Ash asked Vreya, pointing to their right. Quite some distance away, there were some rocky heights.

'They must be.' Vreya replied. 'There isn't anything else.'

'We can't climb those on foot!' Costa exclaimed.

'Unless you want to break something.' Sara agreed.

'The Chocobos can take us. They said they're riding birds.' Bo suggested.

'They're friendly but you have to give them Gyshal greens and we don't have any.' Squall replied.

A small Chicobo had waddled over to Roxy and was nibbling at her shoe. Roxy dropped down to pet it. It flapped its wings and started to move back, but Roxy spoke to it.

'I'm not gonna hurt you! I just want to pet your little head!'

It slowly moved forward again and Roxy petted it. 'Aw, it's so soft.' She grinned.

'We need your help.' Squall said to the biggest one. He pointed to the right. The Chocobos looked in the direction he was pointing in. 'We need to get up those rocks. We can't do it alone. Can you give us a ride?'

'Great.' Zane muttered. 'Talking birds.'

Lila grinned at him. 'Crazy, right?'

The Chocobos looked at each other and then back at Squall.

'We tamed you in our world!' Selphie said. 'We're from the same place! We came to the Chocobo forests!'

A mother Chocobo came forward and knelt down in front of Selphie.

'Oh you'll give us a ride?' Selphie smiled happily. 'Yay! Come on, who'll ride with me?'

'Oh I wanna go!' Roxy ran over, carrying the small Chicobo in her arms. Selphie mounted and Roxy got on awkwardly behind her. The mother Chocobo stood up and Roxy almost fell off, giggling.

'It feels so weird! Come on guys!'

The big male Chocobo knelt and Squall got on. Bo got on behind him.

'Whoa!' He cried as Squall gave the Chocobo a gentle kick to make it move.

Two more adults knelt and Vreya got on one, and Sara got on behind her. Ash got on another and Lila got on with him. The girl was thrilled to have an excuse to hold onto Ash tightly.

The final adult let Rica and Gen mount.

The other teenage Chocobos didn't look too happy. They began to back away and squawk. The two began to run away.

Zell, Fleck, Zane and Costa stared after them.

'Great.' Costa said. 'They're running.'

'No problem, baby!' Zell grinned. 'Just catch them. They're easy.'

'What?' Zane glared at him. 'I am not running after an overgrown bird.'

'Then stay here.' Fleck replied and watched as Zell easily caught one up.

'They're not running at full speed. They're playing.' Zell called back. 'If they were running full speed there would be no way I could catch them!' He threw himself at one and caught it round its neck. It flapped but Zell managed to get on.

After a few failed attempts, Fleck managed to get on with Zell.

'This is so much fun!' Lila laughed.

Vreya clutched onto her Chocobo's neck, afraid she would be thrown off if she let go. But she was laughing despite herself. The Chocobos were so friendly and lively it was impossible to resist their good humour.

Costa and Zane exchanged looks.

'Great, I'm stuck with you.' Costa folded his arms grumpily.

'I'm so glad.' Zane said sarcastically.

'You gonna catch it?' Costa glared at him.

'Why don't you show me how it's done?' Zane replied.

'Asshole.' Costa huffed and moved to catch the last Chocobo. It ran in circles and Costa lost his footing and fell to the grass.

Zane struggled to hide his amusement. Costa ran after it, cursing, and failing on each attempt.

'Having trouble?' Zane called to him.

Squall had moved and was leading some of the group towards the rocky paths ahead. Selphie and Vreya stayed behind, watching as Costa tried to catch the Chocobo in vain.

Vreya giggled and Sara was laughing loudly, pointing at Costa, who was not enjoying being laughed at..

'Get over here you asshole, and help me!' Costa fumed, turning to Zane. Zane smirked and moved, watching the Chocobo's movement carefully. He pounced and almost grabbed it, but it flapped and escaped at the last moment. Zane fell to his knees, stunned that he had missed.

'Ha ha!' Costa laughed, pushing Zane as the young man stood. 'Expertly done!'

'Shut up.' Zane snapped.

Selphie laughed. 'Hey you two, can I make a suggestion?'

Both young men looked up at her.

'Surround it and you'll catch it for sure.' She advised. Then she flashed a smile and began to ride ahead. Vreya giggled and followed after her, and the remaining two Chicobos ran after the adults.

Zane glared after them and then looked at Costa. 'Okay idiot, I'll go behind it and you take the front.'

'What? I am not getting head butted!' Costa told him.

'Fine!' Zane said in exasperation. 'Just do whatever.'

The two moved and put their plan into motion. It wasn't long before they had finally grabbed hold of the wayward Chocobo and mounted. As Costa got on behind Zane, he refused to hold on for balance.

'Better hold on idiot, or you'll fall off.' Zane warned.

'Shut up and drive.' Costa said back. Zane did as he was asked and Costa grabbed onto him in the last instant.

'Crap! Are you trying to make me fall off?' He demanded, now holding onto Zane's biker jacket reluctantly.

'I told you.' Zane replied simply and they began to follow after the others.

---------------◊---------------

'So are you finally giving us a tour?' Quistis asked. She, Rinoa, Seifer and Irvine sat in the back of the van. In the front were Jez and, driving, Locky. They had been driving about town, making sure that there were no monsters, after having stopped at a supermarket and stocked up on food.

'Yeah, and we're also making sure everything is in order.' Locky replied, taking a right turn.

'I don't think monsters will attack in broad daylight.' Rinoa said, peering over Jez's shoulder.

'You never know.' Jez replied. 'Stranger things have happened.'

Around them, people were walking on the pavement and getting on with their lives.

Irvine watched them from the front windows. 'Must be nice to be normal.' He commented.

Seifer snorted. 'No such thing, cowboy.'

'Why do you say that?' Quistis turned her eyes to Seifer.

He shrugged in response.

'Because people have different ideas what normal is.' Rinoa said thoughtfully. 'Right Seifer?'

He glanced at her. 'Right.'

'That's true.' Quistis agreed.

'Hey where are we going now?' Irvine asked.

'Past their school…do I take a left here Jez?' Locky asked.

'Next left.' Jez replied. They drove on in silence as Locky pulled into the road that led down to the school that the Chosen Ones attended.

'Where do you reckon those guardians took them?' Locky wondered out loud.

'Not to a party, that's for sure.' Irvine said, and then blinked.

'Hey…what…'

The van slowed down and the group were met with a shocking and horrifying sight. Police cars and ambulances were everywhere and the road was sealed off, making it impossible to continue any further. Policemen came to the van and told them to turn back.

'What's happened officer?' Jez asked one of them.

'There's been an incident at the school. Please turn back. We're about to seal off the road completely.'

'Look!' Rinoa gasped. 'There's smoke coming from up ahead.'

'From the school.' Quistis said softly.

'Turn back now.' The policemen told them again before moving to stop a screaming woman from going too far down the road.

'My daughter is in there! What's happened?' She cried, as the policemen tried to calm her. Some news reporters were trying to get information but the policemen kept forcing them back.

'What happened here?' Seifer wondered out loud.

'It's a mess…' Irvine agreed.

'My God.' Jez exclaimed. 'I can see some of the building! Look!'

She pointed ahead and as the breeze pushed some of the smoke aside, they caught a glimpse of one of the walls that belonged to the school's main building.

It was charred black and completely destroyed.

---------------◊---------------

The Chocobos climbed tirelessly up the rocky paths, taking routes that humans could not manage. It was a high, steep climb but they finally reached the top of the mountain like structure. They got off the Chocobos, which immediately turned and ran back down the paths.

'Hey!' Sara waved her arms helplessly after them. 'How will we get back down?'

Zell shrugged. 'They're like that. The moment you get off them they run off to the nearest patch of grass.'

'Worry about the way down after we work out why we've been brought here.' Fleck replied.

'This is the top of the mountain.' Rica said. 'What are we supposed to do here?'

'This is too strange.' Ash frowned.

'It's so warm.' Gen looked at the sky. 'I think we really could be somewhere else.'

'That's crazy, man.' Costa muttered. 'We can't travel to another country in the space of fifteen minutes or however long it took us to get here. Can we?'

Their questions were answered as Tempest's voice came to them. They turned to see him standing one level above them.

'Perhaps you can, if you travelled at the speed of light.'

Lila squinted up at him. 'Okay Tempest, what game are you playing?'

'You going to tell us what's going on now?' Bo asked.

'Firstly, where are we?' Vreya asked, looking up at the blue-eyed guardian.

'I cannot reveal that.' He replied. 'But you are correct, we are far from your homeland.'

'Wow.' Roxy said. 'Really?'

'So why are we here?' Costa said. 'Will you tell us already?'

'The Chosen Ones are to come with me. The rest of you are to remain here.' He replied.

'What?' Fleck exclaimed. 'We came all this way just to sit on some rocks?'

'We told you that only the Chosen were required to travel here.' Tempest said. 'Now you must wait.'

'And where are we going exactly?' Sara asked. 'The trail ends here.'

Tempest moved to the face of the huge rock-like structure and gestured with his arm. The rock face shimmered and suddenly disappeared, revealing a passage that lead down and deeper into some sort of cave.

'Well that's impressive.' Gen said. 'We come up so high only to go back down in a cave.'

'We go in there?' Ash asked. Tempest nodded.

'Well, let's go.' Lila said, and moved in first. The others followed slowly behind her. Once the last person had gone through, which was Zane, Tempest stepped through and looked back at the mentors and the Fated Children.

'Wait there.' He said, stepped back, and sealed the entrance once again.

'Oh we're not going anywhere!' Bo called after him.

'Don't worry about us…' Selphie huffed, sitting down next to Fleck.

'Hey, it's not so bad.' Fleck smiled slightly. 'I mean, at least we get to appreciate the amazing view from up here…'

---------------◊---------------

The rocky tunnel was cold and dark. Lila, leading the group, felt her way along, stumbling over rocks she could not see.

Costa swore. 'Where the heck is your guardian? Don't we get some light?'

A spark of magic flared a few moments after Costa had spoken, and fire lit up the tunnel.

Vreya held a ball of flame in her hand. 'Tempest is gone.' She said.

'Can you see what's up ahead?' Ash asked.

'No…it's dark.' Lila said.

'I can't hold this for long.' Vreya called down to her. 'Someone else call fire up.'

A small blaze of fire came to life over Sara's palm. 'I hope those guardians know what they're doing…'

'They have been acting weird.' Gen agreed.

'Guys, I'm nervous. It's just us, alone!' Roxy said in a small voice. Vreya, who walked ahead of her, reached back and took the smaller girl's hand.

'It's okay. I don't think we're in any kind of danger…' She began to reassure her, when suddenly Lila screamed.

'Arghhh!' Her cries died down as she disappeared through a large unseen hole in the ground. Ash, Sara and Gen had fallen after her, unable to stop in time, their shouts of surprise and fear also disappearing after them as they fell deeper underground.

'You were saying…' Zane said as he stopped walking.

'Where did they go?' Costa asked frantically. 'I can't see any gap in the floor.' He held a ball of fire in his hand and peered at the rocky ground.

'What happened? Where did they go?' Roxy asked, sounding even more afraid.

Costa knelt down and felt along the space in front of him. 'It's solid…'

'What?' Vreya exclaimed. 'That's not possible…how did they fall through?'

'Why don't you ask your guardians what's going on?' Zane asked, getting irritated by the entire situation.

Vreya decided to do as he suggested, and called to her guardians. She tried for a few moments and Roxy and Costa did the same. Vreya was stunned to find that she could not communicate with her guardians. The flame above Costa's hand had died out suddenly.

'I…I can't reach them.' Vreya said at last.

'I can't hear mine.' Costa agreed.

'Me three.' Roxy whispered.

'…' Zane frowned. Then he said slowly: 'Try and use Fire again.'

Vreya tried, but nothing came. She let out a gasp of surprise. 'I can't!'

'Try again.' Zane said.

'I'm telling you I can't…I don't understand, everything was fine a few moments ago…' She said feeling confused.

'Uh…this wouldn't have anything to do with us not being able to talk to our guardians would it?' Costa asked.

'What if…they've left?' Roxy said.

'That's ridiculous.' Vreya said. 'I'm sure that there's…a reason…'

'I'm betting it's the same reason why we're all stuck here.' Zane said dryly.

'Will you stop standing back and giving us smart-ass remarks?' Costa demanded. 'We have to find them!'

'So…walk.' Zane shot back. 'Mr. Leader.'

Costa muttered and began to walk forward slowly, taking step after step. As his feet touched solid ground each time he slowly regained confidence and began to walk normally after a while.

'Well whatever swallowed them up has gone…' He broke off suddenly and yelled 'Argh noooooooooo!'

'Costaaaaaahhhhhhhh!' Vreya's call of her friend's name became a cry of fear as her feet suddenly touched nothing and she tumbled forward, taking a screaming Roxy with her. But in her desperation, Roxy in turn grabbed hold of Zane's arm and the weight of both girls ensured that he was sent falling after them.

It was a long, fast, deep dive down.

All three fell, closing their eyes and expecting the fatal impact to come, but they came to a sudden stop and felt nothing.

Roxy opened her eyes to find herself floating above rocky ground. The others had also fallen here, and looked at the three as they joined them.

'I'm…flying!' Roxy squeaked. No sooner had she said it, the strange power that had broken her fall released her and she was set on her feet on the ground. Vreya was set down in a similar, gentle fashion, but Zane was dropped onto his front.

Costa laughed. 'Looks like whatever saved us doesn't like _you_!' He taunted.

Zane gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, brushing the dust off his clothes, and retrieving his sword. He didn't dignify Costa with a response.

'You okay?' Gen asked.

'Yes…are you?' Vreya asked. 'That was weird.'

'Yeah, but it's going to get weirder.' Lila said. 'We're in a cave-like room now, and look there.' She pointed to a small space from which a soft, blue-green glow could be seen. The light spilled into the room they were in, so it was not completely dark like the tunnel they had fallen from.

'What do you suppose that light is?' Sara asked.

'Only one way to find out.' Ash shrugged and began walking towards it.

'Hey you guys, we can't use our magic.' Roxy said.

'Neither can we.' Sara called back to her as she followed after Ash, Gen and Lila.

'We tried to stop our fall using Float, but nothing happened.' Gen added.

'We can't even call to our guardians.' Vreya said as she followed after Roxy. 'I think they've left us.'

'Well as soon as I see Tempest he's in big trouble.' Lila grumbled.

The squeezed through the small passage that was long and uncomfortable. Finally they reached the end and found themselves on a large, platform like rocky structure. What they saw ahead of them made them all breathless.

The underground cavern was huge and full of natural, rocky structures. It was cold, and icicles hung from the ceiling. But what made the setting so bizarre was that there was a natural bridge that led across to the other side, and on either side of it fell beautiful, blue-green waterfalls, all the way down to the bottom that was an endless pit of black. The icicles reflected the light off the water and the entire vision was magical and surreal.

'Oh my God.' Sara breathed. 'What the hell is this?'

'This is a hidden, eight wonder of the world.' Gen looked stunned. The group stood, admiring, before the silence was finally broken.

'So…uh…where now?' Costa asked.

'We follow the grey-brick road. Like Dorothy.' Lila suggested.

'That was the yellow brick road.' Vreya stated.

'How do we know where to go?' Ash asked. 'There are so many paths.'

Sure enough, two separate paths led both left and right from the structure they stood on, down into the darkness below.

'Follow the light?' Roxy suggested, pointing ahead. A soft, yellow glow was barely visible from far across the bridge.

'I don't know guys.' Gen said uneasily. 'This bridge doesn't look too steady.'

'That's because it isn't.' A voice called down to them, above the roaring of rushing water. They looked up to see Tempest standing on the other side, arms folded across his chest.

'Tempest, you…' Lila began angrily, stepping forward towards the bridge, when her guardian stopped her instantly.

'Wait.'

'Okay why don't you tell us what's going on?' Ash shouted. 'And where are our guardians?'

'You'll find out soon enough.' Tempest replied. 'What lies ahead will change everything. Nothing will ever be the same.' His eyes moved to Vreya briefly. 'For any of you.'

Vreya had noticed that Tempest had been giving her strange looks and she stepped forward. Putting a hand on her slender hip, she frowned.

'What is this all about?' She asked. 'And why do I get a feeling it concerns me more than the others?'

Tempest's eyes lowered. 'Why don't you come forward and find out, Vreya?'

'Your cryptic clues are grating on my nerves.' Zane called out to him, irritation clearly in his voice.

'What exactly is up ahead?' Sara asked.

In response, Tempest stepped back. 'Only the Chosen may enter these caves. Prove yourselves worthy.' With an abrupt flicker of blue light he was gone.

'Man.' Costa said. 'Did I tell you, you have the most annoying guardian?' He said to Lila.

'Oh you think?' Lila muttered.

Vreya turned to look at the others. 'Well guys, it's obvious we're not going to know until we do as he says.'

'I don't know. He's acting weird.' Roxy said.

'I agree. Our guardians have gone and we're only with our weapons. He said to prove ourselves.' Gen added.

'Which I take means we have to fight something.' Ash said.

'Yeah, but who?' Costa asked.

'More like what?' Lila said.

'I have a brilliant idea.' Zane said sarcastically. 'Why don't we cross the bridge and find out?'

'Great plan!' Costa turned to him. 'After you.'

They all looked at Zane and he stared back at them. He realised that he was well outnumbered, and rolled his eyes. They were a bunch of scared babies and wouldn't move until he did, it seems.

'Why did I ever agree to come here? I'm no leader!' He huffed and stormed past them, and began to cross the bridge.

'You're damn right, but since you don't have a guardian anyway, you're more expendable.' Costa called after him.

'Big word for a small mind.' Zane muttered back as he walked ahead.

'Costa.' Sara snapped. 'Will you leave him alone? You next!'

'What?' Costa exclaimed, but he was pushed forward. Vreya went after him, keeping her hands on his shoulders. The others followed. The bridge was uneven and there were no barriers on both sides to stop any falls.

'Don't look down.' Roxy whispered. 'Don't look down…I hate heights.'

'Me too.' Lila muttered. 'Give me your hand.' She took the girl's small hand. 'It's okay, just keep looking ahead…'

Ash heard the panic in Lila's voice, and turned to look at her. 'It's okay.' He said. 'You're going to make it.'

'…Can…I hold your hand?' She asked hesitantly. 'Just for support?'

Ash blinked at her, and then shrugged. 'Sure.' He offered his hand and Lila gripped onto it.

'Thanks.' She nodded, and would have rejoiced more if she were not so afraid.

The trek across was long and slow. Zane led the way, holding his sword casually in his hand, letting the sword tip scrape against the rocky ground. Costa found this annoying.

'Hey, will you quit that?'

Zane stepped over a small crack in the floor carefully. He didn't pay attention to Costa; silently wishing the fool would just fall off.

The sword tip continued to be deliberately dragged along. Costa was furious and stopped looking at the floor, focusing on Zane's back instead.

'Will you stop dragging the stupid…argh!' He stumbled over the same crack and toppled to the right. Vreya cried out in alarm and fear as she felt herself falling after Costa. She managed to grab his arm but he was much heavier than she was and she was unable to stop herself from stumbling.

Zane turned, seeing that Costa was on the brink of falling off, held up by a struggling Vreya.

'Help!' Costa shouted, panic making the others in the back of the line start to worry.

_Wow. I wished it and it's going to happen._ He thought. But he didn't exactly want Vreya falling off too.

'Whoa!' Gen exclaimed, grabbing hold of Vreya and pulling her back, with Sara's help. Zane walked back, reached down and helped haul Costa up, along with Gen. The tanned young man got back on safe ground, looking shaken.

'Clumsy people are expendable.' Zane said to Costa, straightened up, and turned back, continuing his walk to the other side.

Vreya looked after him, and then back at Costa, who had opened his mouth.

'Shut up.' She said before he could speak. 'He just helped pull you up.' With that she stood up and followed after Zane.

The rest of the walk did not involve any more accidents, and they finally reached the other side. As the last person stepped off the bridge, Roxy squeaked, pointing back in the direction they had come.

The bridge was disappearing.

'It's fading.' Sara exclaimed.

'Don't look at me.' Gen frowned. 'I give up on science.'

'Great, how do we get back?' Lila huffed, as Ash let go of her hand.

'Let's just see what we're up against.' Vreya said. Zane had moved to the entrance from where the golden light was coming, and peered in. He then walked in through the small tunnel and the others followed.

Once they had passed, they found themselves in a huge, dark cove, and at a dead end.

'What?' Roxy frowned. 'It's a dead end.'

'Great.' Costa was very annoyed now. 'I think our elementals are playing April Fool's.'

'It's not April, you're the fool.' Sara smacked him on his arm.

The room was strangely misty, and very cold. But it was not empty. Ahead of them was a ball of golden light. It shone with a brilliance that stunned all of the teenagers. Around the mysterious ball crackled equally as dazzling golden electricity.

'That's what the light is.' Lila said.

'What is it?' Gen wondered, stepping forward to take a closer look.

'There's…something inside that ball of light.' Ash said. The group huddled together, staring at the ball of pulsating light curiously.

'What is that?' Sara asked peering at it.

'…' Roxy squinted. 'Hey it's not clear.'

'There's heat coming from it.' Gen held out a hand and then pulled it back again.

'It sure is pretty.' Roxy said.

Zane watched the light throb, and reached out, transfixed. The crackles intensified and then sparked out. He snatched his hand back, surprised.

'I don't think we should touch it.' He said at last.

Roxy tried and the sparks burst out more violently, like fire. She screeched and pulled her hand back.

'It didn't react like that when you tried.' Ash remarked, looking at Zane.

'Let's all try.' Sara said, extending her hand. The electricity crackled even more, and did the same for Gen, Costa, Ash and Lila.

'Well, it seems to like Zane best.' Sara said.

'Vreya hasn't tried.' Lila said, looking to Vreya, who had been standing back.

As Vreya stared at the orb of rich light, something began to nag at her mind. The ball was obviously special and important, but what was it? And why wasn't it letting them touch it?

'I don't want to.' She shifted on her feet, crossing her arms behind her.

'Hey, we all did, maybe it'll like you best.' Costa urged.

'…I…I don't know.' Vreya said uncertainly. For some reason she did not want to touch the light; she almost felt…afraid?

'…' Zane frowned at her. Something was wrong. She had a reason why she wasn't willing, and she was not telling them.

'Try.' He said bluntly.

'I don't…' She glanced at him nervously, but he glared at her.

'Just do it.'

The others all stared at her, and the pressure was too much. She had a bad feeling she would regret it, and remembered how Tempest had carried her here, and how he had looked at her in strange ways. She walked forward, and hesitantly reached out.

The electricity crackled and suddenly exploded, disappearing abruptly. Vreya snatched her hand away, frightened. When the smoke cleared, the ball of golden light was still shining, but the protective layer had gone.

_Why would it need protection? What's inside it? _Vreya thought. _What's in its core…?_

Her eyes widened as her thoughts began to run along rapidly. _The core…its core…its heart…the Earth's heart…where the secret…the…_She struggled to remember all that the mentors had told them.

She stepped back slowly as the ball suddenly began to throb red, fusing with the gold.

'This is…' She began.

'Hey…it reacted to you…' Ash frowned.

'What's it doing now?' Sara wondered.

'So pretty.' Roxy stared, wide eyed.

'This is…the heart…' Vreya whispered.

'What?' Lila looked at her friend, confused, but they couldn't dwell on the matter for long. The light suddenly shot up and an incredible gust of wind forced the group to shield their eyes. The light exploded and sparks of golden electricity flew everywhere. The force made them fall to the floor for cover.

When the wind died down, and they all felt sure enough to look up, the ball of light had disappeared.

'It's gone…what the hell…' Costa began, but Gen said in a low voice:

'Oh no. Don't tell me that's…what we're supposed to…'

In the ball of light's place stood a figure. It was so dark without the light that the group struggled to make out who, or what the figure was.

It was floating above ground, and it was tall. A ray of golden-red light shimmered behind the figure and they finally saw that it was a human male that looked down at them. His strong arms were folded across his chest and he wore an old-fashioned style tunic that was black in colour, with brown straps fastened across his chest. A long, cloak like cape was clasped at one shoulder and draped behind him, a hue of dark grey, and his tunic had golden detail. His gloves were brown like his heavy-looking boots, and the ragged trousers he wore were the same colour as his cape, which covered his face up to the tip of his straight, elegant nose.

His flaming red hair was silky and very long, pulled back in a careless way, with some wayward strands falling into a face that was neither pale nor tanned in colour. His face seemed to be chiselled in its perfection, but it was his eyes that made the teenagers stop in their tracks, a deep, intense, blazing gold colour, like the middle of a flame but much brighter.

The eyes were a colour and held an expression that was not quite human.

The girls of the group were in awe as they stared at the most breathtaking man they had ever seen.

The boys couldn't believe that someone could look so perfect and threatening at the same time.

On the strange man's forehead was a tribal mark they had never seen before. It was circular with three arrows pointing out away from it. On his left cheek was a familiar, blue, triangular symbol, and above it another triangle that slanted across and beneath his left eye. Above the right eyebrow was another triangle that pointed up, and next to it were a few more, strange circular symbols. His face was painted with tribal marks and they only accentuated his handsome features.

There were two circlet earrings in his left ear. And around his neck was a heavy, silver chain with a pendant that looked like some sort of a dragonhead with a wing attached to it.

Around his waist were more brown straps that held a sword sheath at his right hip. The sword looked alarmingly long and powerful.

'Who is that?' Roxy whispered. Slowly, the teenagers stood up. He had triangular designs on his cheek like their guardians, but something about him told them he was much, much different to anything they had encountered so far.

For one thing, his aura of power was terrifying. The entire room seemed to be on fire, and as his eyes regarded each teenager intently, they cringed and looked away, unable to hold the contact for long.

Zane was the first to break the terrible silence. The man looked young, but as his eyes turned to Zane, Zane saw something in the impossible eyes-a knowledge-that was probably beyond the total years all the teenagers ages could add up to.

'Who are you?' He whispered, and forgot to breathe as the intense, unearthly eyes fixed on him.

**_Angelheart's End Of Chapter Ramble:_**

_As usual, I thank you for all the reviews of the last chapter, and welcome the new reviewer. This chapter was a bit of a struggle to write and I should have uploaded it sooner because I've actually cut out most of the content from here and put it for the next chapter. This is because it was getting way too long so I've had to cut it in half. But the good news is the next chapter will be up quickly as it's almost done. For now tell me what you think of this one and the next one will be coming soon, promise. Thanks everyone!_


	46. The Guardian King

**Chapter XLVI: The Guardian King**

The eyes narrowed and moved away and Zane felt that he could breathe again. A silence stretched on, and finally the strange man spoke, and his voice was hard and fierce; smooth and wise, but fiery and criticising at the same time.

'Here at last do you stand before me. The path back is closed. Only the Chosen may leave here.'

'…' Costa coughed uncomfortably. 'Uh…we are Chosen Ones. Who are you?'

The man tilted his head back haughtily. 'I am Aurion.' He replied matter-of-factly. The teenagers stared at him blankly. They had never heard the name before and were unsure of how they were supposed to react.

'What…why are we here?' Sara asked carefully.

'Only One may touch the sacred scriptures.' Aurion replied.

'Oh my God!' Lila exclaimed. 'That ball of light must have been what our mentors told us about!'

'The Earth's secret.' Ash said quietly in understanding.

'Holy crap.' Costa said, equally as quietly. 'Then…that must be…'

'I am the guardian king!' Aurion's eyes blazed gold flame and his left hand closed around his sword-hilt. The room was suddenly lit up by fire, which appeared out of nowhere. Aurion unsheathed his sword in a swift motion and the teenagers swallowed nervously at the sight of its length and sharpness.

'Prove your worth!' Aurion's voice was commanding and demanded obedience.

'Hey!' Lila exclaimed. 'We…we can't…you're…our guardians have gone…'

'We only have weapons…we can't fight you without…' Costa added, but Aurion cut him off mid-sentence.

'You will fight.' He snapped. 'Or you will die.'

They were stunned.

'I think he's serious.' Sara whispered. 'We either prove we can fight or it's over.'

'But you can't kill us, we're Chosen Ones!' Gen said, confused.

'Only the One needs to survive…' Aurion hissed and pointed his sword at them. 'Now prove yourselves!'

'Then we have to fight.' Ash said, unsheathing his sword and gripping it tightly with both hands. Sara nodded, took out her whip and cracked it hard against the stone ground. Strength and courage flowed from Ash, to Sara and along the line of teenagers as they got into their fighting stances. The guardian king's eyes trailed along as he watched each of the Chosen prepare themselves. Gen held his bladed staff firmly; Roxy tightened the leather straps on her elbow blades; Costa made sure he had adequate ammo in his shotgun; Lila readied her crossbow, looking defiantly up at their challenger.

Aurion's eyes moved to the last two of the line. Vreya loaded her weapon and flicked her hair back over her shoulder, in a way that reminded Aurion very much of another young woman who had always prepared for battle in the same way, centuries before. The girl now stood, one arm crossed over the other, looking at him with a hint of worry in her eyes. Aurion held her gaze and was impressed when she did not look away. Finally his eyes moved and rested on the green-eyed youth, who stood at the end, holding a sword casually in his right hand. Unlike the others, he didn't look very concerned, and again Aurion was reminded of another of the past to whom this boy had a startling resemblance. The boy had the same, born warrior's stance, and eyes that were equally as fiery as one of the two Aurion had aided in sealing away the Threat so many centuries ago.

Aurion looked away and nodded. They were going to fight, just as he had expected. The battle started suddenly with Lila firing a shot from her crossbow. It sailed to meet Aurion but disappeared before it connected.

Sara jumped forward and struck with her whip. Her aiming was on target but an invisible barrier blocked her strike and she stumbled back.

The guardian king sneered as Gen tried to strike up with his rod, and missed, and he easily turned Costa's bullet into dust.

'This isn't fair!' Roxy whined. 'We can't touch him!'

'No.' Aurion replied, his voice dangerously low. 'But allow me to raise the stakes.' He raised his right hand and a ball of red light materialised in his palm. It swirled with energy and then he sent it directly at them. The group yelled at each other to scatter.

The ball of red light exploded, sending rocks flying everywhere. Zane's eyes widened; if that had connected with any of them it would have been their limbs that would have been flying instead. The reality of the situation struck him suddenly; this guardian king really could and would hurt them, and if they didn't want that they needed to defend themselves…to prove that they could endure a battle, without a guardian's or magic's aid.

Angrily he jumped up as the others were still recovering and charged forward, sword flying behind him. Aurion's eyes spotted him quickly and he moved quickly on thin air, and met Zane's blade with his own. Zane was stunned at the power and resistance he met from the other side, and his eyes locked onto the guardian king's in shock.

_Surprised, boy?_ Aurion's voice was in his mind and there was nothing Zane could do to block it. _I'm not even trying. This is not even a quarter of the strength the Threat will meet you with. Can you stand your ground?_

Zane gritted his teeth as he pushed against Aurion's sword, trying to break out of the deadly lock he was trapped in. But Aurion was far more powerful and Zane could feel his feet giving way and dragging back. Aurion's eyes narrowed; the boy was brave but not brave enough. Rashness still mingled with his courage and though he was strong, he was not nearly strong enough. With the mere will of his mind, Aurion sent the boy flying back, slamming into the rocky wall. He knew the action would hurt the boy. It was meant to hurt.

Zane fell to floor, wincing. The others saw him fall and looked at each other uncertainly.

Vreya, however, was angry. Seeing the uncertain looks she attempted to lift them. 'No!' She shouted. 'We can fight him!' She aimed with her projectile and fired. Aurion caught the shot before it could connected, charged it up with fire, and sent it right back at her, so quickly that Vreya couldn't move away in time. The sharp metal struck her in her neck and sliced through skin. Blood instantly cascaded from the wound and she was stunned.

'Vreya!' Lila cried in dismay. She looked at the guardian king whose eyes narrowed.

'What's the matter, humans? Is this the best you have to offer?' He taunted.

'You…you son of a…' Costa began to insult but was flung back before he could finish.

'Learn to respect your superiors, boy or I will cut out your tongue!' Aurion had summoned another ball of flame and using his sword, batted it at the group at high speed.

They dove for cover. Sara got up first, angry but afraid.

'We're dead! Without our magic we don't have a chance!'

'He's going to kill us!' Roxy wailed.

'No, calm down!' Ash shouted. 'This has to be some sort of a test! We have to stick together…ah!' He managed to duck another fireball just in time.

Sara tried again to hit the king, but he evaded and struck her with another ball of magic. She fell back, wincing in pain.

Roxy was too short even to reach him, so she picked up a fallen rock and threw it at him. 'Take that you big bully!'

'Rocks? You fight with rocks?' Aurion said in disbelief. As Roxy threw them at him, Ash ran forward with his sword and swiped up. The tip of his blade connected and Aurion realised that the girl had been playing a distraction game.

'A clever human.' Ash's blade did not cause Aurion pain, but it did strike the protective magic that surrounded him. Aurion grabbed hold of Ash by his neck and lifted the young man off the floor easily. He looked into Ash's eyes and saw fear, anger, and something else: the desire to protect his friends. That was his motivation. The boy had strength from a noble belief and Aurion acknowledged this.

_Aquila._ Aurion called to his subject. _Return to this boy. He is worthy_.

He flung Ash back, and as he did so, the golden glow of Aquila materialised from thin air and slammed into Ash, making him breathless. Stunned, Ash picked himself up, feeling the return of his guardian.

'Are you okay?' Gen asked, looking battered and sore. They hadn't even been fighting for ten minutes and they were all hurt and trying desperately to avoid the lethal magic that was flying at them every few seconds.

'My guardian is back…' Ash managed, and instantly used Cure to heal himself.

Vreya, still bleeding, aimed another round at the guardian king. He evaded again and again he sent it back at her. But she was prepared this time, and her hands shot up automatically, making the shard stop in the air before it reached her.

'I may not have my guardian...' She said angrily. 'But I still have my own magic!' She reversed the shard, charged it up using her sorceress skills, and flung it back at Aurion. The shard whizzed past Aurion's head and his eyes narrowed at Vreya.

'A believing human.' He said softly.

Vreya's injury was causing her a lot of problems and she fell to her knees. Aurion aimed another energy ball at the girl, and sent it flying at her. Zane saw it and knew it would kill Vreya if it connected. He didn't know what he was doing until he felt himself take the blow for Vreya, falling back to the floor, watching as blood fell from his own forehead onto the dusty ground.

_I have to stop doing this_…he thought, not believing that he had put himself in harms way for Vreya yet again.

Vreya looked back at Zane, confusion and fear in her eyes. Then she looked up at Aurion, furious. She forced herself to stand, and Ash finally got to her and cast Curaga on her, soothing her injuries away and sealing the wound.

Gritting her teeth, Vreya charged another round and fired two in a row. They missed but she anticipated where Aurion would move and fired one last round, and it connected, slicing into his painted cheek. Blood began to pour from the wound and Aurion froze.

The fool had actually managed to hit him. Behind his cloak he smirked. This was more like it, especially from her. He called back her guardians and they rejoined her, and Vreya stared up at Aurion in confusion, as his wound healed instantly.

'You…you're giving them back to us?' She asked. 'Why?'

He didn't respond. Raising his hand he summoned a purple ball of energy and it separated into eight, smaller balls. They swirled in the air and then shot at all eight of the Chosen One's, connecting with all of them. They all fell back but managed to get up again.

Aurion was impressed with their endurance.

Vreya healed Roxy, Costa, herself and Zane, and Ash healed the others. Costa fired shot after shot at the guardian king, outraged, and Sara again attempted to get a hit in.

Zane got up, dragging his sword with him. Glaring at the guardian king, he tried to think of some way to trick him into letting his guard down.

Ash summoned Aquila and the thunderbird materialised, and directed an attack at its king. Aurion had authorised his subjects to hit him, because he was immune to whatever they threw at him. Once Aquila dematerialised, Sara struck with her whip, connecting with the protective barrier that surrounded Aurion. He threw her back with a flick of his wrist and called her guardian back to her.

'I get it!' Gen exclaimed suddenly. 'If we manage to hit him, he gives us back our guardians!'

Sara wasted no time casting Holy, but Aurion easily reflected it back at her; fortunately she was immune to damage from the spells thanks to Chaos, but the bright light still forced her to shield her eyes.

Costa fired madly, and Lila glared at him.

'You're wasting your bullets you idiot…watch out!' She shoved him out the way as another ball of magic slammed into the floor where they had been standing.

Vreya gritted her teeth and summoned Krysta. The ice-queen materialised and bowed before her king, before delivering her attack. Crystal rain flew everywhere and she disappeared again. Sara followed up with Chaos, and Ash threw a Triple assault of Firaga spells.

Roxy was frustrated. She was tiring, and there was no way she was going to get guardian back at this rate; not that Tuvalu would do any damage; the guardian king was floating above ground.

_We don't have a guardian like Diablos_…she thought, and yelped as a fireball flew at her. Vreya yanked her by the wrist and pulled her close. She was worried about the small redhead and had asked Elyria if she would junction to Roxy for now.

Elyria had very reluctantly agreed.

'Roxy!' She said to the smaller girl: 'Take Elyria; I only need one guardian to use magic!'

'But I can't…'

'Your weapon is for close range combat and it'll be difficult for you to score a hit.' Vreya replied. A ball of soft light formed at her hands and she held it out to Roxanne.

'Take her and use the magic you have stocked to help us! Keep her for now; she'll protect you!' The light glowed and surrounded Roxy and she felt Elyria's presence in her mind. Without wasting a second she summoned a Demi spell and threw it at Aurion. Again it struck the protective blue barrier, and he instantly retaliated, threw the girl back as if she were a small puppet, and sent Tuvalu back to her. Roxy healed herself and sent a Blizzaga spell at the guardian king.

The room had become a spectacular array of different colours exploding everywhere, but the guardian king didn't seem to be weakening. In fact, the teenagers were casting Cure spells at three times the rate they were casting attack magic.

'He's bloody immune to everything!' Costa yelled. 'Even our magic isn't working!'

Gen used the distraction Lila was causing to slice up with his blade. Lila sent an arrow at the same moment and both hit the protective barrier. Aurion was angry. The children were relying too much on magic and guardians and not enough on their own stamina and strength. He decided to give the rest back their guardians at that moment, to see what they could do at full force.

Costa immediately cast Tornado but the magic was reflected back and sent them all flying instead.

'It's no use!' Sara exclaimed. 'He's dispelling and reflecting almost everything!'

'I don't think our magic harms him…' Gen coughed as he healed himself for the nth time.

'…' Zane looked up at the guardian king. It suddenly occurred to him that perhaps the aim of this battle was not to conquer, but to endure. Frowning, he altered his grip on his sword and ran forward, with the quickness and grace of a cat closing in on a mouse. Dodging the magic the guardian king threw at him, he spun and using all his strength tossed his sword up, aiming for the chest. The sword spun in the air, on target, at high speed. It stopped suddenly however, and Aurion charged it up and threw it back at the group. As it swung in an arc, magic flew from it and sent all of the teenagers back. The attack was so strong that they stayed down, unable to recover quickly.

Zane's sword slammed into the wall and then fell motionlessly to the floor beside his equally as still figure.

As the smoke cleared, Aurion's eyes narrowed at the sight before him. All eight of them were floored, clearly too injured to get back up.

Was this all they had? He wondered how they had managed to acquire his subjects and then realised that they had been relying too heavily on the Children of Fate.

They were injured, but still conscious. And so he spoke to them, making sure they heard his anger.

'Get up you worthless fools. Is this the best you can do?' He sneered. 'The Threat possesses a far greater power than this, and so do I. I have been easy on you up until now, and you cannot even manage to strike a successful hit. Get back up!'

None moved. But Vreya opened her eyes and met green-ones. An idea formed in her mind; a way to catch Aurion off guard. But she would need help; more specifically, she would need Zane's cooperation.

Fortunately, at that moment, Zane's thoughts were exactly the same as hers. His eyes moved to the sword and then to her. They reached a silent agreement and waited for the opportune moment.

'Imbeciles. You shame me. I expected to encounter warriors and I find you undeserving of the powers you possess. Perhaps it was too soon to test you…' He glared at the motionless bodies.

'The Threat will not wait for you to stand! Get up!' He commanded.

Though they had been fighting for a long time, it had mainly involved the teenagers trying to avoid being killed rather than doing any real damage.

Sara's head was throbbing and she could taste blood in her mouth. She was angry and she wanted to hit him so bad.

Roxy was crying silently at her weakness, despairing. She had never wanted to be a fighter. She had just wanted to be normal.

Ash gripped his sword hilt furiously, looking at the despair in the eyes of his friends. He was tired and hurting, but he had to get up before seven of them died.

Costa didn't have any more bullets remaining and met an equally as exhausted looking Gen's gaze.

Lila gritted her teeth. Tempest was snapping at her to stop this pathetic display of weakness and get back on her feet. She closed her eyes and stirred, getting ready to heal herself and then her friends even though she was running low on healing magic.

'Get up or you will die here!' Came the voice and it carried such a tone of fury that they were all afraid. 'GET UP!'

It was at that moment that both Vreya and Zane moved. She threw a Mega-Potion to the floor and it restored some energy to the entire group. It took affect quickly and she stood in one swift movement, Zane following only seconds after. While she had been floored she had been quietly and slowly charging for her limit break, and knew that Zane had been doing the same. Now she called on her magic and it came instantly; Aurion's eyes had moved to the two who had stood and he watched now with interest; their movements had been quick and sudden.

Blue light formed in her palms and she yelled to Zane, who stood holding his sword with both hands, readying his timing for the combined attack.

'Now!'

The ball of light was tossed at him and Aurion was momentarily caught off guard. The girl was hitting the boy…?

_No…_he realised a split-second later. They were working together…just as they were supposed to be…

Zane spun and put his all behind the blade, as he batted the ball of light as it flew at him and directed it at the guardian king. He put so much power behind the hit that the energy ball hurtled towards Aurion at an incredible and unstoppable speed.

Vreya held her breath.

Zane did the same.

The rest of the Chosen had sat up and Lila now stood, yelling angrily at the pain she felt, and released another arrow from her crossbow. Gen and Ash cast a combined Aero spell to help the arrow move faster on its way. The rest watched with baited breath as the two combined attacks flew towards their targets.

Zane and Vreya's combined attack slammed into the guardian king and Lila, Ash and Gen's did the same. Blue light exploded and made them shield their eyes. Once it had ebbed, they released their breaths in shock as they saw that the guardian king was still floating, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed, as if nothing had happened at all.

'W…what?' Costa stammered. 'That was…the best we could do…'

'We're dead…' Roxy murmured. Disappointment carried across the group as they stared at the silent figure still floating before them, waiting to see what he would do.

Aurion's blazing eyes opened and regarded them all calmly.

'Combined efforts are greater than any single force.' He said at last, and his voice did not sound angry. They could not beat him and he knew they now realised this, but he had seen enough evidence of abilities that would become stronger. They still had a long way to go before they could defeat the Threat, but that didn't mean they couldn't do any damage.

Aurion was very powerful and could not be defeated by humans. But the young people who stood looking up at him had a willingness to protect each other and fight together that was admirable.

Even the green-eyed boy changed in the heat of battle.

Their final attack had proved them worthy and his eyes narrowed into slits.

'You fought hard...' His eyes closed and he summoned magic with his right hand. A soft, blue glow formed and split into eight smaller balls of glimmering light that floated above his head. The teenagers backed away, not sure if they could withstand another powerful attack.

But Aurion's eyes opened and he gestured and the lights moved and surrounded each one of them.

'But have much to perfect. Protect the scriptures. Protect the One…and in times of need…_I_ will assist _you_…'

The blue light he had sent at them swirled around them from head to toe and their pains and aches and exhaustion were suddenly gone. As they were all simultaneously healed, Aurion vanished and in his place the golden ball they had seen when they had first entered the large cove now floated gently, its hypnotic light pulsating like a beating heart.

The powerful healing magic disappeared, and they all stood, silent for a few moments.

'He's gone.' Sara said at last. She looked around and saw that no one had fallen. Frowning she rubbed her head.

'He hasn't junctioned to anyone.' Gen said, as if reading Sara's thoughts.

'…' Zane's eyes lowered. Still no guardian for him; he had really hoped that Aurion would junction to him, as he was the strongest thing they had encountered so far. They had lost but the guardian king had obviously seen enough.

Lila looked at Zane. 'Hey.' She said, guessing at how he was probably feeling. 'I'm sure you'll get your guardian soon.'

Zane didn't respond. But he was secretly worrying. What made him different from the others? Wasn't he stronger, more trained in fighting?

'Well that's a relief.' Costa said. 'I mean he was killing us anyway.'

'We lost.' Roxy said. 'So how come he let us go?'

'It really was a kind of test.' Ash replied. 'I'm not sure what we done, but he seemed convinced.'

'And now we're back where we started.' Gen said. 'The golden ball of light.'

'I guess we should try and touch it again.' Sara said. 'I mean, that's why it's here right? We can touch it now?'

'This is the heart thing we're supposed to find?' Roxy asked.

'Wow…this is what the Threat is after then.' Lila said. 'I guess the scripture things are what's inside.'

'Amazing.' Gen said. 'I mean, the importance of this thing…'

'Yeah.' Ash said quietly. 'Guess we're about to find out who the One is. It's whoever can touch it.'

'Geez. I don't want to know.' Costa said.

Zane was about to remark that Costa didn't have anything to worry about, as it was unlikely he was the One, but decided against it.

'Well, this is it!' Roxy said. 'Who's gonna try first?'

'The pressure is too much.' Lila said. 'You know that whoever it is, the Threat's going to be after them once he knows.'

'He won't know.' Vreya said. 'Not unless we let it slip.'

'Right. Okay.' Ash said. 'I…I guess…shall I go first?'

'…I'll go after you.' Lila nodded.

Ash swallowed and nervously stepped up to the ball of light. He had to admit, that he was scared. They all were. No one wanted to have the burden of having to strike down the Threat personally.

Ash reached out a hand, trying to keep it steady. The others watched, worriedly, each not wishing it on their friends, neither wanting to carry the burden themselves.

The light pulsated and threw out sparks of electricity at Ash's approaching hand. Then, suddenly, a wall of red light shot up, like flame, and Ash snatched his hand back.

It wouldn't let him touch it. It wasn't him.

Trying not to look too relieved, he nodded to Lila, who stepped forward and held her own hand out. The same wall of protective red light made her move her hand back and she stepped away, letting out a deep breath.

'Not me.' She said.

Sara licked her lips and stepped forward next, slowly extending her arm. The golden ball flickered and then the same red light forced her hand away. She turned to the others.

'Gen?'

Gen moved and tried but got the same result. Only Roxy, Costa, Zane and Vreya hadn't tried and Costa pushed Roxy to move.

'No…I'm scared. I don't want to be the One.' Roxy whined.

'Come on Roxy, be brave.' Ash said. 'We're right behind you.'

'…' Roxy gulped and stepped forward and clenched her hands together. Then she closed her eyes and threw her hand forward. The red light shot up and burnt her hand, and she yelped, running back to hide behind her friends.

'It's hot!' She blew on her fingers. 'But…it's not me!'

Costa sighed and shook his head. 'Better get this over with…'

'This is more nerve-wracking than football.' Lila smiled at Ash.

'Or the lottery.' Gen added.

Costa couldn't even get close to the golden light. The red-wall shot up instantly and he held up his hands.

'Phew.' He turned and looked at the last two. Vreya looked at Zane and he looked back at her. The rest waited, seeing who would step forward. Either way they would know which of the two it was whoever stepped up.

'…' Zane gestured to Vreya to try.

She shook her head.

'…' He frowned. 'I know it isn't me.' He said at last.

'Oh that's right Mr. Know It All.' Costa said in disgust. 'Just try.'

'…' Zane looked at Vreya again. Silently insisting.

'Please go first.' She whispered.

Zane looked away and lowered his eyes. He was pretty sure it couldn't be him, but he was uncertain because he didn't have a guardian unlike the rest of them.

_Stop being such a wimp and just do it_…he scolded, moving up to stand in front of the light.

Vreya held her breath as his hand moved to touch the light. Closer and closer…the tension was almost unbearable.

The golden light glowed at the nearing of his hand and Sara spoke up.

'I think it's…'

_No_…Zane thought. _No, it can't be me…it makes no sense if it is me…_

But at the last moment red flame shot up and barred his outstretched fingers from advancing any further. He slowly drew his hand away and let out a breath of relief. Then he stepped away and looked at Vreya.

They all looked at Vreya. One of them had to be the One, and only she was left. No one knew what to say, or how to offer any appropriate words of comfort.

Vreya didn't look at them. She stared at the light and then looked away.

_Damn it. Damn everything. Why?_ She questioned, cursing her luck. She had had it worse than any of them. Still a tiny hope lingered that it was none of them here.

'Vreya.' Lila said at last. 'Just you now.'

Vreya swallowed and looked at them and then at Zane. He looked away from her, folding his arms.

_It's me isn't it Krysta?_ She asked quietly. She was terrified and didn't want it to be true.

_Do not fear the light…_Krysta's voice was soft and soothing. _Wield it as a weapon to smite the dark… _

Smiting darkness…the prophecy the mentors had told them ended with something like those words. Vreya stepped forward and held out her hand. She couldn't stop her hand shaking, and her friends watched anxiously.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Vreya's fingertips reached out and passed the point where the others had met resistance. No red light obstructed her, only golden light, gold: the colour of Aurion's eyes. The light warmed her cold hand, and she knew then that it was her burden to carry.

That didn't mean she wasn't about to deny her fate. She pulled her hand back suddenly and stepped away.

'What's wrong?' Gen asked.

'You were practically touching it.' Sara added.

'No…it's not me.' Vreya shook her head. 'It can't be…'

'Why not?' Zane spoke up matter-of-factly. 'Your magical abilities are stronger than theirs.'

'I'm a sorceress, not that!' She exclaimed.

'But Vreya, it let you touch it.' Roxy said. 'It's obvious that…'

'Don't be scared.' Lila offered, cutting Roxy off. 'We're right here for you and nothing's going to hurt you.'

Vreya closed her eyes and shook her head rapidly. 'No…I can't carry that kind of weight…'

'Vreya.' Ash said quietly. 'The One has to be capable of coping. The planet wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't strong enough.'

'…' It was like a bad nightmare. How could she defeat Lorne? She had barely been able to look at him.

'The king said we still have a lot to perfect.' Gen added. 'I don't think we'll be fighting the bad guy anytime soon.'

'…' Vreya swallowed. Their words were comforting but she didn't feel much better.

'Take it Vreya. We have to get back outside.' Sara said gently. 'They're probably worrying.'

'…' Vreya took a deep breath. Stepping forward again she reached out with both hands. The light pulsated and she could feel it beating in time to her racing heartbeat.

_So…it really is me…_she thought miserably. She would have to carry the fate of the world in her hands…

The light stopped pulsating suddenly and began to glow. Vreya snatched her hands back to her chest and backed away.

'What's it doing?' Roxy asked nervously.

'I have no…' Costa began, when the light suddenly shot out and flew right into Vreya. It pierced through her chest and her heartbeat instantly became irregular. Golden light surrounded her and she gasped. It hurt…like hell. More so than when any of her guardians had junctioned to her: stumbling back, she felt herself falling, her consciousness slipping quickly out of her grasp. The golden light faded and before she passed out she heard Aurion's voice in her mind.

'_Go back, child. Go back…and know your enemy…_'

Then everything went dark and her world became still.

Lila had caught her friend and she now looked at the beautiful face as it slept. Then she looked up at her friends.

'You know…it's kind of fitting that she's it…'

'Poor Vreya.' Roxy pouted.

'Man…I couldn't cope with that kind of pressure.' Costa shook his head.

'…' Zane watched them as they looked down at the unconscious girl, and then shook his head, picking up his sword.

'Hey.' Sara noticed him moving to leave. 'Where are you going?'

'Outside.' Zane replied curtly.

'But the bridge has gone!' Roxy exclaimed, as Costa bent down to carry Vreya.

'No.' Came Tempest's voice, and they looked to the entrance to find him standing with his arms folded, and a small smile on his face.

'Why hello.' Lila glared. 'I bet you knew all along right?'

Tempest ignored her question. Instead he simply replied: 'Allow me to lead you out of these caves.'

---------------◊---------------

Selphie stamped her foot impatiently, turning to face the rest of the group who still sat on the rocks.

'What's taking them so long? It's been ages!' She exclaimed.

'You think they're in trouble?' Zell asked, throwing stones over the edge of the where he was sitting.

Squall shrugged in response. 'Would their guardians lead them into danger?'

'Well they might be mean.' Selphie said.

'Nah.' Bo stifled a yawn. 'I think they're fine.'

'Well Selphie is right.' Fleck stood up looking at the sealed entrance the Chosen Ones had disappeared through. 'It's been more than an hour.'

'I wonder what they're doing down there?' Rica asked, shielding her eyes from the sun's glare.

'I don't know but I've had enough of this view.' Zell moved to the entrance and felt it with his hands.

'What are you doing?' Selphie put her hands on her hips. 'Are you gonna punch a way in?'

Zell shot her a look. 'Ha. Ha.' He said. Selphie stuck out her tongue in response.

'Maybe if we try and crack it open?' Zell suggested.

Squall rolled his eyes. It seemed obvious that only the guardians could open the way.

'Oh great plan.' Rica said unenthusiastically. 'Got any dynamite or bombs Bo?'

'Nah sorry.' Bo grinned.

'Perfect. Fleck?' Rica looked at the blond man. Fleck shook his head.

'I don't think we should attract any attention anyway.' He said. 'We should wait like they said.'

'Oh come on!' Selphie said. 'I hate doing nothing! It's so boring! Maybe they are in trouble! Maybe…' She stopped as the entrance to the caves shimmered suddenly, forcing Zell to step back.

'Yo, that's them now!' He said, relieved. Sure enough the seal was undone and Tempest stepped out, followed by the teenagers.

'Hey, you're okay!' Selphie clapped her hands happily.

'Just about…' Ash muttered.

'We almost died in there!' Costa began, still carrying a motionless Vreya. 'Do you know what we had to…?'

'Shut up you fool!' Sara snapped behind him. 'We're not supposed to mention it outside!'

'What happened?' Rica asked, looking at Vreya. 'Is she hurt?'

'No, just…sleeping.' Lila said.

'Say what? Did she get another guardian?' Zell blinked in surprise.

'Impossible.' Fleck frowned. 'She has two already.'

'Actually I have Elyria now.' Roxy said happily.

'…' Bo looked at her in confusion. 'What? Really?'

'Yup!' She grinned. 'Vreya gave her to me and now I have two too!'

Fleck looked at Vreya. 'So…she really did get another one?' He looked at Zane who was standing silently behind the others. 'I would have thought you'd get one.'

Zane didn't meet his gaze and didn't respond either.

Squall could tell something of great importance had happened; the group were quieter than their usual, lively selves.

'She didn't exactly get one…' Gen said. 'But we shouldn't tell you here. Uh…we should leave now I think.'

'Yeah, good idea!' Roxy nodded. 'I'm starving.'

Tempest had closed the seal and stood waiting.

'I'm not sure what's happened…' Rica said slowly. 'But as long as you kids are feeling okay…'

'Hey, can we go now?' Selphie asked. 'The wait was so boring!'

They looked to Tempest who nodded. 'Yes. You are done here. It's time to take you back.'

---------------◊---------------

Rinoa fired another round from her Shooting Star projectile weapon, and struck the Geezard right where she had aimed; in its face.

'There are so many of them!' Jez exclaimed, trying to keep out of harm's way.

'Talk about creatures from hell.' Locky commented dryly.

They had hurried back towards the base once they had found out about the state of the school, only to run into the bizarre and frightening sight of a group of five Geezard in the company of two bouncing Funguars around the corner of a back alley. The monsters had been standing around idly, probably waiting for their first victim, which was probably why they greeted the van so enthusiastically.

The group had rushed out, eager to finish the monsters off before anyone noticed they were around, and before they could do any damage.

'Man, how are they getting here?' Seifer wondered out loud as he sliced at a Funguar, and immediately regretted it. The smell of cut Funguar skin was a very unpleasant and foul one indeed.

'The merging is taking place!' Locky said. 'I think…your planet is practically next to ours now!'

Irvine ducked as a Geezard slithered over to try and hit him with its tail. He retaliated by firing a blast of fire ammo from Exeter, and the Geezard let out a hideous cry and fell back, defeated, its corpse dematerialising instantly.

Quistis cracked her whip and struck the same Geezard Rinoa had been attacking.

'We don't need to waste magic on these!' She told the others. 'They're not much of a threat!'

'Can't wait for the Iron Giants to get here!' Irvine said sarcastically, and fired another round; taking out the Funguar Seifer had been hacking away at.

'Your world is really full of these kinds of things?' Jez exclaimed. The sight of the monsters was truly outrageous in her eyes, especially the Funguars.

'Those…_Funguars _look like clowns!' She added.

Rinoa smiled despite herself. 'We thought we got rid of them…'

'Obviously they didn't get enough of me the first time.' Irvine smirked and then his eyes widened as a Funguar aimed a Sleep spell at him. Seifer stopped it before it could do any harm and it dematerialised after feeling the full force of his powerful, decisive strike.

'Obviously.' Seifer replied.

Quistis finished off another Geezard, and with Rinoa's help took down another two. Seifer finished off the last one and then the group dusted themselves off, looking as if this were the most natural thing in the world to do.

Which it was to them…

Locky shook his head. 'You guys are so quick and professional.' He complimented.

'Well, we've had a lot of practice.' Quistis said.

'I thought you were sure they didn't attack in daylight Rinoa.' Jez folded her arms at the raven-haired girl who smiled sheepishly.

'I didn't think they would in a city full of so many people…it's different where we come from.' She replied.

'Clearly.' Locky said. 'But you made mince meat out of them and it was a job well done. I think we should get going now; the others are probably back.'

The group returned to the van and slowly got back in. They left the scene as quietly as they had arrived, not seeing the red eyes that glowed in the shadows; eyes that belonged to a smarter enemy that cackled as the danger passed it by; the creature had wisely chosen to stay in the shadows as its fellow monsters had fallen, but now it slipped and began to creep away.

---------------◊---------------

Bo gently laid the girl to rest on the low bed, and covered her with a blanket. He then stepped back, and sighed.

Her friends were crowded around her, all looking down at her with worry. The mentors stood around also, surprise mirrored on each of their faces. Vreya's friends had told them all what had happened as soon as they had safely returned to the base, and now the adults stood silently contemplating the most recent turn of events.

'Well…' Harris said at last, breaking the silence. 'She always was kind of different.'

'Yeah but this different?' Bo shook his head. 'Poor kiddo; I have to admit that I was expecting someone else.'

'Zane.' Fleck said, standing with his arms folded. 'That's who I thought it was.'

He could safely say this, as Zane was not in the room with them.

'And where did the guardian king go?' Rica looked at the young people. 'You fought him and he just disappeared?'

'It was really weird.' Ash shrugged. 'He didn't junction to any of us I don't think.'

'Which is a shame.' Gen added. 'Because he was the strongest thing we've met.'

'And the most gorgeous!' Roxy added. 'He was so hot!'

Squall and the adults looked at her in dismay. She giggled and blushed.

'We couldn't touch him.' Sara went on. 'He didn't let us get close.'

'So you lost?' Fleck asked. They nodded.

'We almost died.' Costa said.

'I'm sure he'll show up again though.' Bo suggested. 'Vreya will need some guidance, and he's wiser than any of us here.'

Morgan looked at Vreya thoughtfully. Finally, he said:

'So this is the One of legend. It is the end of innocence for her, as she knows it. With any great power comes a great responsibility, and though she will be stronger now, she will also have to extremely careful of her actions.'

'Is she going to be okay?' Lila asked. 'I mean can she handle it?'

'She will have to.' Morgan replied. 'It is her burden to carry and no one else's.'

'So…it's like in her now?' Ash said. 'How does it come out?'

'She must learn how to call on the power within when she needs it.' Morgan responded.

'But the scriptures.' Rica said. 'What about those?'

'They are within the crest which I have read is located within the ball of light.' Morgan stated. 'It is those, and the power within the ball of light, that she must protect from the enemy at all costs.'

'So that little ball of light can tell me how I can rule the world?' Costa exclaimed. 'Man, that's insane.'

'But true; it not only tells the secret, it also gives you the power with which you can achieve ultimate world domination.' Fleck said.

'Will the Threat know?' Sara asked. 'Will he know it's her?'

Morgan looked very grave. 'I believe he has the power to sense it, but there are other signs that may give her identity away.'

'Huh?' Roxy frowned. 'Like what?'

'Well…she cannot be killed by ordinary magic now. Nor can she be pierced by any kind of bullet, or injured by any ordinary weapon.' Morgan said slowly.

'What?' Gen said in disbelief. 'Are you saying she's invincible?'

'That's good, right?' Selphie said. 'She's strong now…right?'

The look on the mentors' faces told them otherwise.

'Maybe not.' Zell said.

'It is no ordinary enemy that she needs to fear.' Morgan looked at the young people. 'And nothing is invincible just as nothing is immortal. She can die just as you and I can die.'

'It'll just be harder to kill her than a normal person…is that what you're saying?' Squall spoke up.

'Yeah, that's it.' Harris nodded. 'Like Morgan said…her enemy is the Threat and he doesn't use normal magic or weapons.'

'Great…' Lila groaned. 'They'll be after her now.'

'He already is looking for her.' Sara frowned. 'He knows she's a sorceress doesn't he?'

'This is bad. We're going to have to work extra hard to keep her out of harm's way.' Rica said. 'And especially away from the Threat.'

'So only he can really kill her…just like she's the only one who can kill him.' Sara said softly.

'Yeah, it all depends on this little lady.' Bo shook his head. 'Amazing really.'

'More like depressing.' Roxy huffed.

'All right kids.' Fleck said. 'Let's let her rest now. Give her some space. It's going to take time for her to come to terms with her new abilities and responsibilities…out now. Get something to eat if you want then get some training in.'

The young people reluctantly began to make their way out of the room and back up the ladder that lead down to the bottom floor.

The mentor's followed, and the last to go was Morgan, who looked at the sleeping girl with a troubled expression.

'Rest well, Vreya. Much will depend on you now.' He said softly, and closed the door, leaving the girl in darkness except where the corridor lights managed to slip through under the small gap at the bottom of the door.

---------------◊---------------

The door opened and Kane turned, his eyes resting on his master's face. He bowed slightly and then smiled.

'Well, boy?' Lorne raised a dark brow as he moved toward the large table Kane was standing by. 'This had better be worth my time.'

They were at another luxurious residence for important political people and Lorne had finally captured the advertising deal with Vision and the company were working hard to start his campaign before the elections took place in a few days time. It was very late, he knew, but he had encountered more problems than he had anticipated. It didn't matter anyway; he had already arranged everything for the victory parade that he had set to take place in a week. It was all going according to plan. He only had a few more things to arrange and a few more important people to manipulate before everything would be ready.

'I assure you it will be. Please have a seat.' Kane gestured to the comfortable looking black leather chair. Lorne moved to it and sat down, curious to know what the young man wanted to show him.

'I got hold of this almost a week back. I couldn't show it to you sooner because I had to transfer the video footage from camera mode onto CD format.'

Lorne didn't really care much for machinery and technology, as he was not of the modern world. He frowned at Kane's words but decided the boy's excuse was probably satisfactory even if he didn't understand what it meant.

'The girl…Vreya…' Kane began. 'She went to visit her parents at the hospital. As you know the monsters that were going to attack the building didn't make it that far because they died before they reached it.'

'Why have there been no new attempts to take down the hospital?' Lorne demanded.

'Because she hasn't been going, she knows it's risky.'

'Hn.' Lorne folded his arms.

'They did attack her school though; she wasn't there either.' Kane added.

Lorne looked at the laptop screen and watched as Kane's fingers moved quickly over the keyboard.

'What are you doing?' Lorne asked, annoyed that he didn't understand.

'Just typing in a password, my Lord…' Kane clicked on a program and a screen came up. He inserted the CD into the drive and it loaded. Finally the picture came up and he pointed at the screen. The recording was fuzzy due to the distortion caused by magic that had been used during battle, but the figures of humans fighting with monsters were clearly visible.

Lorne leaned forward, his interest finally caught.

'There's Vreya.' Kane pointed to the slender form of a young woman who was firing rounds off a projectile weapon. Kane pointed to the others with her.

'And those are either other Chosen Ones or those Children of Fate you told me about.' Kane said. Lorne watched the video and saw the way Vreya reflected magic using her hands.

'They're fast.' Lorne acknowledged. They were definitely better skilled than he had anticipated. The rest of the battle was watched in silence and when it finished Kane ejected the CD and turned the laptop off, waiting for his master's response.

Lorne sat looking like he was deep in thought before he finally spoke up: 'Where did you get this?'

'I knew there were security cameras in the car park my Lord.' Kane replied. 'So I went into the hospital after the battle and summoned a Creeps to take out the security guards who were understandably shocked at the footage. I then stole the footage and any other copies they had made and left.'

Lorne looked at Kane. 'Are you able to find out the identities of the others?'

'I'll try. I'm not sure if I can zoom in on their faces without the professional equipment.' Kane admitted.

'Then find some 'professional' equipment and see to it immediately.' Lorne stood up, informing Kane that enough of his time had been spent here.

'Yes my Lord.' Kane bowed.

'I want to know the identities of every last Chosen scum.' Lorne added, walking to the door, which a guard opened for him, and leaving the room abruptly, the door closing behind him.

The guard had left with him.

Kane looked after them and then back at his laptop. A smirk formed on his lips as he stood there in the quiet reading room alone.

'Of course…my Lord…' He murmured smugly.

---------------◊---------------

Locky clattered down the stairs, Jez, Rinoa, Quistis, Seifer and Irvine hot on his heels. They rounded the corner where they bumped into Tai, who almost dropped the books he was carrying.

'Whoa, hey.' He exclaimed. 'Everything okay?'

'Hey Tai. You look like you've been busy.' Locky greeted.

'I have been…how was your patrol?' Tai asked.

'We have news.' Jez replied.

'Really? So do I. Turns out the guardians took the kids to see their king.'

'Really?' Quistis asked from behind Jez.

'So they met him?' Rinoa said.

'They fought him and lost.' Tai replied.

'Are they okay?' Irvine asked.

'Yeah. They weren't supposed to win. It was a test they said. Anyway, that's not the news. They got the scriptures and found out who the One is.' Tai went on.

'…' Locky stared and Jez looked equally as shocked.

'Well…?' She managed at last. 'W…who is it?'

'…' Tai nodded over his shoulder. 'She's asleep right now so don't disturb her. It's Vreya.'

A deadly silence followed his announcement but it was finally broken:

'…I knew it.' Seifer said. The others looked to him, surprised.

'You did?' Rinoa asked, confused.

'How?' Irvine asked.

'…' Quistis looked just as baffled.

'Come on, it was so obvious.' Seifer replied before walking past them to tell the others who hadn't come with them the news about the school.

'Uh…wow.' Locky said at length. 'Well Jez, your charge is the star of the show.'

'Perfect.' Jez rolled her eyes and followed after Seifer. Quistis, Irvine and Rinoa went after her.

'What's your news?' Tai looked at his friend. Locky shrugged.

'It's not as headline-stealing as yours…but their school has been attacked…'

'Oh no.' Tai frowned. 'That's not good.'

'Not good indeed.' Locky shook his head. 'Things are suddenly moving so fast…'

---------------◊---------------

Zane sat by the window on the base's top floor, alone, just the way he liked. He knew the rest of them had all finished talking downstairs by now, and eating and were probably now practicing.

He held his sword in his hand, and looked out at the view through the misty glass. It had been so warm where they had gone, but the sky back here was grey and it was colder than it should be at the time of year they were at.

Not much of a view…just the empty, secluded alleyway. He sat with no lights on so that no one outside could notice the small window he was looking out of.

He absent-mindedly twirled the sword from its hilt, as he thought. They'd learned much that morning and he knew the pace was finally picking up.

_About time…the sooner we really get started the sooner we can finish…_He thought, and then his eyes lowered to look at the silver chain he wore, and at the pendant of the griffin-like head. Had he ever asked what the animal was? He couldn't recall; it had been a long time ago when he had been given the pendant and the matching ring.

The soft trickle of the first falling of raindrops caught his attention and he looked out of the window again.

_I don't have a guardian…but I can't understand why. What if I'm not really one of them? I'd have wasted my time with these losers for nothing…_He knew he was only doing this because Fleck and the others had drilled into his head the notion that he was a Chosen One and it was his destiny.

But what if that wasn't true? What if his destiny was something entirely different? He had never felt so cut off in his entire life, so separated from a crowd. He wasn't like them, the same way Vreya wasn't like the rest of them.

_Vreya…_her name resounded in his head and refused to go away no matter how hard he tried to make it. Though he guessed since he was alone it was okay to think about her fate, as long as he didn't go thinking about her as a person.

_So now we know who she really is…what she really is…_he thought, as his green eyes watched a raindrop make its way slowly down the outside of the window.

He had to admit that when he had found out he hadn't been all that surprised. Vreya had certain qualities that made her stand out from her friends. He'd noticed these qualities too many times, and too frequently.

She had a courage that seemed to inspire the rest of her friends into fighting.

She had a belief that made them all listen and believe.

She was a kind-hearted person, caring for things that normal people wouldn't care about, and yet, beneath the gentleness, Zane had often seen a fiery spirit and one that was fierce and incredibly loyal to those she cared for and the things she believed in. She fought because she truly wanted to help make a difference and not because it was just her destiny. She wasn't an easy one to discourage or dissuade; people close to her had suffered yet still she battled on, with her head held up high, and her eyes full of hope, a hope that silently lifted the others back to their feet. She always looked to the best in a situation.

The exact opposite of Zane, who always saw the worst; he was, after all a realist. Vreya, on the other hand, actually believed they could win this insane war on the Threat and his un-dead legion of monsters and all things unholy.

_I wonder how she'll react to having the responsibility of ending all of this on her shoulders._ Zane thought. Her shoulders were so delicate and slender; and yet she carried a weight heavier than any steel tank or boulder found on the planet.

_Hmph…_He shook his head and closed his eyes, dismissing her from his mind. _It's not like I care…she's the all important One and she has to stay alive and I'll make sure she does for that reason only…all I want is my own guardian…that's all I want…_

He leaned forward and rested his forehead on the cold glass, without opening his eyes.

_That's all I need…to be strong…_

The sound of a throat being cleared made his eyes fly open and he turned his head to find Fleck, who was leaning against the doorframe. Zane had been so lost in thought, he hadn't heard any one come up.

Fleck had stood and watched the young man as he had sat thinking. He hadn't meant to spy but when he had come up looking for his charge he had been surprised to find him leaning his head against the window with closed eyes and a seriously thoughtful expression on his face.

'I was coming up to yell at you, but when I saw you thinking like that I just didn't have the heart.' Fleck smiled. 'You okay?'

Zane, angry at being caught looking weak, stood up still twirling his sword with his right hand. 'I wasn't thinking.'

'Oh really? Just sighing then.' Fleck folded his arms, amused.

Had Zane sighed? He hadn't been aware that he had. It was something he was doing more and more these days.

'You know why people sigh?' Fleck asked.

'To expel extra oxygen and carbon-dioxide from their lungs.' Zane responded matter-of-factly.

Fleck stared at him. 'Yes, very clever. I mean the non-scientific reason.'

'…' Zane shrugged. 'Enlighten me wise one.' He said sarcastically.

'People sigh when they're not satisfied with what they have. You want something and you're not getting it. What is it Zane?'

'I don't know what you're…' Zane began but Fleck cut him off.

'Stop shutting me out all the time. You trust me don't you?' He demanded.

'…' Zane refused to meet his gaze.

'Zane. Look at me. Do you trust me or not?' Fleck asked again.

Zane realised the man wasn't going to move unless he replied. Meeting his mentor's gaze briefly, he shrugged.

'Does it matter if I do or don't? Doesn't change anything.'

Fleck was hurt at the blunt words. He had hoped he'd known Zane long enough to at least earn an ounce of respect and trust. He didn't know the boy really did respect and trust him, and just had a hard time admitting things of sentimental value.

'I see. Well, I'm your mentor.' Fleck said at last. 'I would have hoped you'd open up to me a little since I'm here to help you.'

For some reason Zane felt as though he'd said the wrong thing. He didn't reply however.

'…And I'm going to guess what you're upset about since you won't tell me. You don't have a guardian, right?'

Was he that predictable? Zane maintained a blank expression as he looked at Fleck.

'I'm not upset.' He stated.

'Who are you kidding? I'm upset, and I'm not even you.' Fleck exclaimed.

'Then you be upset.' Zane responded.

Fleck threw his hands up in mock despair. 'Ah, I give up. You're such an ice-cube, but all ice must melt, especially when exposed to the brilliant warmth of the sun.'

Zane looked at the man, startled. He'd never spoken metaphorically like that before and Zane was confused at his words.

'…What is _that _supposed to mean?' He asked defensively.

Fleck merely smiled. 'I'll let you figure it out. You can try and keep those walls up, but they'll be knocked down soon enough. Maybe that's why you don't have a guardian, Zane.'

Zane was still thinking about who or what the 'sun' could be, and was having trouble keeping up. 'What?' He said at last.

'You don't care; it's a simple known fact. That's what you want us to think, but I think deep down, you do.' Fleck replied. 'It's just that you don't know it yet. Or won't let yourself know it. You care about things…and people.'

'You don't know a thing about me Fleck.' Zane retorted coldly. 'But your guesses are kind of amusing. Amuse me again sometime.'

'I'd love to. The sooner you grow up and start acting like the warrior you can so obviously be, the sooner I believe your guardian will come to you.' Fleck replied.

Zane glared at him. Did the man think he was some kind of know-it-all?

'I'm more complex than you think, Fleck.' Zane seethed, furious at the entire conversation.

'Then why don't you prove it?' Fleck's smile was gone. 'That's why I've come to tell you; now that we know what Vreya is, she's going to be needing a barrier between herself and the Threat.'

'…' _Not this again_…Zane gritted his teeth.

'I'm pretty sure that if you agree to be Vreya's knight you'll get your guardian soon after.' Fleck added.

'So that's it?' Zane demanded. 'I have to do one to get the other?'

'By being knight to Vreya, you will prove that you care.' Fleck said.

'To who; who am I proving myself to?' Zane snapped.

'…' Fleck shook his head. 'Not me, or any other human Zane.'

'Drop this mystical crap.' Zane's eyes narrowed. 'I'd rather die than be her knight!'

'You know, for a guy who says he doesn't care you sure do care about not being her knight. You just have to be your normal-pain-in-the-ass self, Zane. What's the problem with that?'

Zane had had enough. He couldn't summon any words to express his anger, and Fleck pounced.

'I think the problem lies with Vreya, and not with the bond. Isn't that right? I'm pretty sure if it were Roxy you'd do it and not give a damn. But you're scared that if you agree to be Vreya's knight, you'll end up really caring about her and not just her role…you're scared you may even end up f…'

Fleck broke off when he saw the look on his charge's face. It was purely dangerous and he knew he had stepped well over the line. Zane's eyes were a shade of a dark, angry green and were on fire with denial and rage. The urge to beat his mentor to a pulp was almost overwhelming but Zane had a lot of self-control when he needed it.

'Go on…' Zane hissed, eyes glittering with raw fury. 'Why don't you finish what you started?'

Fleck swallowed. He was glad he wasn't a monster; Zane would have torn him to pieces if he were. 'I think I've…said enough.'

Zane sneered. 'You think you know me, Fleck. You think you can tell me what to do and what's right and what isn't. I've spent my entire life alone and I don't need some nobody to tell me what to be!'

'Is that all I am? A nobody? Not even a friend?' Fleck's voice lowered.

'If I gave the impression you were I made a mistake. You can take your thoughts back because I don't need or want them.' Zane moved forward and brought his face close to glare right into Fleck's eyes.

'And I will never, _ever_ be that _girl's _knight.' He snarled. 'Because I don't and won't _ever_ care in _that_ way; do you understand?'

Fleck understood perfectly well that Zane was afraid of emotions and that agreeing to be Vreya's knight would be a commitment that, no matter what Fleck told him, the boy would always view as a major emotional as well as physical commitment.

'Now excuse me.' Zane finished, stepping away, his eyes going cold once again. 'I'd like to get on with my job and practice.'

He walked around Fleck and disappeared down the hallway. Fleck stood very still, even after he knew the boy had gone downstairs.

He stood shaking with anger and frustration. No one could say he hadn't tried to get through to the young man, but he honestly couldn't think of any other way he could make him listen.

Zane was beyond any human influence, and Fleck finally acknowledged that in order to get the boy to listen he needed help.

A very powerful and influential kind of help...one that could intimidate and manipulate even a stubborn boy like Zane into submission...

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble**:

_Ah, Zane, why must you be so complicated? Lol. Here you go readers; I updated in a week. Sometimes I surprise myself. That was the longest ever I think, if it gets too long please tell me and I will cut down the chapter content. Hope you liked and I will start on the next one. Doubt I can update in a week again though : ( But I will try soon! Thanks for the wonderful reviews of the last chapter and welcome to the new reviewer; until next time, take care!_


	47. Wake Up Call

****

**Chapter XLVII: Wake Up Call**

****

The night sky was very clear; the stars twinkled high above like glimmering gemstones and the moon was full and glorious in her beauty. The sound of somebody playing a flute drifted through the air and mixed with the sound of chanting, singing and laughter.

Vreya walked forward, dazed. The night was cool and up ahead she could see that there was a fire burning, and many people were standing around the fire.

Shivering, she pulled the material of the cloak she wore tighter around her. Looking around, she saw many small, old style huts with straw roofs and mud walls. The ground beneath her bare feet was dusty and wooden carts and stalls lined the village's lane, leading toward the centre square where everyone had gathered.

_Where am I? _Vreya wondered looking out from beneath the hood she wore on her head. Delicious smells of strange and exotic foods came from the direction the crowd stood in and hungry, she moved forward, hesitantly, towards the square. As she reached it, she saw that many, many people had gathered. They were all dressed strangely; the men in tunics of blue, green, brown, black or grey, and the women in flowing dresses of almost every colour Vreya could think of. Children were running around holding large plant leaves and singing and playing together. A stall far to Vreya's left was where the smell of food was coming from; people were crowded around, and helping themselves.

A few men dressed in brighter tunics were throwing fire torches into the air and catching them, entertaining the people who looked on. The entire scene was full of life and happiness; it was pleasant and Vreya hid around the corner of an empty stall, watching, fascinated. It was just like something out of a historic village movie, and Vreya was enchanted.

Men, women and children sat around the large, blazing camp-fire, on wooden logs, drinking and talking together. Ribbons decorated the stalls and people stood under tents, watching the entertainment that was taking place around the camp-fire.

Five young women were dancing, circling the fire, clapping their hands and singing sweetly. They all wore prettier clothing than the other women, and each young woman had different coloured ribbons in her hair.

One was petite in size and slender, with curly blonde hair that was bound in red ribbon. The woman next to her was taller and had red hair and green ribbons. Beside her was a light brown haired woman with pink ribbon, and next to her another taller blonde with yellow ribbons. The final young woman had beautiful, long, chocolate coloured hair that had dark blue ribbon laced through the strands. She was pale and as she turned, Vreya caught a look at her face.

She caught her breath suddenly. The woman was stunningly lovely, with pale skin, a slender build of medium height, and she had eyes that seemed to shine. She was far lovelier than any of the other pretty young women, and she was adorned with silver bangles on her wrists and silver bells on her ankles. She seemed to dance a lot more fluidly too; her movements were almost as seductive as they were hypnotic. Something about the woman was so familiar; Vreya could at first not put her finger on it, but it soon struck her that the woman reminded Vreya very much of how her mother had looked when she had been younger; and how Vreya herself looked now.

_Crazy coincidence…I wonder where I am? I know this is a dream…but why am I seeing this?_ She looked away from the dancing women to the people who were playing drums and flutes in a merry tune. Under one of the tents, she noticed a wise-looking, handsome man was sitting on a chair. He was dressed in white and looked to be about 40-something in age. Next to him sat a young man; his arms were folded and his head was bowed, and his hair was light brown. Vreya gazed at him curiously. He looked like he was determined not to join in the festivities.

_Kind of like…Zane…_she thought, and suddenly something else caught her eye. Another young man was standing alone, by the support plank of another tent. He stood with his arms folded and the light from the fire flickered across his face. He was dressed in black, and he was watching the dancing women; in particular, the beautiful woman with the long brown hair.

Vreya's eyes darted back to the dancing woman. She had turned and was now looking towards the man who was watching her. The look was brief but she flashed a small smile, before turning away again.

The young man continued to watch her.

_He…likes her_…Vreya realised, and her eyes moved to the young man with the bowed head. His head had risen now, and he was watching the same woman.

Vreya blinked, covering her mouth with her hand. The young man who sat next to the older one looked so much like Zane, that for a moment, Vreya thought it was him. But his hair was arranged differently and something about the way he carried himself was also different. He looked older.

The dancing came to an end, and other people moved to the centre, young men leading young women to dance a different kind of dance. The girl with the long brown hair moved toward the man who stood alone with his arms folded. Vreya noticed that the young man who sat next to the older one was watching the girl as she moved, hawk-eyed. The dark-haired young man the girl had moved to looked at her briefly before looking away again. Vreya stared at him intently. Then not caring whether she would be noticed or not, she moved forward, closer to the two, so that she could hear the exchange as it took place.

'I was practicing so long for the dance in honour of the great Luna, or beloved moon.' The young woman had a sweet, breathy voice.

'…' The young man she was speaking to had raven hair and, as he looked at the girl again, Vreya saw he had beautiful eyes, the colour of a clear deep blue ocean.

'You honoured her well.' The young man said curtly. The woman laughed sweetly.

'I hoped you'd think so.' She looked at the dancing couples and then back to the young man. 'Will you not dance, handsome stranger?'

Vreya stared at the man. He looked so familiar; but she couldn't work out why.

'…No.' The young man turned his face away. The woman pouted, placing a hand on her slender hip.

'But you must. I wish to dance and only with one whom I choose.' She smiled playfully. 'Will you not honour our moon also?'

'…I have no desire to dance, Valynne.'

'…The Alchemist's apprentice is mysterious indeed!' The young woman grinned. 'He knows my name, and yet, though I have seen him many a time in the village, I have not asked his own.'

'…But you know it.'

'Yes, I do. And I will use it now. Dance with me, Lorne…the night is young.'

Vreya felt like a huge, cold, tidal wave had slapped her in the face. She actually stumbled back, horrified.

_Lorne?__ Lorne?! No…it's not possible! What year is this…? Oh my God…that's why he looks so familiar_…Stunned, Vreya looked away just as the young woman, Valynne, had finally persuaded Lorne to dance with her. Making sure she didn't look too suspicious, she walked over to a little child and knelt down beside him.

'Excuse me.' She said slowly, knowing her accent was different to the people here. The small child looked at her with big brown eyes.

'What year is it?' Vreya asked. The child stared up at her, and then smiled.

'It's 1227! I remembered!'

_1227…no way…_Vreya stared at the child in shock. This was…more than 700 years before Vreya had been born. But she nodded to the child, and stepped away, back into the shadows.

Somehow, she had been spiritually transported back to the past. But why? Vreya couldn't think of any reason. Lorne was here; Lorne, she guessed, as he had been before he had been exiled from Earth. He had just been an ordinary young man who had had an eye for an ordinary young woman; or so it seemed. But she had learned nothing except that Lorne was a lot older than she had first realised, and that he had liked a young woman called Valynne.

_Why do I need to know this?_ Vreya wondered, willing herself to wake up from the strange dream. _What is my mind trying to tell me…?_

Troubled, she didn't realise that she herself had caught someone's attention. The young man who looked a lot like Zane was eying the stranger who wore the strange cloak, from where he was sitting. Silently, he stood up, excused himself from his father's side, and moved over to where the figure thought it was hiding. He would have reached the figure undetected had it not been for the sudden rush of young women who surrounded him, begging for the handsome youth to dance with them.

'Soren! Dance with me!'

'No, I am the better dancer, me first!'

'Soren, you grow more handsome by the day!'

'Won't you dance with me Soren?'

Soren gritted his teeth and his dark-green eyes moved toward the cloaked stranger.

Vreya heard female voices and turned her head slightly. The young man who looked like Zane had gotten up from his seat and was looking right at her. It seemed as if he was coming her way, and was momentarily delayed by the young women who surrounded him. Vreya realised this was her only chance at getting away. For some reason she knew she couldn't let him see her face, which was covered safely by the hood. Turning away quickly, she hurried back in the direction she had come, being as quiet as possible.

Soren frowned. The stranger was getting away. No-one hid their identities on the night of the Moon Festival; the fact that someone was made him suspicious and curious; it was his duty to make sure the village was safe from any unwanted outsiders. Pushing his was past the young women, he placed a hand on the hilt of the sword he carried strapped to his waist, and hurried after the mysterious figure.

Vreya didn't need to look back to know she was now being followed.

_Oh crap…definitely time to wake up; time to wake up right now_…She worried. Even though she knew it was just a dream, it just felt so real and looked so real that she didn't want the young man to see her. Rounding a corner, having no idea where she was heading, she found herself facing a dead end, and her heart leapt in fear.

_Oh no…oh no…wake up!_ She pinched herself, and when she didn't wake up, horror filled her. What if it wasn't a dream? What if she had really been transported here somehow? She heard light footsteps and knew she had been caught.

Soren rounded the corner to find the figure. From this distance, he realised that it was a lot smaller than he had thought, either a young child or a young woman, judging from the size of the stranger.

'…Why do you flee, stranger?' He asked, sword at the ready.

Vreya froze. His voice was smooth and foreign accented, but she could understand him perfectly well. When she didn't turn around, or answer, Soren walked forward, and stopped just behind her.

_Say something…anything you stupid girl_! Vreya screamed at herself.

'…I'm…dreaming.' She replied, ashamed when her voice wavered slightly.

Soren realised he was speaking to a young woman, and relaxed his hand slightly.

'…Dreaming?' She could tell he was frowning from the sound of his voice. 'Are you a Priestess from the temple?'

'…I ah…yeah!' Vreya nodded, still not turning. 'Yes. I am. So you better leave me alone.'

'…Why are you cloaked?' His voice was blunt and hard.

_Like…Zane's…_

'…I wasn't supposed to leave the temple. I was supposed to be praying for…' Vreya remembered Valynne's words, and used them: 'For Luna, our great moon! But the lights drew me out and now you've found me.'

'…All the Priestesses are attending the ceremony. They danced around the fire.' Soren stated. 'Why are you not permitted?'

'…' _Damn…he's not buying it_…Vreya frowned. 'I…I'm being punished.'

'…' Something about her tale didn't seem right. Something about the girl just seemed wrong. Curiously, Soren stepped forward again.

'Why?' He asked in a low voice.

'…I…insulted the Moon.' Vreya winced, thinking she had blown it. But the young man was silent, and for a moment, Vreya was hopeful. Maybe he would buy it and leave her alone.

But she had no such luck. The young man spoke up again, slowly. 'There are five Priestesses that serve Luna's Temple, along with the Matron and the wise old woman. There cannot be six. Turn around, stranger. Let me see your face.'

'…' Vreya's heart raced. 'N…no…that's not a good idea.'

'…I said turn around.'

'…No…my face is…scarred! You can't see it!'

'…What is my name?'

His question was sudden and Vreya caught her breath. His name…she had heard it…but she couldn't recall it exactly. Something beginning with an S, she was sure…but it was too late. Strong hands clamped down over her shoulders and she was forced around. There was nowhere to run and she didn't want to hurt him. From beneath the hood she looked up and saw that he was very handsome and he reminded her so much of Zane that she couldn't struggle anyway.

'If you do not know who I am then you cannot be from this village.' The hard voice went on.

'…Please don't.' Vreya said, in a quiet voice. 'You're right, I'm _not _from here…I'm not who you think…'

His hands rose and he pushed the hood away from her face, and found that he was looking at a beautiful young girl, slightly younger than he was, who had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes.

He frowned, confused, emotion showing on a face that was usually expressionless. His hands fell away from her and his voice was now a hesitant whisper.

'…Valynne…?'

---------------◊---------------

Vreya's eyes opened to darkness. For a moment she was completely disorientated from the dream and it took her a few seconds to realise that she had finally woken up and was back in her present. She was lying down on a bed, covered warmly. Turning her throbbing head, she saw that the only source of light was coming from underneath the door.

Then she remembered all that had happened and raised her hands to her face in despair. Part of her still wished it was all a bad dream and she'd wake up normal again. But of course, she was anything but normal, and she knew she could never be the same person again.

Slowly she sat up, rubbing at her eyes. The mentors and her friends had obviously left her alone to rest. But she wanted answers now and she didn't want to be in the darkness.

_I don't want to be alone_…As much as she hated dark places the black shadows around her were somehow comforting in a strange way. Shaking the thought out of her mind, she got off the bed and stumbled over to the door. As she opened it, light spilled into the room and she was momentarily blinded. She wondered how long she had been asleep for. Everything was silent. Rather unsteadily, she walked out into the narrow wooden corridor, blinking rapidly, trying to adjust to the bright light.

She stopped when she heard voices coming from the floor above.

'We'll be back in about two hours!' Fleck was calling to someone. 'The kids need to know their positions!'

'Just going to see what time we need to be there tomorrow.' Rica added.

_Tomorrow?__ What's…tomorrow_? Vreya thought confused.

'What about Vreya?' Jez's voice called.

'I checked on her ten minutes back.' Quistis's voice said. 'She was still sleeping.'

'She's still asleep? Is that normal? It's been three days now…' Zell's voice exclaimed.

_Three…three days_?! Vreya froze in shock at the foot of the few stairs, that lead up to another corridor.

'Maybe we should check on her again.' Rinoa's voice sounded worried.

'She's fine.' Fleck replied firmly. 'Let her rest.'

'…Do we all have to go?' Costa's voice demanded loudly.

'What's your excuse?' Tai replied. 'Your school is destroyed so you won't be having any exams.'

'I don't mean to sound bad but…thank those monsters.' Costa exclaimed. 'I was well on my way to failing those exams.'

'Don't say that.' Sara lectured. 'The damage was pretty bad and students and teachers were hurt.'

'The school will be closed for the next month definitely. Exam students are told to be on standby. So it's not like we're off the hook.' Lila added.

'We are for now and that's all that matters!' Costa replied.

_The school is destroyed? God…how much have I missed_? Vreya leant against the wall unsteadily, feeling sick and dizzy. Her heartbeat felt very irregular. It felt as if it was beating in double-time. It felt horrible.

'You all have to come. Tomorrow is the parade and we need to plan how we attack.' Harris's voice said.

_Tomorrow…_? Vreya was stunned again. The last time she had been awake, the parade had still been a few days away.

'We're really going to attack tomorrow?' Roxy asked nervously.

'We haven't even seen Lorne.' Ash said. 'We don't even know what we're up against.'

'…Well tomorrow you find out. We must expose him for what he truly is.' Bo said.

'…I don't know.' Irvine's voice was uncertain. 'We've tried to assassinate a sorceress before and it didn't go very well.'

'Well, good thing you're here then.' Locky said. 'You can help us get it right this time.'

'He's going to brainwash the crowd isn't he?' Selphie said. 'Just like Edea did in Deling City!'

'She brainwashed an entire city?' Gen's voice sounded fascinated.

'Yeah.' Zell replied. 'Hey Seifer, why don't you tell them how?'

'…Shut up.' Came Seifer's response.

'Alright get out.' Squall ordered. Footsteps clattered on the wooden floor above and Vreya's head lowered.

'Anyone staying behind?' Jez's voice called again.

'I'm taking them all. Only you and Morgan. And where the hell is Zane?' Fleck demanded.

'…He's in the reading room.' Jez replied. 'He refuses to go.'

'…' Fleck swore. 'Fine. Let him be like that.'

'How come he gets to stay behind?' Costa demanded.

'Get moving!' Sara snapped at him.

'I'll have to tell him his role tomorrow.' Fleck huffed. 'I've had enough of running after him.'

'You won't make him go?' Jez asked.

'No. I really don't care. He can do what he likes.' Fleck snapped. 'See you later. Check on her in about another 20 minutes.'

'Alright, be careful.' Jez called after him. Vreya waited for a few more minutes until she was sure everyone had left the corridor above. Then, slowly, she made her way up the steps and peered around the corner of floor above. Everyone had indeed left.

_What happened to me? Last thing I remember is pain…and…that Guardian King…Aurion_…Vreya frowned, struggling to recall what he had said to her before she had passed out.

_I need to see Morgan again._ Vreya looked down at her left arm, at the mark she had gotten after falling into Phoenix ashes. She had to know what the mark was. There was no point denying what she was; it was difficult to accept, yes, but she knew she couldn't escape from it.

_I'm…the One_…_should have known…now that I think it over…it was obvious. _She thought, as she made her way along the corridor. The training room was empty, and so was the leisure room.

_I'm hungry_…Vreya thought, and decided to go upstairs to get something to eat. In the kitchen, she met her mentor, who was busy fixing herself a sandwich. Vreya stopped at the doorway, and stared at Jezebel for a moment.

Jez noticed her and blinked in surprise. 'Oh! You're finally up!'

'…' Vreya's eyes shifted to the sandwich and her stomach growled.

'…And hungry, I see.' Jez added, raising an eye-brow. 'You can have it; I'll make another for myself.'

'…' Vreya took the sandwich and then poured herself a glass of orange juice. 'Where's Morgan?' She asked abruptly.

'…He's in the library room.' Jez replied. 'Why?'

'…I just want to see him.'

'…You can talk to me you know.'

'…' Vreya didn't reply, just turned and took her tray.

Jez watched her charge leave and shook her head. 'Vreya?'

Vreya stopped and waited.

'Will you take this cup of tea to Morgan with you? And…while you're at it…take another glass of juice with you just in case Zane wants some. If you need anything, I'll be here watching TV.'

'…' Vreya let Jez set the two items on her tray.

Jez looked at Vreya directly and met the girl's gaze. 'You should take it easy for a while.'

'…I'm fine.' Vreya replied flatly. Jez nodded and turned back to making herself a sandwich.

Vreya turned and made her way to the library room. It was like a small study full of desks and stacks of books. The light was dim and as she entered, she saw that Morgan was not in the room as Jez had told her, but Zane was. He was slumped carelessly in a chair, flipping through something.

Standing undecidedly for a moment, Vreya spoke up.

'Where's Morgan?'

Zane's head rose and he glanced at the doorway, noted who was standing at it, and then turned back to his book.

'…Don't know.' He replied flatly.

Vreya stared at him, and then moved forward with the tray to the desk where he was sitting.

Zane stared at the page he was reading. It was on the history of the legendary Phoenix and it was fairly interesting. It had been several pages long and he was now on the final page.

_…The length of a human forearm…The sacred mark of the __Phoenix__ appears in a child of destiny only once every seven centuries. It symbolises unity between that one and the fire-bird and that one has the power to call on one occasion the Phoenix to resurrect a…damn…the rest is smudged and unreadable…wait…half this page is missing…why…? _Zane frowned and was snapped out of his thoughts when a glass was placed to his left by a slender hand.

Something caught his attention and from the corner of his vision, Zane studied the underside of Vreya's left arm. The fabric of her top was pulled back ever so slightly. Slightly was all he needed to notice the strange tattoo like mark on her skin. She pulled her hand away and Zane glanced back at the page he had finished reading. The picture was of a red, slightly raised mark in the form of a bird with a majestic head, flaming wings and a streaming tail. The mark could appear anywhere on the body but was usually always the length of the forearm.

The mark Zane had just seen on Vreya's arm had looked very much like the 'majestic head' in the picture.

Vreya silently moved to pick up the tray again. She didn't want to be in the same room as Zane. She had nothing to say to him and she was in no mood to talk anyway. She decided to take the tray back to the kitchen and then go to the other unoccupied TV room to pass her time.

But Zane's voice stopped her in her tracks.

'…What's that mark on your arm?'

Vreya looked down at her left arm to find the sleeve was slightly raised. How on earth had he noticed? She was sure that had it been anyone else, they wouldn't have.

'…Nothing.' She replied dismissively, picking up the tray.

Zane watched her. Vreya knew he was watching her.

_It feels like how that guy watched me in my dream_…

'…I think it is something.'

'Really?' Vreya replied flatly. 'Good for you.'

Zane frowned slightly. _Is it just me or is she experiencing an attitude change phase right now_…he wondered.

'No. Good for _you_. I think you should come and read this.' Zane stood up and got out the chair, pushing it neatly behind the table and lifted up the heavy book. He walked over to Vreya, who tried to walk around him, but he merely blocked her. Huffing, she set the tray down again, and no sooner had she done so, Zane deposited the heavy book into her arms.

'…' Determined not to show that she was struggling with the weight of the book, Vreya looked down at the page he had left open for her and read the text.

_A mysterious and highly uncommon mark, it is also known as The Burning Brand for the painful burning sensation it causes in its holder. It is usually the length of a human forearm. The sacred mark of the __Phoenix__ appears in a child of destiny only once every seven centuries. It symbolises unity between that one and the fire-bird of legend and that one has the power to call on one occasion the Phoenix to resurrect a..._The rest of the writing had faded and Vreya frowned, and looked back at Zane.

'Why do I need to know this?'

'…I saw that mark on your arm. Not all of it, but I'm pretty sure it's the same.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Vreya dumped the book back into his hands.

'Then why don't you show me the mark and prove it isn't the same?'

'…' Vreya glared at him. 'Just leave me alone.'

'Show me the mark.' He said, placing the book onto the desk next to him.

_I said turn around_…Vreya blinked, and stared at Zane. He looked so much like the young man she had seen in her dream…but what was the connection? Was there even any connection at all?

'…' Vreya shook her head. She turned away to retrieve the tray, when she felt his hand close around her left wrist. He wore black, biker-like gloves with holes at the fingers; his fingers were cool and firm as they gripped onto her skin.

The last time he had done that, Vreya had flung him across the room. She gritted her teeth now, trying to remain calm, though her heart had started to pound at the physical contact.

'…Let go.'

'…Go ahead. Throw me across the room.' Zane's voice was hard and cold. 'You think I'm scared of you? You think that just because you're the One, I'm going to back off and do everything you ask me to do?'

He jerked on her wrist and Vreya felt herself be spun around forcefully to face him again.

'I don't do orders. I make them.' Without warning he grabbed hold of her left sleeve and pushed it up and roughly twisted her arm around, revealing the mark in its entirety.

Vreya was furious.

'Well, well. Looks like I was right.' Zane smirked at her. 'How long have you had this for, and why haven't you told anyone?'

'Since when do you care?' Vreya snarled at him. 'I don't have to answer to you…you would never understand!'

'Really.' Zane's smirk disappeared and his eyes narrowed. 'You're right; I don't give a damn about you. But you do matter as a weapon against the enemy, and this mark has something to do with your abilities…'

'So that's all I am…a weapon?' Vreya demanded, trying to pull her wrist out of his vice-like grip. 'A…a thing?! Let me go!'

Zane released her wrist and she glared at him.

'You better not tell!'

'…Why not. Why is it such a big deal?' Zane asked.

'It's not your business.'

'…' Zane stared at her. 'Don't you want to know what it's for?'

'…Look, I can handle it, alright?'

'…Really…it seems that you've been keeping this secret for quite a while.'

'…No…I haven't…I…just drop it, okay?'

'…Fine. If you won't tell, I will.' Zane stepped back.

'…Zane…why don't you just butt out?' Vreya demanded.

'…Because that mark is important.' Zane replied.

'How do _you_ know?'

'…I know.'

'…Oh that's right, Mr. Know-It-All…'

'Yeah…that's me.' Zane began to turn away. Vreya's anger was reaching overload and she snapped at him.

'I wish you were the stupid One! You deserve it!'

Zane stopped and turned back to look at her in surprise. '…What?'

'…You're such a stuck up jerk! You didn't get that Guardian King did you? Want to know why? Because you think you're too good for anything and anyone!'

'…' Zane sneered at her. 'Been there, heard that.'

'…' Vreya glared. '…If I could give the burden to anyone, I'd put it on you! Because you just…you just walk through life, not giving a damn! If you had a choice to somehow…leave this time…this world…you would…you'd leave us all to die…wouldn't you?'

'…Hn.' Zane's eyes narrowed again. They were such a deep and intense shade of green, that for a moment, Vreya couldn't look away from them. But she quickly got a grip and began to turn her back on him.

This time, his words made her turn back.

'I'm not the one who has the power to save or end this world, Vreya…that's now your job.'

'…' Vreya stared at him. 'You think I like this job?'

'You think I care? Whether you like it or not, it's your responsibility.'

'You think I don't know that?' Vreya glared. 'I have too many responsibilities! And this mark is the least of my worries now!'

'…Why don't you take your anger out on the Threat tomorrow?'

'…' Vreya's eyes lowered. 'Who says I'm angry…' She muttered. She was upset but taking it out on Zane wasn't fair. She closed her eyes briefly. Suddenly she felt drained and the anger slipped away.

Zane didn't reply.

Vreya opened her eyes. 'Do I…have to kill him tomorrow? I just found out…I mean I can't…'

'The objective isn't to kill him tomorrow. It's to expose him.' Zane replied.

'…And how are we supposed to do that?' Vreya asked.

'…Don't ask me.' Zane replied flatly. He had talked enough with Vreya, but little did he know things were about to get much worse for him. As he again moved to leave the room, her voice again stopped him in his tracks.

'…It feels…horrible.'

'…' Curiously, Zane looked back at her.

Vreya placed a hand to her chest, over where her heart was positioned. 'Whatever it was…it's inside me and…it's making my heart beat double…'

'…' Zane didn't know what to say. Strangely, though he knew he could easily leave her alone, his feet refused to move away any further.

'…I don't want this power. I'm not strong. Not that strong. There's another reason I'd give it to you if I could…you're strong, Zane, stronger than I am. Because you don't show anything and you don't feel anything, you'd be unaffected. There are humans who work for him…I'll have to kill them…I'll have to kill human beings…that'd make me…a murderer…wouldn't it? When those savages hurt my family…I…I actually…I felt satisfied when I hurt them back…when I stabbed that spear into one of them…I enjoyed the way he bled…it's wrong…I should have been disgusted…but I keep having these thoughts…these…bad…thoughts…'

'…Bad…thoughts…?' Zane asked.

'…' Vreya glanced at him, feeling utterly miserable. '…Angry thoughts…like…I just want to forget everything…that…I shouldn't care because I've been burdened with too much…with something I can't carry and a destiny I can't fulfil…do you believe in destiny Zane?'

'…' Caught off guard, Zane was slow to answer. '…Nothing is predetermined.'

'…Then why am I the One?'

'…I…don't know.'

'I think some things are fixed.' Vreya said. 'Sometimes I feel like…I just want to hurt something. And with all this power I've got…I'm scared I'll hurt people if I get out of control. Even if I don't mean to…'

_She really does need a knight_…Zane had been told over and over, but he had never really thought about how Vreya could feel on the inside.

'…' Vreya felt the sudden urge to cry, but fought back her tears. Zane wasn't much of a talker; he didn't offer sympathy, but he listened…and Vreya found that she could be her most honest and express all her worries best when it was him she was talking to. He looked at things from a realistic point of view and so he often offered the best and most objective kind of advice.

'It happened when I hurt you that time. I had all of these angry thoughts in my head…I just lashed out at whoever was there. I can't control it…and he's so strong and so in control…he can influence people…what if he can influence me too…what if he somehow is able to make me do things and hurt people that I don't want to hurt, what if he…what if he…'

_She needs to get a grip_…Zane realised. Since he was the only person in the room and Morgan and Jez were not anywhere near to them, Zane decided to take matters into his own hands.

'What if he can like…extract the…the thing that I'm carrying now…what if he says he'll kill someone if I don't…then I'll have to…then it'll be over…then I'll…I'll…' Vreya's voice was getting faster and faster. It was obvious she was panicking.

Moving back to her, he put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. 'Get a grip! If you're like this without him around, how the hell do you expect to stand up to him?'

Vreya blinked, snapping out of her rambling. She'd been so carried away she hadn't noticed Zane had moved closer and was right in front of her until he had shaken her.

'…I can't do it.' Vreya replied, her voice now a hushed whisper. 'I can't do it…'

'With an attitude like that…no.' His hands fell away from her shoulders and Vreya instantly found herself missing the warm and strong grip.

Vreya put her hands over her face in despair. 'So dark…and alone…no-one understands…you all think it's so easy…'

'Never said that.' Zane replied flatly.

'…But they do…how can I defeat someone who's that powerful…he's got so much experience…everything is still so new to me…'

'…You'll learn.'

'…' Her hands dropped from her face and she looked up, directly into Zane's face. He was always so calm and always so strong, the perfect qualities…for a knight. Since he was talking to her now, and had not moved away, she decided to ask him outright.

'…Zane…Rinoa told me that she used to have bad thoughts and trouble controlling her powers before she…got a knight.'

Zane blinked. It was definitely time to go. He did not want to be caught up in this conversation again; especially not with Vreya, who was looking up at him with beautiful, warm brown eyes.

'…Then find yourself a knight.' He said curtly and began to take a step back. But her small, delicate fingers grabbed hold of the front of the grey top he was wearing, and they clung onto him with surprising firmness.

'…' Vreya closed the distance between them again with a step forward. Zane couldn't believe what was happening. His hand closed over her fingers in an attempt to pry them away, but then her eyes caught his and his hand stopped moving.

They were so sad and so afraid that…Zane actually felt sorry for her. For a split second…Zane felt sympathy, and those few moments were enough to almost doom him.

'…Please…' Vreya whispered. 'I don't want to go through it alone…I know it's unfair to ask…I known you a lot less than my friends, but…you're different to them. And I trust you. Please…nothing has to happen…nothing will happen…if you…just say the words, it'll put my mind at rest…Rinoa said it would…but we won't be like Squall and Rinoa…we can…just be…'

Despite her words, Vreya felt herself flowing towards him. Zane had seemingly frozen, and his lips were now only bare inches away from hers. But Vreya didn't see them. She only saw his eyes. The cold and hard look that usual filled them had suddenly gone and Vreya saw something else flicker in its wake. An uncertain and almost vulnerable look…a look that was almost…afraid. The same look he had given her when she had danced with him.

And deep within the fear and uncertainty Vreya saw…something else…something that was like…wistfulness.

'We…can just…'

Zane was feeling a whole load of things. His heart was pounding. His emotions were all over the place. Being one who always kept them strictly in check, he was unused to the uncertainty he felt now. Feelings were raging and overriding each other like a wild storm going out of control. She was so close. She was so beautiful. She was so vulnerable and so sad. With a word he knew he could end her pain. And because she was now so close he could feel her breath on his mouth…he knew that he could equally as efficiently end the insanity he was feeling by closing the distance between their lips.

Then something in him snapped. The anger came coursing through…anger that again he had allowed himself to lower his guard around her, anger that had Fleck been here, he would have thought he had been right about lecturing Zane a few days back, anger that had he not caught himself in time…he would now be facing disastrous consequences. Lowering his head slightly, and closing his eyes briefly, he took a moment to clear his mind.

Vreya blinked. She wasn't sure why he had just lowered his head, but she sensed a change in emotion and her hand fell away from holding onto his top.

Zane's eyes opened and slowly rose. They met with Vreya's and Vreya saw a fury so intense that she was actually afraid. Zane placed his hands on her shoulders again and this time pushed her away, not roughly, but firmly, putting a safe distance between them again.

'…Zane…' Vreya began shakily, not quite sure why she felt like she had messed up completely.

In a terribly calm and cold tone of voice, Zane interrupted. '…I know what you want, Vreya. You have to stop trying. I will do my part and make sure you survive. That is as far as my obligation as a Chosen One goes…it is not my problem that you don't have a knight.'

His words stung her more than any cut from any weapon could.

'…Never, ever come so close again. You are not permitted. You are not welcome. Your feelings are your own…I don't care about them…or your own personal battles.' With these words, Zane turned away abruptly and left the room swiftly, leaving Vreya alone, trembling, devastated, and furious.

Meanwhile, a silent figure retreated from where he had been hiding, quietly leaving after the boy. Morgan had seen and heard everything.

---------------◊---------------

'This is where the parade is going to be held?' Sara asked, as the group walked down the large street.

'No doubt about it…' Locky replied.

'Look!' Roxy pointed to where several men were setting up a large stage. 'They're still putting in the final bits and pieces!'

'…You know…if it wasn't a bad guy being named successor…I bet tomorrow would be really fun.' Lila commented.

'Yeah, music, singing, fireworks, a parade…' Costa agreed.

'…You could always switch sides.' Irvine offered. 'Then you could celebrate in style.'

'Oh yeah I'll do that thanks.' Costa rolled his eyes.

'Looks really different to Deling City's streets.' Zell said.

'Well…we aren't in Deling City are we.' Seifer retorted.

'…Shut up…I was just saying…ah you know what I meant!'

'Okay kids, let's make this quick.' Fleck said, leading the group along. They had arrived fifteen-minutes earlier, and after walking along the main sites of the parade, the mentors had lead them back to the main square. The roads were empty as traffic had been diverted. A few people stood around, but other than that, it was fairly empty.

'That's the presidential residence…' he pointed at the large building in front of where they all stood.

'That does look like the residence…kind of…the balcony…and the high gates…' Selphie tilted her head.

'I hope…we don't have to wade through sewers again.' Quistis commented. Rinoa smiled.

'I don't think members of the public can do that here…'

'You'd be surprised.' Rica replied.

'Yeah, Harris lives in the sewers.' Locky said.

'Shut up.' Harris sighed.

'The parade car will probably come out through those gates, and it'll be making its way down the road, in that direction.' Tai pointed to his right.

'We can assume this from all the spectator restraint fences that have been lined along the road.' Fleck nodded.

'We basically wait.' Bo informed them. 'We watch the president make his speech, and he'll announce his successor.'

'It'll give you the chance to see him, to know what he looks like.' Rica added.

'Right. Once the successor is done with his speech, he'll go to the parade car. There will be television cameras and everything; make sure you stay out of sight away from cameras. He's probably manipulated an entire bunch of television stations…almost all the public know that the president is naming a successor…Vision have seen to this.' Fleck said.

'Oh yeah, it's been all over the news.' Ash said.

'Vreya's dad worked for Vision.' Gen murmured.

'So…this isn't an assassination attempt.' Squall spoke up.

'No.' Harris said. 'No way, Vreya isn't ready yet…but with some luck, we can expose him.'

'Oh yeah and how do you plan to do that?' Irvine asked.

'If we're lucky…we can make him use his magic.' Rica replied. 'And the cameras will catch it…and the public will see what he is…'

'I don't think he'd risk it.' Sara said. 'I mean, I'm sure he's thought about that…'

'We don't have a choice. We need to try. In any case, this is a chance for all of you to get a better idea about who you're facing. His guards will be here, there'll be security all over the place. They will know you're here. They don't know who you are, as in, what you look like, but he knows the Chosen Ones will be here, which is why you have to be very, very careful.' Tai responded.

'We'll spread out.' Bo nodded. 'We'll all have little walkie-talkies, so we can communicate. You can't all stand together…blend into the crowd. With all the radio signals and all going on, it's unlikely he'll be able to sense your magic, because there will be so many people here and you won't be close to him. Make sure you stand towards the back of the crowd.'

'Right…okay…' Lila nodded. 'I get it, I think.'

'We won't have our weapons will we?' Seifer asked.

'No…' Locky replied. 'You shouldn't need them. You have magic though…the weapons we'll keep in the vans…just in case.'

'Okay.' Quistis nodded. 'As long as we all know where we're going…'

'We'll arrange groups tomorrow. The parade will take place in the late evening…that will give us plenty of time.' Rica said.

'It'll be dark…another advantage.' Fleck pointed out.

'Oh I bet it's going to look so pretty.' Roxy exclaimed.

'Yeah…with the fire torches and all…' Lila agreed.

'Okay…now we're going to show you where you should meet up should any trouble brew…' Fleck said.

'Then we'll show you the quickest exits to the vans…' Harris added.

'And then…you'll be ready for tomorrow!' Locky finished, smiling.

'…Alright!' Zell grinned. 'Bring it on, baby!'

His statement was greeted with silence.

---------------◊---------------

Vreya sat on the chair. Her untouched sandwich was still in the tray, as was her glass of orange juice and Morgan's now cold tea. She had no idea how long she had been sitting in the same spot, doing nothing.

…Just staring…and listening…to the silence…to the clock ticking…to the voices in her mind. The thoughts…

No-one came to give her company. Jez was still watching television, Morgan had also left the floor, and Zane, unknown to Vreya, had left the building completely and gone home.

Krysta had not communicated with her for quite some time. Vreya didn't bother to call on her. Strangely, she felt very empty, even though she was carrying so much inside.

She was alone. Or so she thought…so lost to herself was she that she didn't notice the lights dim even further and the sudden cold draft that filled the air.

Another presence had entered the room. Spiritual at first, but soon it materialised into a human form; the strong, tall, lean form of a youthful looking young man, with flaming red hair and golden eyes.

Soundlessly, the figure moved forward, eyes fixed on the slender form of the girl who had her back to him.

_Tick tock, tick tock, tick, tock_…the clock's sound echoed in Vreya's mind.

Vreya had been crying, though her eyes were dry. No tears had been spilt…but she had been crying silently. Confused, angry, upset and on the brink of a kind of depression she never thought she'd experience, she felt hollow.

The Guardian King watched all and knew all that happened with the bearers of his subjects. He knew their thoughts…and he knew exactly what Vreya was thinking.

'Despair is a dangerous emotion.'

Vreya's eyes shot open and she tensed in surprise. She hadn't heard anyone enter the room. No human had.

Twisting her head, she found herself looking at the imposing form of the Guardian King. Blinking, she turned her face away again, not responding.

Aurion walked forward.

'You…gave me that dream didn't you?' Vreya spoke up at last, voice dull.

'…You still have much to learn.'

'…Who was…who was Lorne? And that woman with him…and that green eyed man?'

'…You will find out…in time.'

'I…I don't want this burden.' Vreya closed her eyes again. 'Take it back…'

'You know I cannot. And even if I were able, I would not.' Aurion replied, voice smooth and certain.

'…You want to see me suffer…' Vreya felt anger again.

'…I would rather see you become stronger.' Came the flat response.

'…I don't think I can.' Vreya replied.

'…If you doubt yourself and your abilities…you will die.'

'Then let me die. I don't care anymore.' Vreya whispered.

'…Think of your father, girl. Think of the cousin you lost at the claws of a monster that served your enemy.'

'…I can't beat him.'

'…Then he has already won. Even before you have faced him.'

'…I've seen him. I could feel his power…and it was so strong.'

'Yes. Lorne is indeed a formidable and powerful enemy. He has knowledge beyond your understanding and cunning beyond normal human intellect.' Aurion said.

'…I can't even use…this so called power.'

'You will learn. It is your burden to bear.'

'…Alone. I'll be alone.'

'…For now you must carry it alone.'

_For now…what does he mean…?_ Vreya stood up and turned to face Aurion. His eyes blazed like gold flame and there was something…something so strange about them. But she couldn't hold his gaze long enough to work out what it was.

'Can you…do you know what will happen in the future?' She asked, looking at the floor.

'No-one can predict the future.'

'But…you have an idea…like…you can time travel…even if it is only in dream form?' Vreya pressed.

'…It is not easy.'

'…But you can do it…right?'

Aurion's eyes narrowed. 'You would do well not to ask so many questions. I did not come here to answer to you.'

'…Then why are you here?'

'I have come to tell you that you will need to cloak your magic abilities tomorrow, at the parade. You cannot risk him finding you.' Aurion replied.

'…I won't go.'

'You must go.'

'…Well, I can't cloak anything.' Vreya was getting frustrated.

'No…but I can.'

Vreya looked at him again. 'You…what do you mean?'

'I will junction to you…if only for a short period of time. You cannot summon me. If you are ever in need of aid, I will appear as I wish.'

'…Zane doesn't have a guardian…' Vreya began, but was cut off. Aurion looked annoyed at her comment.

'No…and he has very recently proven why he is not worthy.'

'…' Vreya swallowed. The anger was not directed at her, but she was afraid anyway. Aurion had enormous power; she could feel it.

'You will attend the parade. You will see your enemy.' Aurion walked forward until he stood right opposite her. 'But you will not allow him to see you. And you will not submit to the force of his influence. Do you understand, Vreya?'

Vreya was confused, but strangely, she recalled a dream she had had a long time ago, of exotic music, luxurious residences…and a dark figure standing in moonlight.

'Heed my warning now, child.' Aurion added in a low tone of voice. 'He is searching for you and he will not stop hunting for you…when the time comes, prove your strength of will…and resist his calling.'

**Angelheart's**** End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Dear, wonderful reviewers! I still live! I'm so sorry for only updating once in like 2 months. It's shameful! There are many reasons as to why; assignments being the main ones! Plus floppy disk issues and other reasons, but I will try and get the next one up soon. I hope you liked this chapter. The next one will be the parade, at last, and it'll be eventful! And as for all you Zane/Vreya lovers…mwahahaha…that's the closest thing you'll get to them kissing ahahahahaha. Man…I'm so evil, I know. But I'm sure you were all drooling over the bit where their lips were 'inches away' from each other. LOL! Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter, and welcome to the new reviewers! Wonderful to have you on board! Anyway, watch this space! _


	48. The Parade: Part I

**Chapter XLVIII: The Parade: Part I**

The streets were lined with hundreds of people behind metal fences, decorated banners, flashing lights, and security guards. The sky was dark, the night clear. The city was alive with the sound of music and laughter. People had gathered to welcome their new president and to enjoy a good night out.

'Amazing…' Quistis whispered, as she looked out the front window screen of the van. 'There are so many people here.'

'There're more here than there were at Deling!' Rinoa agreed.

'Well, our cities are very big.' Bo turned his head and looked back the teenagers.

The parade was due to start at seven-thirty; that was still more than half an hour away.

'I think we can take our positions now.' Fleck looked at his watch, and then he also turned to look at the teenagers. 'Alright; any of you who can conceal your weapons, take them with you. Quistis, Costa, Sara and Zell, that's you four; the rest of you, leave them behind. You'll have your magic, and four back-up weapons should be fine.'

'Right.' Zell cracked his knuckles together.

They got out of the van, and met with the rest of the Chosen Ones and Fated Children. Only four mentors had come to accompany the teenagers; Bo, Fleck, Jez and Tai. The others had stayed back at base, to watch the proceedings from television.

'Alright…' Tai said. 'We're splitting into three groups, to avoid looking suspicious. There are cameras everywhere and security too. Remain on task and watch everything carefully.'

'My group will stand in front of the presidential residence.' Fleck instructed. 'Zane, Squall, Rinoa, Roxanne, Vreya, Selphie and Gen.'

'My group, to stand close to where the band will be performing…Ash, Lila, Zell and Quistis.' Tai said.

'Sara, Costa, Seifer and Irvine come with me and Bo to wait by the archway.' Jez finished.

'Firstly, we will watch and see who this successor is.' Fleck reminded them. 'Then we will move and take out all the cameras, so we don't get caught. Everybody knows what to do after that.'

Everybody nodded.

'Alright…you've been briefed over and over, so there's no reason for you to make any mistakes. Mistakes are unacceptable and could cost us our identities.' Jez said, looking very stern. 'Stick together, cooperate, and everything should work out fine.'

'Stick to the game plan.' Tai agreed.

'This is your chance to shine, kids.' Bo nodded. 'Don't blow it.'

'Okay…we'll stay in touch using these little walkie-talkies.' Fleck held one up and then hid it in his pocket. 'Any problems radio straight away and tell us. Don't delay, and for God's sake, don't get caught. Good luck and we'll all meet here and make our exit at the agreed time. Got it?'

They all nodded. Then, quietly, the three groups separated and made their way to their locations to wait.

---------------◊---------------

Lorne stood in darkness, behind the soft, thin white curtain veil, looking out at the masses of people that had gathered to welcome their new successor.

The fools had no idea what his plans for them were. Everything was in its place, the pieces were ready to be moved, and he was the one who was going to be moving them.

He smirked slightly and spoke to the man who stood behind him.

'What do you think, Vincent? Is it not a magnificent sight? The lights…the people…your loyal supporters have come in their thousands to pay their respects.'

'…' Vincent Banner was dressed in a grey suit, and looked up at the comment, feeling utterly miserable. However, he had been promised his family's safety after he made his announcement.

Lorne wore a knee-length, black formal jacket. It was elegantly straight cut, with a raised collar and silver detail. Beneath it, he wore black jeans and a dark purple silk shirt. His raven hair was tied back in a pony-tail and around his neck he wore the silver chain with the crystal encased moonstone pendant. On his hands he wore black gloves with holes at the fingers.

Vincent Banner thought Lorne looked far too young, handsome, and not to mention stylish, to be his successor.

'Young man…it is not too late to forget this…' Banner dared to suggest. 'When they see you, they will know this is a conspiracy.'

'Do not worry old man.' Lorne replied, his tone of voice smooth, soft and reasonable. 'I have taken care of all the arrangements. As for the people, they are foolish, and can be easily swayed.'

His amethyst eyes looked out over the crowd, and narrowed suddenly. There were only a handful of people here he needed to worry about, and soon, they would be taken care of. He had security stationed everywhere, in disguise in the crowds, by the stage near the band, even by the car parks and dustbins. Cameras were likewise placed in all the most inconspicuous places. The Chosen Ones would be found tonight. He would make sure of it.

_I will find them…and I will crush them. _He vowed.

'You…will release me after I do this…?' Banner asked, his voice wavering slightly. 'You will release my family and return them to me?'

Lorne smiled a small smile, and looked over his shoulder at the old man.

'But of course, Mr. Banner.' He replied silkily. 'As long as you follow my instructions…your freedom awaits you.'

---------------◊---------------

Kane looked out of the window of the room he was staying in, in the presidential residence. There were so many people outside. The streets were alive with happiness and goodwill and excitement. Kane almost felt bad for his own kind.

_Almost_…

'Richter.' His uncle addressed him sternly. They young man turned and looked at his relative.

'Yeah?'

'Don't forget your orders. You'll remain here and guard the residence. I'm stationed outside, so you have to stay here just in case the master needs anything.'

'Yeah…don't worry, uncle.' Kane replied, though he was secretly irritated he couldn't be outside where all the action was about to take place.

'And…don't interfere with the master's plans.' His uncle added.

'What?'

'…This…girl…if she should end up coming here, you won't interfere. Do you understand?' The General said.

Kane realised who his uncle meant, and then nodded, and turned back to look out of the window again.

'…Yeah. I understand…'

---------------◊---------------

'Come on, man.' Costa rubbed his hands together impatiently. 'When's this stupid thing going to start?'

'It looks great.' Sara said, admiring the flame torches that were set up around the streets. 'Too bad the occasion's not one we're going to enjoy.'

'Hey.' Irvine smiled at her. 'Soon as this whole thing's over, we'll all throw a huge party and celebrate in real style.'

Seifer snorted. 'I'm sure your little girlfriend will love setting it up.'

'Of course.' Irvine grinned.

'Selphie's hot, man.' Costa turned and looked at Irvine. 'I got to hand it to you. A real catch.'

'Excuse me…' Sara said in irritation. 'But Selphie is a human and not a species of fish, Costa.'

'Give me a break, Sara.' Costa huffed. 'You know what I mean.'

'Yeah…and I also know why you don't have a girlfriend.'

'Well not all of us can hit on our mentors!'

Sara went bright red, but luckily for her, it was dark and so not as obvious.

Bo and Jez exchanged amused looks, but remained silent.

Irvine laughed. 'He's got you there, babe.'

'No…shut up Costa, Locky and I are just friends!' Sara spluttered.

Bo chuckled despite himself.

'Yeah…for now…soon as this is over though, the wedding bells will ring and I will be best man.'

'Shut up.' Sara snapped. 'You're an idiot.'

'Uh huh.' Costa replied, yawning openly. 'And you're in love.'

Seifer decided to change the subject. 'So the cart's coming through this archway?'

'Yes.' Jez replied, grateful that at least someone was taking the mission seriously. 'It'll take about five minutes for it to reach here.'

'Look how many guards he has stationed up there.' Bo commented. The group looked up, and sure enough, guards were stationed all over the place, holding sniper rifles and watching the people.

'Well, no-one wants anyone to assassinate the successor now, do they?' Costa muttered.

'What an idea.' Sara replied.

'Hey.' Irvine nodded over in the direction of the large stage that was some distance away from them. 'The band are about to play.'

---------------◊---------------

'Hey, I wonder what band it is!' Lila exclaimed, as the floodlights came onto the stage they stood close to. A young blonde woman came onto the stage, and with her two female dancers.

'It's not a band.' Ash replied. 'It's just a solo artist.'

'I don't recognise her.' Lila frowned.

'Me neither…' Ash said.

'They could have at least put on some good music…bad enough everything else is against us.' Lila muttered. Ash smiled at her comment and she noticed, and brightened, and smiled back.

'Yo, what's the time?' Zell asked, shifting on his feet.

'Almost ten minutes past seven…' Tai replied.

'We've been standing here for that long already?' Quistis raised her eyebrows.

'Everyone looks really happy.' Lila said, looking at the faces of the many people who surrounded them. Men and women were laughing, children were eating candy, and some rode on their parent's shoulders to see more clearly.

'…I suppose we will be too…' Quistis sighed. The others looked at her.

'Once this is over…' She added quietly.

---------------◊---------------

'They've really made a huge effort in dressing up this place.' Gen remarked.

'Yeah, it looks as good as Christmas!' Roxy agreed, grinning excitedly.

'Glad someone's so excited…' Fleck looked back at her.

'I love parties.' Selphie smiled. 'And big events with bright lights!'

Rinoa stood next to Squall, and beside him was Zane, and next to Zane, Fleck. Selphie, Gen, Vreya and Roxy stood behind them, surrounded by many people.

'Great…' Gen said. 'They've got a mushy song going…'

'I can't even see the stage!' Selphie jumped up and down, but was far too small to see over even Squall's head.

'Who's that artist?' Rinoa looked back at them. 'Do you know her?'

'No.' Gen replied. 'The song doesn't sound familiar.'

'Hey, I should be up there with my guitar!' Selphie stamped her foot. 'Then I'd get a real party started!' She grabbed hold of Squall's right arm, grinning.

'Hey Squall, remember when we done that concert for you?'

Squall glanced down at her and nodded.

'Wasn't I so cool with my guitar?'

'…You were…good.' Squall replied uncomfortably. Rinoa giggled.

'Spunky Selphie!'

'This is mush, we need rock and roll!' Selphie pouted.

Vreya was silent. Aurion had junctioned to her but she couldn't sense him at all. It was like he wasn't even there. She looked around at the decorations and the people, who were talking, drinking, eating and having a good time.

_They have no idea_…she thought, and then she was snapped out of her thoughts as Selphie shook her.

'Hey Vreya!' The green-eyed girl exclaimed. 'Why are you so quiet?'

Rinoa glanced back at her. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine.' Vreya nodded. '…Really.'

'…Don't worry Vreya.' Fleck offered, also glancing back at her. 'There are so many radio signals and all…and you're standing so far away.'

Vreya wasn't worried. Aurion had her cloaked. But she was still feeling uncomfortable.

'Not much longer to go now.' Gen said.

'This is a lot like the parade we went to.' Squall said.

'Yeah.' Rinoa agreed.

'…Stay close, Rinoa.' Squall said, gripping onto her arm.

She looked down at his gloved hand, and placed her own pale one over it.

'Don't worry…' She replied softly. 'I'm not going anywhere this time.'

Vreya watched this exchange, and felt utterly miserable. Rinoa and Squall were so perfect together. Rinoa had such a good knight. Squall was strong and brave and loyal and most importantly, he cared.

Vreya knew she wasn't going to get a knight anytime soon. She had to carry her burden alone; she had to fight the allure of the darker side to her powers alone.

The others were all talking together. Selphie was telling Gen how Irvine could shoot something down from a mile away. Fleck was speaking to Zane, and Squall and Rinoa stood in comfortable silence together.

'And BANG! My cowboy blows his head off!' Selphie exclaimed. Squall's head whipped around to glare at her.

'Quiet!' He snapped.

Selphie apologised. 'Sorry…but he's really that good, seriously!'

'I bet…' Gen replied, smiling.

Vreya looked to her left to talk to Roxy, who hadn't said anything for a while. Her heart leapt when she realised Roxy wasn't next to her. Turning her head, Vreya's eyes scanned the rest of her friends, trying to see if the girl had moved while she had been thinking.

Roxy was nowhere to be seen.

A horrible feeling of dread welled up within her, and with it came a terrible sense of déjà vu. She had been here before…she knew this situation.

_Oh no…where is she_? Vreya looked around, trying to find the girl. Surely she couldn't have gotten far? Why had she moved away?

_We're supposed to stick together…_Vreya thought, and opened her mouth to alert the others that someone was missing.

It was then that she felt a tugging sensation from deep within. At first it was so gentle, but as the seconds passed, it became more insistent. Vreya placed a hand to her chest in panic, trying to fight it off.

She could sense another power, and she knew to whom the power belonged. Even standing as far as she was from the residence, she could still feel it.

_No…Aurion warned me to resist his calling…I have to…fight it…_She gritted her teeth. The singer had long finished, and now exotic music was playing on the stage, by an unknown band.

The lights, the noises, the music and the atmosphere were all too much. Vreya let out a shaky breath, and for a moment, the tug lessened as she resisted the urge to follow it to its source.

---------------◊---------------

Lorne opened his eyes. He suddenly sensed something…something that was coming closer. It was a human, yes, but a human unlike others, a human that possessed magical abilities.

A Chosen One…it had to be. Despite all the radio interference and the masses of people, he could still sense the slightest traces of magic, as long as it was within a certain range.

Whoever the fool was, they were now well within range, and had left the safety of the people.

He opened his mind and reached out to the source, and wrapped a mental hold on the person's mind. A mental hold that could not be broken and would not be broken until Lorne learned the identity of the human.

Slowly, he drew his unsuspecting victim closer to the residence.

---------------◊---------------

Roxanne didn't know what exactly had drawn her away from her friends. She had spotted something, or at least, she had thought she had. She had been walking for a while now, through and past many people and she realised she no longer knew what she was following. Just as she had been about to turn back, she had felt something so…so alien to her, that she had been completely unprepared and now found her feet moving forward, almost of their own will.

She suddenly felt drowsy and her mind felt heavy. It was like she was being forced forward by an unknown power, and she was initially too confused to be afraid.

She was not stopped by any guards.

She followed the pull away from the crowds until it led her to the back of the residence, where many wooden boxes were stacked. Looking up at the balcony above her, she frowned. Something was inside the building…she just knew it. She had to see what it was.

_I have to get inside…_She thought, confused. _Wait…no…something's wrong…how come I'm here…? How did I even get here? Huh? _

The unknown force pulled at her and Roxy climbed up onto one of the boxes.

_What…am I doing…? Hey…why can't I stop? Help me…someone…__Elyria__…? __Tuvalu__? Why aren't you guys answering? _She was afraid but unable to act. He limbs felt like dead weights.

Poor Roxanne didn't know a greater force was blocking off her connection with her guardian forces. Unable to fight the powerful influence, Roxanne slowly continued to climb up the boxes, toward the white balcony above.

---------------◊---------------

Vreya shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Where was Roxanne? And why hadn't she told anyone Roxy was missing? More strangely, why hadn't the others noticed? It was almost time for the parade to begin, and Roxanne had been gone for almost five minutes already.

_Damn it…she can't have gotten far…I'll just have to find her…I'll just have a look around the crowds…I won't leave them_…Vreya reasoned, and turned and began weaving her way in a random direction. She passed many people, and looked into many faces. But none of them belonged to the one she was looking for.

The hypnotic music played in her ears.

She asked people whether they had seen a small red-haired girl pass. Most people shook their heads in response. Vreya walked around for almost five minutes, until finally she met someone who told her they had seen a girl walk past them only a few minutes earlier. They pointed Vreya in the same direction, and Vreya walked towards the place, only to find herself on the edge of the crowd, and close to the back of the presidential residence. Guards were stationed all over the place. There was no way Roxy could have passed them.

_Where is she?_ Vreya thought worriedly.

She was about to turn back, knowing she had made a mistake in trying to find her friend. A few seconds later she realised just how foolish her mistake was.

---------------◊---------------

Lorne's eyes widened. He sensed another force.

One that was so similar to his powers.

'Mr. Banner.' He said coldly to the man behind him. 'How long will your speech take?'

Vincent Banner swallowed. 'Ten minutes…'

'Make it fifteen.' Lorne ordered.

'What…?' The old man frowned, confused. 'Why…how…I have nothing else to…?'

'Improvise…do as I say old man!' Lorne snapped at him. He pointed to the balcony located outside the open glass doors in front of them. 'Go, now!'

'But…I am not scheduled…'

Lorne glared at him. 'You will leave this room and go outside, right now.'

Lorne's tone of voice was so deadly that Banner nodded, and slowly and shakily left the room, closing the doors behind him.

Lorne's eyes narrowed. One of them was so close now…they were about to enter the building. He opened his mind and reached out to the other, and frowned when he met resistance.

_What is this…?_ He wondered. However, he did not give up, and sought another path into the person's mind.

---------------◊---------------

Vreya stood uncertainly, staring at the guards who were patrolling the area.

_Roxy__ can't have gone through…but…why do I feel like…she has…? It's not possible…she could have gone anywhere. _The young girl bit her lower lip anxiously, struggling to make up her mind.

Then, her thoughts changed as a strange feeling came across her again, more powerful than it had been a few minutes earlier.

_…She has to be in there…I know she must be…she wouldn't have gone anywhere else…what if she's in trouble…? _

Blinking, Vreya shook her head. _No…I should never have left the others…I'll go back and get them…_

But the strange sensation swept over her again and with it came more anxious thoughts.

_My friend is in there…I have to help her…what if it's too late…I just have to get past the guards…_

Getting past the guards would be impossible. Vreya was confused. She was telling herself not to try, but her body didn't seem to be listening at all. She was taking a step forward before she realised. At this point, resistance was in vain. She was moving forward, to her horror, right toward the guards. She closed her eyes, hoping they'd see her, hoping they'd grab her by her arms and tell her to get back in place with the rest of the crowd. However, the strangest thing happened. She was not stopped. The guards did not even look her way.

It was as if they hadn't seen her at all. Vreya knew this was impossible, but the only other explanation was that they had let her pass, which was equally as impossible.

She didn't have time to be confused. Her feet led her around a corner, and she looked up to find a familiar redhead climbing onto a balcony above.

'…Roxy!' Vreya gasped, her shock and fear giving her momentary control over her body once again. Roxanne didn't hear her; the girl walked into the building, and Vreya was left torn between following after her friend, or turning and running back to safety.

---------------◊---------------

'Just under ten minutes left!' Selphie jumped up and down excitedly.

'You're actually looking forward to this?' Gen asked.

'Yeah! I want to see what the bad…I mean, successor looks like!' Selphie nodded.

Fleck glanced back at her, and then frowned, as he noticed that someone was missing.

'Hey.' He said, confusion settling on his face. 'Where's Roxy...?'

'Huh?' Selphie looked to her left, and Squall and Rinoa looked behind them.

A terrible sinking feeling came over Fleck, as he noticed who else was missing.

'…Where's Vreya…?' He whispered.

Zane heard, but his attention was somewhat distracted when he saw a figure appear high up on the main balcony of the residence. It was the soon to be ex-president. The crowd cheered loudly and the president held up a hand as if he wanted them not to cheer. He was surrounded by security.

'Look.' He said, drawing everyone's attention back to look at what was happening ahead. 'It's starting.'

---------------◊---------------

Vreya pulled herself over the balcony edge, setting her feet on safe ground once again. Though something told her she was anything but safe. Roxy wasn't being herself, and Vreya knew she wasn't entirely in control of her actions either. Still, now that she had come this far, she would stop Roxy and they would both leave the building as soon as Vreya found her friend.

_I can fight this_…Vreya thought firmly. She realised that if she concentrated on saving Roxy, she could move more easily. Cautiously, she entered the residence by the open back door, finding herself in a luxurious hallway, the marble floors lined with velvet carpet.

Strangely, there were no security guards in the building. Vreya hurried around a corner, and it wasn't long before she caught Roxy up. The redhead was walking in a slow and unsteady manner, towards a large set of double doors at the end of another long hallway. Vreya was momentarily rooted to the spot in fear. She could sense power…_his_ power. He was close, so close. Aurion was cloaking the fact she was the One, but her sorceress powers were not cloaked.

She knew he could sense her the same way she could sense him. His power was so extraordinary; it threatened to suffocate her, even when she was not in the same room as him. She knew where he was, and Roxy was heading straight to him.

_No!_ Vreya thought horrified. _He's drawing her closer…why did he pick her_?

She knew the answer to her own question. Roxanne was vulnerable and weak compared to almost everyone else in their group.

She couldn't turn back now; if she did, Roxy would die. There was a chance Vreya could stop this, as long as she resisted the powerful pull that was also trying to drag her forward.

_Vreya_…Krysta's voice echoed suddenly in her mind. _You must turn back, right now!_

_I can't leave Roxy here! _Vreya replied. _I have to help!_

_There is nothing you can do…he has her now…he is using her to get you…turn back now! _Her guardian ordered.

Vreya bit her lip, anxiously as she watched Roxy walk closer and closer to the door. Her indecision was deadly…the influential power increased and she was forced forward against her will.

Her heart leapt in terror and she tried again to fight it. She grabbed onto the wall, her nails scraping against the smooth marble. Gritting her teeth, she managed to stop walking. Roxanne however, was now right at the door.

'Roxy!' Vreya whispered. 'No…don't!'

Her friend opened the door. Vreya could see it was dark inside the room.

_Vreya__, the guardian king warned you of this, you must stop! _Krysta was calling to her.

_She's going to die! _Vreya thought back in desperation.

_There is nothing you can do…you must not let him catch you! _

_I…have to…I can't leave her…_Vreya gritted her teeth and then ran forward, Krysta's voice screaming in her mind.

_NO! You foolish girl, STOP!_

But Vreya had reached the doors and grabbed onto Roxanne's arm.

_I won't lose anyone else! _Vreya thought, and succeeded in dragging Roxy away from the doors a little.

She could hear the president giving his speech outside, and the sound of the crowd. She had a chance, as long as the successor was outside on the balcony with the president.

'Roxy!' She gasped, dragging Roxanne back a little more. 'Snap out of it! Please, we have to leave here now…'

'Not…possible…' Roxy replied in a tone of voice that was foreign to Vreya's ears.

'Roxanne, what's the matter with you?!' She cried. Then, suddenly, she was pushed back to the floor by an invisible force and she lost her grip on her friend. Roxanne walked back to the doors and slipped into the room. Vreya stood up, her senses tingling. She was shaking in fear. She had no idea what to do, and for a moment, she helplessly stared at the open doors.

_What do I do…what do I do…? _She panicked. If she turned and left, she would lose another friend, there would be no doubt on the matter. But if she followed, perhaps she had a chance of saving them both.

Krysta's voice was still yelling at her to stop and to turn away. But Vreya knew she couldn't. If she lost someone now, she'd lose her mind. If he really wanted her, then she could save Roxy and then worry about herself afterward.

Without another thought, Vreya walked to the doors and slipped into the room as quietly as she could. It was dark, with white curtain veils hanging between various marble pillars. The only exception was the moonlight that spilt into the room from the far glass doors which Vreya knew led outside to the balcony. She saw Roxanne; he friend was now standing still in darkness, swaying on her feet. Vreya hid behind a pillar, her heart pounding as her mind raced in an attempt to think of a way to get her friend out of the mess she had gotten both of them into.

She did not see the figure that waited in the shadows. It stepped out now, and into the spot of moonlight, its back to the red-haired girl.

Lorne knew the red-haired girl was a Chosen child. He could sense her magical ability. However, his attention was far more focused on the other presence he knew was in the room.

It was the meddling Leyton Wrenart's daughter. He recognised her aura of power.

_Foolish girl…do you really think you can hide from me…when you have fallen so easily into my trap…_Lorne's eyes lowered and as they did so he discarded the red-haired girl's body, sending it flying back to the floor like a puppet. He released his hold on her and then reached out to the one he really wanted.

Vreya placed her hand over her mouth in horror as she saw Roxanne be flung to the floor. The petite girl moaned and then grew still. Peering around the corner of the pillar, Vreya's heart leapt in terror as she saw that a figure now stood in the moonlight.

_Oh no…_the sense of déjà vu she had had earlier increased and she knew she had been here before, in her dreams. She knew what the influence had been; she knew what had led her here. He had, and now she had walked right into his hands. She could neither help Roxy or herself.

No sooner had she thought this, a terrible pain shot through her and she was jerked violently forward. She couldn't breathe and her chest ached as she was tugged forward, step after slow, painful step. She tried to fight it. She tried to call to her guardian. But the connection had been shut off and the door behind her was slammed shut by the same force that now controlled her limbs. She could only stand and stare at the back of the dark figure that stood so still before her.

Lorne's eyes rose and he turned his head to his right, slightly. Slowly, he drew her forward with his mind. She had power, and it had grown since the last time he had seen her. She was a sorceress; he knew his own kind, and she was definitely one, a sorceress who did not have a knight.

_How easy it would be to break her mind…to turn her to the dark…to make her kill the ones she cares for…_he thought, smiling slightly to himself. He had two of the Chosen Ones here; he'd have them both taken prisoners, and then he would find out who the One was. And after that, perhaps he would toy with the girl's mind and break it to the darkness.

For now however, controlling her movements was enough. Vreya lurched forward, and then, mercifully, the hold on her lessened and she was able to draw a desperate gasp of air into her aching lungs. Petrified, she stared at the figure. She was not so far from him now, only a few metres.

His power was unbelievable. The entire room felt like it were alive with the electricity of pure darkness he radiated.

Lorne knew the girl was afraid. He could sense her terror, without even looking at her.

'Foolish girl.' He said softly. 'To come here…in the hopes of saving your pathetic friend…when it is you…who needs saving.'

His voice was rich and dark like black velvet, smooth yet powerful like silk wrapped steel. It was the first time he had addressed her directly, and Vreya was trembling with fear.

'…Y…you…' She managed her voice a hushed whisper. 'W…what…have you done…to me?'

'Possession is a powerful art, one only the most skilled of our kind can realise…' Came the cool response.

'…I'm…n…not…your kind…' Vreya gasped.

'Oh, but you are…' Lorne replied, and then turned his face and looked over his left shoulder, back at the young girl.

Vreya's eyes widened. In the moonlight, his features looked chiselled and finely sculpted, like a wonderful work of art. The paleness of his skin contrasted with the blackness of his hair, but it was not only his face that captured her full attention. It was his eyes. She had never seen them before, but now she saw what had been hidden behind black shades on the day she first met him. His eyes were an impossible shade of amethyst, and the silver light of the moon emphasised the silver tints around his pupils. His eyes looked luminous but in them Vreya saw a dark light. They were strange eyes, inhuman eyes, beautiful eyes.

For a moment, Vreya forgot everything as she met his gaze. She forgot he was her enemy. She forgot who she was. She forgot that she was in danger. Lorne blinked and then looked away from her, using her moment of weakness to wrap a more secure hold around her mind.

He did not want to look at her. She reminded him too much of one who had betrayed him long ago. He sneered slightly at his memories, and then moved forward, pulling the girl after him.

Vreya had no control at all and could do nothing but follow him as he used magic to open the doors and lead her outside.

'Now, it is time to welcome…my successor.' Vincent Banner announced. 'I now step down from my position…having served this country well for so many years, having enjoyed the joys and felt the disappointments…it was my honour to serve such people, and know that I do this now…because I love my people. Please greet your new successor, Lorne Decoudres!'

The crowd erupted into violent cheer and Vincent Banner stepped aside, and, looking very sad, nodded at Lorne, who stepped up to the microphone and looked over the jubilant crowds, his lips curving in a sneer of disgust.

Vreya stood just behind him, looking down in horror at the thousands that had gathered to welcome the new president. Vincent Banner noticed her and frowned.

'Young woman…why are you here?'

Vreya could only look at him with eyes full of terror. In confusion, the old man looked at Lorne, who seemed to know what he was thinking.

'Your job here is done old man. You are free.' He stated flatly.

'But…this young lady…'

'Is not your concern.' Lorne glanced at him. 'Leave here, now.'

Vreya silently begged for the man not to go. But security moved and he was forced back inside the building.

Meanwhile, down in the crowd, Vreya's friends and their mentors were reeling in horror.

'Oh no!' Rinoa cried, clutching onto Squall's arm. 'That's Vreya up there!'

'Damn…' Fleck frowned. 'What the hell is she doing up there?'

'He must have influenced her…' Squall said.

'That's crazy! She was so far away!' Gen exclaimed. 'Then where's Roxy?'

'I can't see her…' Selphie worried.

'They must have gotten in from around the back entrance or something…' Fleck said. 'Roxanne must be in trouble…'

'So that's who we're up against?' Gen shook his head.

'He's so young…' Rinoa whispered.

'Don't be fooled by appearances, Rinoa.' Fleck said angrily, and then looked at Zane, who was quietly watching all this with a disturbingly calm look on his face.

'Zane!' Fleck snapped at him. The young man looked at his mentor. 'You and Squall had better go and see if you can find Roxy.'

'…Why me?' Zane demanded. 'I don't have any magic…'

'That's exactly why you have to go. He won't know what you are…'

'We can't just go in there without weapons…' Squall frowned at Fleck. 'How do you expect us to pass the guards?'

'It's too dangerous.' Rinoa nodded. 'I think we need to…' She was cut off as Fleck's walkie-talkie beeped. Fleck answered.

'Yeah?'

'What the hell is going on?' Came Jez's voice. 'What's Vreya doing up there?'

'He's got her and we think he's also got Roxy.' Fleck hissed back.

'How the hell could you let that happen?!' Came Costa's furious voice.

'You have to send someone to get her out of there!' Sara's voice crackled.

'We had no idea…look, calm down, we're sending Squall and Zane to get Roxy out.' Fleck replied.

'And Vreya?' Jez demanded. 'For God's sake, she's right next to that freak!'

'I know…look, damn it, call Tai and let him know what's happening…we'll take care of it and I'll call you if I need backup.'

Fleck closed the connection and looked to Zane and Squall. 'You have to find a way past the guards…take out the cameras if you have to…just don't use magic.'

Squall didn't look too happy and Zane looked furious.

'You're sending us into a trap, Fleck!' He glared at his mentor. 'What if they catch us?'

'They won't! You're just two normal kids breaking into the residence…' Fleck replied.

'He can sense Squall's magic…' Rinoa argued.

'Squall isn't a Chosen One…' Fleck replied. 'And it's too dangerous for the rest of you to go…'

'I'm going!' Selphie exclaimed. 'I can help!'

'Fine…but be quick and careful.'

'Squall…' Rinoa protested.

'I'll be back…' He looked at Fleck. 'No-one else had better go missing!' he threatened. Fleck nodded. Then, Squall and Selphie walked away to find the back entrance to the residence. After glaring at Fleck, Zane followed after them.

'What do we do?' Rinoa asked.

'We wait…what can we do…' Fleck's eyes moved back to look up at the balcony where Lorne was about to deliver his speech.

---------------◊---------------

'How can this happen?' Lila exclaimed, glaring at Tai angrily. 'How can Fleck not notice her and Roxy missing until now?'

'Lila…' Tai looked around nervously. 'Lower your voice…'

'How can you expect me to when my best friend is up there?' Lila demanded.

'Calm down…' Ash said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He then looked at Tai, the same anger in his eyes, though he controlled it.

'What did Jez say?'

'They've sent Squall, Selphie and Zane to find Roxanne.' Tai replied.

'This is terrible.' Quistis frowned. 'Although I think I know how it happened…'

'It's like what happened to Rinoa with Edea, right?' Zell said. Quistis nodded.

'What?' Lila looked at them. 'What are you talking about?'

'People like Lorne have the ability to possess other people's minds.' Quistis explained.

'That doesn't make sense.' Ash shook his head. 'Vreya's cloaked…'

'Yeah, but it explains how he got Roxy, if he's got her at all.' Zell shrugged.

'Then how did he get hold of Vreya. Tai?' Lila looked at the older man. 'You said the radio waves and all would interfere…how is this happening? How is she right next to him now?'

'I don't know. They should have been more careful…I was afraid this would happen.' Tai shook his head angrily.

'What do we do now?' Zell asked.

'I don't know. What can we do? We'll have to wait until we hear from Fleck or Jez again.' Tai replied.

---------------◊---------------

Lorne stared down at the cheering people. He didn't want to give a speech, but he knew it was the custom and he couldn't have everything his own way. Raising a hand to signal for silence, he began to say the lines he had rehearsed as the crowd quietened down.

'I am thankful for the welcome and impressed by the number of people here today.' He said his face expressionless. He meant none of the words he was speaking; they were just an easy way of winning approval.

'Vincent Banner was…a great leader, and I am sure I have much to do in order to live up to his name. But I am ready and willing to honour his role and will do my best to ensure what is best for this country and its people.'

Vreya couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was such a two-faced liar, and so cold and unfeeling. But she could do nothing to stop him; her body was no longer under her control.

'You have gathered here today to witness the dawning of a new era…' Lorne went on. 'And I promise you all…it will be one you will never forget.'

The crowd erupted into wild cheer and Lorne nodded, signalling that he had finished. He then looked over his shoulder, at Vreya, a small smirk curving his lips.

'Have you ever been on a parade car before, girl?' He asked.

Vreya stared at him in horror.

---------------◊---------------

'There are so many guards!' Selphie whispered, eyeing the security. 'How are we gonna sneak past?'

The three had moved through the crowds and had finally reached the edges, and now stood close to where the back entrance of the residence was located.

Zane folded his arms. 'This'll never work…'

Squall shook his head and looked up. 'There are cameras everywhere…'

'So how do you think Vreya and Roxy made it past?' Selphie asked.

'I think that guy told the guards to let them in.' Squall shrugged.

'Wouldn't the cameras have caught that?' Zane asked.

Squall blinked, and then looked at the cameras. 'Yes…unless…' He weaved through a few more people, and Selphie and Zane followed him.

'What?' Selphie asked. 'What Squall?'

'Unless…they're not on…' Squall finished.

'Not on…?' Zane frowned. 'How can you tell?'

'The light would be red…there's no red on those cameras.' Squall replied.

'…They could be different cameras.' Zane remarked.

'What's the point?' Selphie huffed. 'They're gonna see us anyway if we go in there! I say we just go and beat all those guards up and then storm the place!'

Zane blinked, and looked at her. 'That's the stupidest plan ever.'

'Well we don't have a choice! Fleck said we can't use magic!' Selphie put her hands on her hips.

Squall rubbed his forehead, frowning as he thought. 'Selphie's right…' he said at last. 'It doesn't make a difference: there's no other way we can disable the cameras.'

'What are you saying?' Zane demanded, looking at the blue-eyed SeeD. Squall met his gaze.

'We use Blind.'

'How are you going to do that?' Zane asked. 'It'll be so obvious…they'll notice…'

'Not the guards, the cameras.' Squall explained. 'We can aim it from here at them without looking like we're casting. Then we can take out the guards…there are only six here.'

'And three of us…without weapons.' Zane reminded him.

Selphie flashed Zane a grin. 'No problem! We've got magic and that's enough as long as the cameras can't see us…let's do it Squall!'

Squall nodded.

'I don't think this is a good idea.' Zane said, not liking it at all.

'What have we got to lose?' Squall asked. 'The parade is starting now; the guards will be distracted.'

'It's now or never!' Selphie agreed and focused her magic on a camera. Then, slowly, one by one, she and Squall took out the cameras until they could see no more. The cameras were so high up that nobody noticed what was going on. Once Squall and Selphie had finished, they nodded to Zane.

'Why don't you just blind the guards while you're at it?' Zane asked.

'Why do that when they're already distracted?' Selphie smiled, pointing at the guards who, sure enough, were now moving away from their stations and calling out orders to each other.

Quickly, Squall, Selphie and Zane made their move, running around the corner. However, a guard spotted them and ran after them.

'Hey, hey kids, stop!'

Selphie stopped, and turned to face the guard, batting her big green eyes up at him.

'Oh, I'm sorry officer, we took a wrong turn!' She pouted.

'You're moving fast for someone taking a wrong turn!' The officer held up his baton threateningly. 'Get out of here or I'll arrest you!'

'Oh okay.' Selphie nodded. 'We're going…' The three began walking past him, when Selphie suddenly moved and kicked the guard in the shin, following the hit by punching him in the gut. The guard doubled over, clutching his stomach.

'Ooof! Hey what the hell…'

Squall grabbed his baton and then swiftly hit him over the head. The guard fell to the floor, silenced.

Zane stared at the guard, and then looked at Squall. 'You killed him?'

'No. We know how to knock someone out. He'll be awake soon.' Squall replied.

'We have weapons now!' Selpgie grabbed the guard's other baton and then the gun which she tossed to Zane. The three then looked up at the balcony.

'I guess they climbed up these.' Selphie patted a wooden crate, and then climbed up. Squall and Zane followed and the three slowly made their way up. Finally they reached the balcony, and cautiously, they entered the building, making sure to sidle along the walls.

Peering around the corner, Selphie frowned.

'Hey, this is so weird! There's like no guards here!'

'What?' Zane asked, behind her. 'You mean you want trouble?'

'I want to use my baton!' Selphie replied.

Zane rolled his eyes. 'You're crazy.'

'Hey! Thanks!' Selphie looked back at him and grinned. Squall frowned.

'Come on, get moving!'

'Which room are we going to?' Zane asked.

'How about that big one with the double-doors; we should try there first.' Selphie suggested. The three walked over to it and Squall went in first, moving cautiously in the darkness. They saw a figure bent over another figure on the floor, and Selphie charged forward without warning, raising her baton high up over her head.

'Get away from her you…huh?' She stopped as the figure looked up. It was the ex-president, Vincent Banner. His eyes widened on seeing the three teenagers. On the floor was Roxy, and she was just waking up.

'Mr. Banner?' Zane frowned. 'What are you doing here?'

'I…I came inside and I found this poor girl…' The man looked tearful.

'Roxy?' Selphie bent down and shook the redhead. 'Are you okay? Can you hear me?'

The small girl moaned. 'My head is killing me…'

'What happened?' Selphie asked.

'I…I don't know…he…oh my God!' The girl sat up suddenly, very quickly, so quickly she almost fainted again. Selphie steadied her and Roxy's eyes widened up at her.

'Vreya…he wanted Vreya…she didn't follow me did she?'

'Vreya…' Vincent Banner said. 'Is that the young woman he has outside?'

'Oh no…' Roxy gasped her eyes tearful. 'It's my fault!'

'It's okay…we're going to help her now.' Selphie comforted her.

'What's going on?' Zane asked the old man. 'Why have you named him your successor? He's evil…'

'Oh my, oh my…' Banner covered his face with his hands in despair. 'I had no choice…I had no choice…'

'Tell us.' Squall said.

'I…I'm afraid I cannot…but what are you children doing here? How did you get past the security?' The man looked up at them.

'It doesn't matter.' Zane replied. 'You've made a big mistake, and we're here to clear it up.'

'Who are you?' Mr. Banner frowned, when Squall interfered.

'We don't have time to explain. Please leave the building.'

'But I…you kids…you're the ones who need to get out…' Banner exclaimed.

'We have to help our friend.' Selphie said, helping Roxy up. Mr. Banner stood, looking very sad and tired.

'I wish I could help you…but I don't understand how he's done it…he's controlling my entire security…'

'It's okay…' Selphie replied sympathetically. 'Just get out of here and stay safe.'

'…You kids be careful…' The old man nodded and then left the room.

Squall and Zane moved to the glass doors and opened them, looking out at the balcony. The security had left and so had Lorne and Vreya.

'Damn it…' Squall said. 'We're too late…'

---------------◊---------------

'There's a first time for everything.' Lorne murmured, as he walked down the stairs towards the parade car. Vreya struggled after him, trying to fight his hold. All around them were security guards.

The noise of the crowd and the music was deafening. Fire works were going off and Vreya couldn't hear herself think. Lorne had loosened his grip on her slightly, enough so that she could talk.

'Why are you doing this?' She managed. She didn't think he'd hear her over the noise, but he did.

'I know what you are.' He replied, voice flat, emotionless. 'I know there are more of you here…and I know you have something planned. Perhaps your friends will think twice before aiming if they see you have been captured.'

'I…I don't know what you're talking about!' Vreya cried.

'Don't you now.' Lorne replied. 'In that case, enjoy the ride.'

Vreya was furious at her helplessness. 'Let me go! You'll never get away with this!'

'I think you'll find I can and I will.' Lorne replied as they neared the bottom of the stairs.

---------------◊---------------

Squall, Zane, Selphie and Roxy looked over the balcony rail, down at the stairs that led towards the cart. Sure enough, Lorne was making his way down, and Vreya was being dragged along with him. Security surrounded them from left to right.

'There she is!' Selphie pointed.

'He's taking her with him to the car?' Squall frowned.

'Why would he do that?' Roxy asked in dismay. 'What does he want?'

'He must have guessed we've got something planned…' Squall replied.

Zane stared down at Lorne, gripping the gun tightly in his hand. He saw the way Vreya was being pulled against her will. Then, without looking at the others, he said:

'Get back inside.'

'What?' Squall looked at him.

'I'm going to fire at him.' Zane replied.

'Are you crazy?' Selphie exclaimed. 'You'll get caught!'

'Hey…I don't have any magic remember? I'm just a rebel kid…' Zane said.

'That's stupid, Zane.' Squall shook his head. 'He'll see you.'

'Doesn't matter, let him.' Zane responded. 'The aim is to expose him isn't it? Let's set things into motion.'

Making sure to stand at an angle where people below couldn't see what was happening, Zane raised his arm and took aim.

'This is crazy…' Roxy said worriedly. 'Zane, don't do it!'

'Come on…' Selphie pulled the girl back towards the glass doors. 'It's crazy but it may work…he has to use a magic shield to defend himself from the bullet…'

The three disappeared inside. Zane took aim, his heart pounding. He was suddenly unsure about his plan, but he shook away his doubts, and taking a deep breath, pulled the trigger.

Lorne sensed danger a split second before he heard the sound of gun fire. The sound of fireworks and the crowd and of music drowned it out, but he heard it and he knew it was aimed at him. Quickly he grabbed a guard and shoved him in the way of the bullet. The man took it, and then slumped to the floor, dead from a shot to the head.

Vreya screamed. Lorne's eyes narrowed and his head snapped up to look in the direction the bulled had come from. A young man stood on the balcony, staring back down at them.

Zane cursed. He had missed…no, his aim had been perfect…Lorne had just pushed someone in the way, with reflexes too fast to be human. Now Lorne had seen him.

Lorne's eyes widened as he stared at the young man. He had light brown hair and deep green eyes…he looked so much like…

_Soren__…that boy…it can't be…_He was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt someone push past him and begin to head back up the stairs. In his distraction, he had loosened his hold on the girl and she had used the opportunity to move in an attempt to escape.

Vreya moved as fast as she could up the stairs, holding a hand out up toward where Zane stood above her.

'Help!' She cried, and then gasped in pain as she felt a hand grab a fistful of her hair and jerk her back. Zane aimed right at Lorne again, but the raven-haired man pulled Vreya back and into the way.

'Go ahead and shoot, boy!' He called up. 'Right into her head!'

Zane cursed and looked at Vreya, lowering his gun, shaking his head and then retreating back into the building. By this stage, the guards had realised the threat.

'Seize him!' Lorne ordered. The guards moved up the stairs to do their master's bidding. Vreya struggled, screaming and cursing.

'Let me go! LET ME GO!'

'That was a friend of yours wasn't it…' Lorne whispered into her ear. 'So you mean to expose me…it shall be you who will be exposed and burned at the stake for being a witch!' He pushed her onto the car and got on also, taking his place on the majestic chair. In control of Vreya once again, he had her kneel at the right arm of the chair, hidden from view by a large, black, feather fan.

The crowd cheered as the car began to move and the parade began, with dancers moving sensuously to the sound of music both in front and behind the car.

Meanwhile, Zane had run back into the residence where Squall, Selphie and Roxy waited for him.

'Well?' Squall asked.

'Let's move!' Zane replied, running past them. 'He's got guards after me…'

'I told you it was a bad plan!' Roxy cried, moving and following after Zane. Squall cursed, hearing the pounding of footsteps nearing the glass doors. He looked at the curtain veils, and then at Selphie, who was thinking the same thing he was.

'It'll slow them down…and I don't think there's anyone else in the building...let's do it!'

Squall nodded and they both cast Fire. The curtains caught on instantly and soon smoke filled the room.

'Let's go!' Squall yelled, and the two turned and followed after Roxy and Zane.

**Angelheart's**** End of Chapter Ramble:**

_There you go, part one done! I had to split it up, because it's very long and I mean very, very long. It was hard for me to write this chapter with so many things happening, but I hope you liked it. I've been struggling lately, and I wasn't going to update at all, but I decided that one part is better than none! Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter. A special mention must go to Phoenix-welcome back, I've missed you hun! Also to the new reviewer Marked: your review was wonderful and I will keep your suggestions in mind. Well readers, I won't be updating for a while now, with Christmas and all, so all that's left to say is Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all! _


	49. The Parade: Part II

_This chapter is dedicated to Cute Kitty, happy belated birthday! Sorry I couldn't get it out on time but I hope you and the other reviewers enjoy it. Read on!_

**Chapter XLIX: The Parade: Part II**

'The parade car is moving!' Gen exclaimed.

'Vreya's on there!' Rinoa cried, and looked at Fleck anxiously. 'We have to do something!'

Fleck shook his head, cursing under his breath. 'There's so much security…damn it, could things get any worse…?'

At that moment, his walkie-talkie beeped and Fleck raised it up, pressing the button to receive the call.

'Fleck speaking.'

The walkie-talkie crackled slightly from static waves and then Tai's voice came through.

'Fleck, what's happening? We can't see from here!'

There were voice behind him and then Lila's voice came through and she sounded angry and worried.

'Hello? Where's Vreya? Did you get her and Roxy out of there? How could you let this happen, you were supposed to…Ash! I haven't finished…'

She was cut off as Ash's voice spoke up next. 'Have you got Roxy and Vreya out?'

Tai's voice was heard in the background and he seemed to gain control of the situation again as he took the walkie-talkie back.

'Fleck? Hello? Can you hear me?'

'Yes.' Fleck replied. 'The others aren't back yet and…they haven't got Vreya.'

'What?' Tai exclaimed. 'Then where the hell is she? Is she still with Lorne?'

'…She's on the parade cart…' Fleck finally told him.

'On the parade cart?' Tai repeated, his voice sounding incredulous.

'What?' Came Lila's voice in the background. 'What about the parade cart?'

'Vreya's on the parade cart?' Zell's voice exclaimed loudly. 'What?! Man, didn't you send Squall and the others after her?!'

Quistis was trying to restore order. 'Calm down…Zell, not so loud!'

'Calm down?' Lila screeched. 'How are we going to get her away from him? How could you let this happen Fleck? I'm going to kill you if anything happens to her!'

Tai snapped at them. 'Shut up all of you! Stop panicking…it doesn't help! Fleck, what about Roxanne?'

'I think they got her out okay…' Fleck replied. 'Because we can't see her now; they aren't back yet but they should be any minute now. Tai, the cart is going to pass your station in approximately five minutes…radio Jez and tell her the cart will be close to her station in approximately fifteen minutes…we can't do anything from here, the cart is already passing us…but Costa and Irvine are with her, tell her to do something while we wait for the others to get back so we can figure out what we can do…okay?'

'…Okay…shouldn't we try and break it up somehow and cause a disruption?' Tai asked.

'How can we without getting caught?' Fleck snapped back.

'We don't have a choice…' Gen said to him. 'It's the only way we can save Vreya.'

Fleck rubbed his forehead stressfully. 'Tai…think of something…just do anything if you can, to slow the cart down without getting caught or directly attracting attention…radio me back with any news.'

'Right…what are you going to do when Squall and the others come back?' Tai asked.

'We have to think of something too. Speak to you soon.' Fleck closed the connection and sighed, looking back in the direction of the cart was moving in. The people were cheering and the music was playing loudly. The procession, the lights and the dancers were all magnificent but Fleck, Rinoa and Gen couldn't enjoy the sight. Their worries were on Vreya and how they could undo the mess she had gotten herself into.

---------------◊---------------

There were so many people and they all looked so jubilant and carefree. Vreya already felt sick, but the sight of so many happy people made her feel even worse. She couldn't move. The hold on her was so powerful and she was so inexperienced and felt so overwhelmed that there was little she could do to help herself.

The terrible thing was that she couldn't call for help either. She was hidden from view by a large black fan shaped like a feather that served as part of the decorations on the cart. The music resounded in her ears and the lights from the fireworks that shot up in the sky blinded her. Her senses were overloaded and Vreya wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and block everything out. But she couldn't. Lorne would not let her.

She was frightened but at the same time furious at herself. She had gotten herself into this mess, and now there was a risk she could expose her friends as a result. They would try and help her. Perhaps it would be for the best if they didn't. But she couldn't stop them anyway. She was powerless in every way, and she was scared to think about what Lorne would do to her if her friends didn't help her.

Suddenly, above the many noises that were deafening her, she heard Lorne's voice address her. He didn't shout, and he didn't raise his voice in any way. Yet she still heard him perfectly well above everything.

'…Well, Vreya. How do you like the display?'

Vreya's breath caught in her throat. He had just said her name…he knew her name…

_Of course he does…_She thought. _How much does he know about me?_

Vreya wanted to answer back with an insult but she was so afraid that she remained silent. She managed to turn her eyes to look up at him and once again she was momentarily captivated by his flawless appearance. He blinked, but didn't look down to return her gaze. Vreya felt nauseous and she looked away again.

It wasn't long before Lorne spoke again.

'Who was that boy?'

Vreya's stomach lurched.

'A friend of yours perhaps?'

Vreya didn't answer. She knew he expected her to, but she was determined to defy him in the one way that she could.

Lorne's eyes narrowed but he still didn't look at her. 'Strange…I sensed no magic on him…he must either be extremely brave or extremely foolish to fire a bullet my way.'

_Zane…_Vreya thought, terrified for the green-eyed young man. Lorne had seen him and now knew what he looked like. _Why did you do it? You knew it wouldn't work…_Vreya's chest constricted painfully as she thought of Zane. She hoped he was alright, and the others were also. She hoped Roxanne was safe.

Lorne looked down to his right, at the young woman who was trembling beside him. And he smiled a small smile.

---------------◊---------------

'Damn…' Zane cursed, as he peered around the corner of the presidential residence's outer wall. They had made it out and down safely, but they needed to get lost in the crowd before any guards followed them down.

'Let me guess…' Selphie said. 'Guards, guards and more guards?'

Zane looked back at Squall. 'There're so many. How do we make it past them?'

'Hey, we're SeeD's no problem!' Selphie flashed a cheerful grin.

Roxanne stood beside her nervously, not believing that Selphie could still remain cheerful despite their situation. 'Uh…but Selphie, there're so many…'

'We're going to have to sneak past them.' Squall said at last.

'Oh!' Selphie pouted. 'Not attack them?'

'If we attack we'll only draw attention to ourselves. We may have taken the cameras out, but there are more guards here that we can't see.' Squall replied.

'I think sneaking is better.' Roxy agreed. 'I don't feel like I can fight right now…my arm hurts.'

'Okay.' Selphie shrugged. 'But we're going to have to save Vreya, so we'll get to fight soon anyway!'

Squall shook his head at her remark, and then nodded to Zane and Roxy. 'Alright. Follow me.'

---------------◊---------------

'We have to do something!' Zell said. 'Man, we can't just stand here and let the cart pass us!'

'What's the point?' Tai replied. 'The cart's going to be here any second and we haven't thought of anything…maybe Jez's group will have better luck. I've radioed her and she's told me they're on it.'

Lila poked Tai in the arm angrily. 'Now you listen here. I'm not going to stand here and let my best friend get hurt! Now we're going to do something whether you like it or not!'

'What?' Tai snapped back at her. 'Do you think I want Vreya to get hurt? This isn't my fault. There are so many guards and there's no way we can stop the cart without hitting it directly.'

'Then that's what we'll do.' Ash said. 'He knows we're here anyway doesn't he?'

'That's crazy.' Tai shook his head. 'He'll spot you…'

'The cart's coming.' Quistis informed them. 'I can see it.'

'Oh no…' Lila cried. 'We have to do something quickly before it's too late!'

'Hey, what if we use our GF's?!' Zell exclaimed. 'That way he won't know where they're coming from!'

'…Yes!' Lila grabbed his arm. 'You're a genius Zell! I'll just summon Tempest and he can create a huge tornado and cause a distraction…then we can get Vreya off the cart!'

'Wait…calm down…' Tai held up his hands. 'We can't just use any guardian force…'

Quistis snapped her fingers together. 'Water and Wind…together they'll create the perfect cloaking atmosphere.'

'Right.' Ash nodded. 'Lila has Tempest…but Gen's got Dragoone…damn it…'

Quistis smiled slightly. 'I believe I can be of service in that little matter…'

'Huh?' Lila looked at her. 'You have a water guardian too?'

'Leviathan is junctioned to me.' Quistis nodded. 'I haven't really used him for a while…I'm getting out of practice.'

Lila smiled. 'Perfect! You don't have any objections do you Tai? This is the best plan we can think of!'

'Now or never.' Zell agreed. 'You'll have to time them together though.'

'I'll have to start calling him now…' Quistis frowned. 'It'll take a little while before he appears.'

'A little while?' Ash repeated. 'The cart is coming right now!'

'I don't know about this…' Tai began.

'Hey, will you leave it to us?' Zell demanded. 'Quistis, do it now. Lila, tell Tempest to use his wind attack to direct the water towards the cart. Can he pick up dust and stuff with it?'

'I'll ask him…I'm sure he can.' Lila replied.

'Shall I throw in some lightening just in case?' Ash asked.

Zell nodded. 'I was going to say that myself, but you go ahead.'

'It's going to be obvious that it's magic that's doing it…' Tai warned.

'But we can direct the guardians away from us…' Zell said.

Tai looked at the four young people with him and then shrugged in defeat. 'Alright…I'm outnumbered…I'll radio Fleck and Jez to let them know what we're doing…let's just hope this works…'

---------------◊---------------

'This is a nightmare.' Jez exclaimed. 'God, it couldn't get any worse! I knew I should have made Vreya come with me. That Fleck is such an irresponsible…'

'Hey!' Bo interrupted. 'That's not fair, Jez! You're acting like Fleck wanted Vreya to get caught! It seems more like it's her fault than anyone else's!'

'Oh, so Vreya just happily walked right into that freak's hands?' Jez snapped back.

'I didn't say that but don't blame Fleck.' Bo defended his friend. 'And we won't get anywhere with this, we have to think.'

'So think!' Jez threw up her hands. She looked at Seifer expectantly.

'What are you looking at?' The blond demanded.

'You, actually. Don't you have any ideas?'

'I do.' Irvine raised a hand. 'How about I just fire another bullet from here at that guy?'

'Well that's suicidal…' Seifer muttered.

'There are so many people here…' Costa said. 'We can't just fire…the guards will be onto us faster than we can blink, man!'

'Well, after I fire, I summon Pandemona to create a tornado as a diversion and we escape.' Irvine shrugged.

Jez opened her mouth to tell him he was stupid, when she stopped suddenly and closed her mouth again. After a few moments, she nodded.

'That sounds like… a decent plan.'

Irvine smiled lazily. 'Thanks.'

The walkie-talkie beeped and Jez raised it to her mouth. 'Yes?'

Tai's voice came through. 'We've got a plan here…we're about to set it into motion.'

'What is it? We have one too.' Jez replied.

Tai reported the plan and Jez frowned. 'That's what we're going to do…'

'Alright, if ours doesn't work, go ahead with yours…we can easily cover our tracks with magic if we need to…the most important thing is we have to get Vreya away from him!' Tai's voice replied.

'Fine.' Jez nodded. 'Has Fleck given the go ahead?'

'Yes, I've just told him.' Came the response.

'Then go ahead…' Jez consented. 'But be careful you don't make things worse!'

---------------◊---------------

'Where are they?' Rinoa shifted on her feet. 'I'm worried…what if they're in trouble?'

Fleck looked around. 'We can't do much now, Rinoa. Unless we make our way through the people after the cart, we can't do anything except wait.'

'Do you think Tai's group will pull off the plan okay?' Gen asked.

'I don't know.' Rinoa frowned. 'It sounds…risky…but there's no other way.'

'I guess not.' Gen replied. 'This has turned out so bad.'

'Let's just hope it doesn't get worse.' Fleck muttered.

'Hey.' Gen said. 'I think I see Squall…'

Rinoa turned, her features lighting up in relief. 'Where? Oh…there they are! Thank Hyne!'

Squall reached them, followed by Zane, Roxy and Selphie.

'Well, you're back.' Fleck nodded. 'At least you got Roxy.'

'Are you okay?' Gen asked his friend. The small redhead shuddered.

'Oh Gen it was so bad and scary!' She threw her arms around him and he hugged her back reassuringly.

'It's okay you're okay now…we have to get Vreya though.'

'Squall, I was getting worried!' Rinoa exclaimed. 'You didn't run into any trouble did you?'

Squall shook his head. 'We managed to sneak by and we took out the cameras.'

'What are we going to do about Vreya?' Selphie asked.

Zane looked at Fleck. 'We couldn't reach her in time.'

'I know. Tai's group is about to try and get her away from Lorne…'

'How?' Squall turned to look at Fleck.

'Okay…I'd better fill you in …' Fleck began.

---------------◊---------------

'Alright…' Ash whispered. 'Here he comes…'

'Ready?' Lila asked Quistis.

'Ready.' Quistis replied.

'Ready, Ash?' Lila looked at the blond haired young man, who nodded.

'Let's do it.'

'Three…two…one…' Zell counted down. 'Okay, let them loose!'

Quistis, Lila and Ash simultaneously summoned their guardian forces, directing them some distance away from where they stood. The fireworks provided good cover for the lights from the guardian forces. Tempest, Aquila and Leviathan blended into the colours that already illuminated the sky, and then, suddenly, the crack of a lightening bolt sounded above the soaring and explosions of the fireworks. It began to rain, and a great gust of wind blew so strongly that many of the torches situated along the streets blew out completely.

'Alright Zell!' Quistis whispered. 'You know what to do…be careful!'

Zell nodded. 'Just leave it to me!' The young man turned away and began to push his way through the crowd, toward the cart.

Meanwhile the crowd was growing alarmed at the sudden drastic change in weather. They turned their faces up toward the sky and saw that angry grey rain clouds were forming. But it was only the beginning. High in the sky, Leviathan summoned water and Tempest summoned wind at the same time, directing the hurricane across the crowds to distract them, and then toward the cart to catch Lorne off guard. Aquila directed a bolt of lightening right in front of the cart and as it struck the ground and pierced it, people screamed and security guards ran forward to make sure no-one, particularly, the new president, had been hurt.

Lorne's eyes widened and he stood up quickly, frowning down at the crack in the ground caused by the sudden bolt of lightening. Something was wrong…the change in weather was so sudden and so unnatural. He turned his face up toward the sky, just in time to see three strange figures dematerialise. He tried to track the magical essences to their sources, but they moved far too quickly, and there were so many interferences from other sources of electricity.

Vreya felt the hold on her loosen slightly. She knew her friends were responsible and were trying to help her…but how was she supposed to use the sudden turn of events to her advantage? Then her eyes widened as she saw a wave of water falling down from the sky…right toward the parade cart.

She screamed. Lorne looked down at her.

'What is…' he began, when she pointed up and he turned his face to see the same wave being driven by a powerful gust of wind, coming their way. He cursed, knowing he could do nothing to stop it unless he used magic. And that would mean people would see. He could block out the memories of a number of people at a time, but never so many as there were now, especially not all at once. There were cameras and he was bound to be caught somehow, by someone or something.

_Those fools…they're smarter than I thought! That wave won't kill me but don't they know they will kill their friend? She'll drown_…He thought angrily. He could do nothing to stop the wave. It moved so quickly and he resolved to use magic only when it hit him and covered him from the view of others. He had to use it to protect himself. The girl however, was another matter.

The wave was now directly above them and it suddenly dropped down and crashed into the cart. People screamed and tried to move out of the way of the shower, and many of the dancers and guards behind the cart got caught up and swept away. Lorne shielded himself from the force but the parade cart was pushed back, crushing a few people beneath it, though it managed to stay upright.

Vreya however, did not. She screamed as she felt the force of the water push her back and off the cart, down to hit the ground below. She waited for the painful impact to hit her but it didn't. For a moment she thought she was flying, then she suddenly felt arms catch her and a voice yell in her ear:

'It's okay, I've got you!'

It took Vreya a moment to recognise the voice as being Zell's. She was set down on the floor seconds later and a hand grabbed hold of hers. Zell turned her to face him, and he was as drenched as she was. Relief swept through Vreya and her legs almost gave way when she saw Zell's familiar and welcome face.

'Are you okay?!' He shouted, above the screaming and the chaos that now surrounded them.

Vreya wasn't okay. The water had been so cold and it had slammed into her so hard. But she was off the cart now and away from Lorne. Still in a state of shock, she managed to nod. Zell nodded back and pulled on her hand.

'Come on, let's get out of here!'

They sloshed through the water and away from the parade. Vreya glanced back as she was pulled along by Zell, just in time to see Lorne look back over the edge of the cart, obviously looking for her. He was also wet, but not nearly half so drenched as everyone else was. His eyes spotted her instantly, and they widened in rage. He pointed at her and Zell and commanded his guards to follow.

'Seize them!'

In an instant the guards were following, though they were finding it harder to keep their footing on the ground due to their heavier clothes.

'Zell!' Vreya cried. 'He's seen us!'

'Don't look back, just keep running!' Zell called back to her, picking up speed as the puddles became shallower.

Meanwhile, Quistis, Lila, Ash and Tai were hurrying forward to find Zell and Vreya. The wave had mainly affected the security guards and the rest of the procession in front of and behind the cart, and a few of the spectators at the front of the lines, but the people at the back were still panicking and screaming despite the fact they had only gotten a little bit wet and hadn't really been hurt.

'I told you this was a bad idea!' Tai berated. 'Everyone's gone hysterical!'

'That's a good thing!' Ash called back to him. 'It makes it harder for anyone to catch us!'

They pushed their way past the people and finally reached Zell and Vreya.

'Oh thank God!' Lila threw her arms around Vreya. 'Are you okay? Are you hurt?'

'I'm fine…' Vreya managed. 'Thanks Lila…I was so stuck back there.'

'Hey, what are friends for?' Ash smiled at Vreya. She smiled back in relief.

'Dude, he's got security after us, we need to get out of here!' Zell exclaimed.

'What? He didn't get washed away?' Ash frowned.

'He must have used his magic.' Quistis said. 'At the final moment when no one could see…'

'Let's move!' Lila said. 'We need to get as far away as we can!'

Tai nodded. 'I'll radio the others to let them know we've got Vreya…let's move quickly…back to the vans!'

---------------◊---------------

Fleck lowered the walkie-talkie and nodded to the members of his group. 'It's okay…they've got Vreya.'

'Oh thank goodness.' Rinoa sighed in relief.

'But it's getting chaotic…we all saw the attack from here…people are going hysterical…we need to get out of here.' Fleck said.

'They're after the others…we have to help!' Selphie exclaimed.

'We have to move before those guards…' Zane began, when he was cut off by a loud shout.

'Hey…is that the meddling kid who fired at the president?'

Zane's stomach churned and he turned his head to find three guards who looked in very bad shape pointing his way.

'It's him, and those must be his accomplices!' Another yelled.

'Get them!' The third cried.

'Uh oh…' Roxy said.

'Just what we need…' Squall rolled his eyes.

'Hey, no problem!' Selphie said. 'We'll just knock them out!'

Squall shook his head and turned to look at Fleck, Rinoa and Gen.

'You three head back to the vans…we'll catch you up.'

'What?' Rinoa cried. 'Squall, there's no way I'm leaving you again!'

'Rinoa, just do this for me. They've seen us but they didn't see you back up there. Go!' Squall urged her.

'But I can help you fight!' Rinoa argued.

'Rinoa.' Squall sent a stern look her way. 'Go with Fleck. Vreya will need you now!'

Rinoa looked very unhappy, but Fleck tugged on her arm. 'Come one…he's right…we'll save time if we go now.'

'But…'

'We'll be okay Rin!' Selphie assured her friend.

'Roxy.' Gen looked to his friend. 'You coming?'

'No! I've got unfinished business here!' Roxy declared bravely.

'Okay…be careful.' Gen nodded.

'Please take care, Squall.' Rinoa pleaded.

'I will. We'll meet you by the vans.' Squall nodded back.

Fleck nodded and he turned away with Rinoa and Gen and disappeared into the crowd.

Zane turned to look back toward the guards, as Selphie handed him one of the batons.

'Okay.' He said. 'Let's clean up this mess.'

---------------◊---------------

'Let's move!' Bo ordered. 'Back to the vans, now!'

'Is Vreya okay?' Sara asked. 'Is she alright?'

'She's fine, Sara. We have to get out of here now.' Bo replied.

Costa said 'That was one hell of an attack. I'm surprised he remained standing!'

'They're not out of danger yet…he's got guards after them!' Jez said, as she forced her way past people.

'With all this chaos we shouldn't have any problems making our escape…' Bo said.

_Yeah_…Seifer thought. _We shouldn't_…

---------------◊---------------

Selphie knocked out the final guard and then she turned to the others. 'That wasn't so hard!'

Zane frowned. 'I think we should move. If any more guards attack us it'll be hard to fend them all off without using magic.'

Squall nodded. 'Let's go.'

They weaved their way through the crowd, but little did they know that more guards had seen the commotion and were heading toward them. As they made their way toward the direction where they had parked the vans, Roxy suddenly gasped and pointed ahead of them.

'Look, look there's Zell and Ash and the others!'

'They're hurrying this way?' Squall wondered out loud.

'I thought the vans were the other way…?' Roxy said.

'I'm sure they were…' Selphie stopped and looked around them, confused. Then she waved her arms and yelled out to Zell.

'Hey! Over here!'

Zell and his group saw them and ran toward them.

'Whoa, you guys are okay!' He breathed.

'Where's Fleck, Rinoa and Gen? Weren't they with you?' Quistis asked.

'Yeah but they've headed toward the vans.' Selphie replied. 'Aren't you guys going the wrong way?'

'We don't have a choice.' Lila replied. 'He's got guards after us!'

'Have you lost them?' Squall asked.

'We hope so…' Tai looked back behind them. 'Did you run into any trouble?'

'We just took out some guards now.' Squall replied.

'Vreya, are you okay? I'm so sorry. It was my fault.' Roxy stepped up to her friend.

'No…it's okay.' Vreya replied quietly. 'I'm fine.'

Her eyes rose and stopped on Zane. He looked back, silently, face unreadable. She looked away and back at Tai.

'We shouldn't stop…'

'You're right. Squall, your group should head toward the vans as planned. We're going to have to go around to the other side…we can't risk being seen again.' Tai said.

Squall nodded.

'Be careful guys!' Roxy said.

'Don't worry.' Ash assured her. 'We'll see you by the vans.'

'Right!' Selphie nodded.

'Jez and Bo are making their way there also.' Tai said, as his group began to move off. 'They should be there before you…alright, take care.' With that, he moved off.

Squall nodded to the members of his group. 'Let's go.'

They moved along, weaving through people and dodging running ones. People were still panicking and the entire ceremony had been ruined by the combined onslaught of guardian forces. It wasn't long however, that they again encountered hostility. This time, the guards were ready and waiting for them.

'Oh no!' Roxy gasped. 'We were being followed?'

'That's…I was sure we lost them…' Squall frowned.

'Don't look now…' Zane began. 'But we're surrounded.'

Sure enough, the guards had formed a circle around the teenagers and were holding their batons menacingly.

'You have carried out a serious offence! The attempted assassination of the president will not go unpunished! In the name of the law, drop your weapons!' A man that was obviously their leader, commanded.

'Aw.' Selphie pouted. 'It wasn't us…it was him!' She pointed at Zane.

Zane stared at her as if she were crazy. 'Selphie!' He hissed. 'What are you doing?'

'But you know this boy so therefore you must have been part of the plan.' Another guard said.

'Wait, I saw that kid with him…I say we arrest them all!' Another pointed at Squall.

'Lower your weapons!' A guard with a sniper rifle aimed at them. 'If you cooperate no-one needs to get hurt.'

'That president isn't who you think he is!' Roxy exclaimed. 'He's a bad man…he's been manipulating you all!'

Zane shook his head. The truth never worked and he knew the only way they were going to get out of the mess they were in was by using magic. They didn't really have a choice. With only batons, they couldn't take out so many guards, especially not ones armed with rifles and other artillery.

'Squall.' He whispered to the blue-eyed young man who stood beside him. 'You'll have to use magic…it's the only way.'

'…' Squall frowned. 'But we'll risk being exposed.'

'If we get caught, he'll know anyway.' Zane hissed back. 'Use status magic!'

Squall looked uncertain for a moment, but then he nodded slightly. 'Selphie…give him your weapon.' He ordered.

'What?' Selphie turned wide green eyes Squall's way, but then he mouthed something to her and she looked happier.

Shrugging, she looked at the leader and smiled. 'Okay. Take this! Blind!' In one quick and fluid motion, Selphie cast Blind and directed it at the leader, at the precise moment Squall cast Triple and quickly followed it up with three additional Blind spells, taking four of the guards' sight from them.

They shouted and yelled, clawing at their faces and at their eyes at the black cloud that had appeared so suddenly. The remaining four guards looked shaken and confused, and then looked back the teenagers, raising their rifles.

'W…what the hell did you do?! What's that in front of their face?!' One stammered.

'Take it off!' Another said.

'What are you…?' The third asked.

'Do it now or I'll shoot you freaks!' The fourth yelled.

Squall, still in Triple mode, shrugged. 'Okay...I'll undo it.'

'He'll have to use magic to dispel it though.' Selphie said. 'He can do three and I'll do the other one.'

'Do it or I swear I'll shoot you, trial or no trial!' The fourth guard shouted.

'Well that's surely breaking the law.' Zane remarked sarcastically.

'Shut up!' The fourth guard aimed at him.

'Hey they'll dispel but you have to let them use magic again!' Roxy exclaimed.

'Magic?' The first guard managed. 'What the hell?'

'Whatever, just do it!' The second snapped.

'Seeing is believing!' Selphie smiled and raised her hand and instead of casting Dispel, she directed another Blind spell at the first guard. Squall moved seconds later and blinded the remaining three and they yelled and dropped their weapons in panic.

'In your case, you can't see!' Selphie giggled and reached down and grabbed some of the rifles, handing one to each member of her group.

The group began to move off again, when suddenly, a fumbling guard grabbed hold of Roxy by her hair, a desperate and lucky hit. She cried out and in her panic, fired a shot from her rifle into the air.

'Roxy!' Squall shouted at her. 'What are you…?'

He saw she was in trouble and then aimed his gun at the guard.

'Let her go or I'll shoot!'

'I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you've blinded me!' The guard howled. His friend bumped into him and lunged towards anyone, missing and falling to his knees.

'Let her go!' Squall said again, and then he froze when he felt cold metal against the back of his head.

'I think you'd better let the gun go, son.'

They had again failed to see the back up that had been waiting nearby. Now five more guards had reached them and had the advantage.

Zane turned but not quickly enough. Hands grabbed him and the gun was kicked out of his grasp. Selphie aimed and managed to fire but it was not on target and another guard was reaching for her moments later. But the small girl managed to avoid him and turned and bolted away.

'I'll get help!' She called back. 'Hang on guys!'

'After her!' A guard yelled and two others began to chase after Selphie.

Meanwhile, Zane was considering the best way to free himself from the hold of the burly guard who had his arms trapped behind his back.

His hopes diminished when he felt metal close around his wrists and he realised he'd been handcuffed.

_Oh damn it…now what_…? He looked up to find Roxy also cuffed and Squall about to be cuffed.

_Squall, do something_! Zane thought desperately.

As if reading his mind, Squall acted. Without warning, he pushed back against the guard who held him and turned and punched him in the gut. The guard holding Zane released him and raised his gun.

'Hey, stop or I'll fire!'

But Squall had grabbed the gun he'd dropped and quickly shot the guard threatening him in the leg. The guard howled and fell to the floor, cursing.

Squall aimed at the other guard who he'd punched but Zane moved and took him out by kicking him as hard as he could in the gut again. The man fell, floored. Squall aimed at the guard holding Roxy.

'Un-cuff her and let her go, or I'll shoot you.'

The guard swallowed nervously. 'You do that and I'll shoot the girl!'

'Police officers can't do that.' Zane reminded him. The guard swore and then fumbled with his key and un-cuffed Roxy. She smiled happily and then kicked him in the shin angrily. Squall kept the rifle pointed his way.

'You big jerk, that hurt!'

'Roxy…' Zane began. 'If you don't mind…'

She nodded and moved to the floored guard and unclasped his key chain. Then she un-cuffed Zane and Zane rubbed his wrists in relief.

'We've lost Selphie.' Squall said.

'Do you think she'll be okay?' Roxy worried.

'She shouldn't have trouble losing them.' Squall replied, and then narrowed his eyes at the guard.

'Scram, and don't even think about backup.' He threatened. The guard shook his head.

'You won't get away with this!' Then he turned and ran off. Squall, Zane and Roxy turned and moved off in turn.

---------------◊---------------

Jez frowned, pushing her way past people.

'God, where are the vans? Why won't people stand still?'

'I think we've got ourselves to thank for that.' Seifer snapped, equally as irritated that it was taking them so long to find their way out of the crowd.

'Keep moving!' Bo urged them. 'At least we haven't run into any trouble.'

'Yet…' Irvine said as he dodged a small running child.

Costa and Sara were at the back and were forced to stop as a sudden group of people ran between them and the other four members of their group.

'Damn…we'll lose sight of them if this keeps happening.' Costa said.

'Just walk around…keep moving.' Sara pushed him forward.

The crowd passed them, and Costa's fear was realised. 'Uh oh…where are they?'

'Don't panic…they must have gone forward.' Sara replied.

'How can we be sure…I can't see them…' Costa looked around.

'Costa, please don't stop moving!' Sara said in exasperation.

'But I can't…'

'Hey, hey, help!' A voice called out. Sara and Costa turned their faces to see Selphie running their way, waving her arms frantically.

'It's Selphie!' Sara exclaimed. The petite girl reached them and pointed behind her, out of breath.

'Th…they need help! Squall and Zane and…Roxy!'

'Have they been caught?' Costa asked. 'What happened?'

'Yeah…we…were attacked twice…I lost two of them…but…they need help, please come and help!' Selphie cried.

'I knew this would happen…man, just my luck.' Costa whined.

'We may as well go and help her Costa. I think we've lost the others…' Sara said.

'Great…well…come on then.' Costa replied. 'Is everyone else okay?'

'We saw Tai's group and Vreya was with them…they're heading back to the vans! Fleck, Rinoa and Gen are probably there already. Let's go!' Selphie urged and Costa and Sara followed her back in the direction she had come.

---------------◊---------------

Fleck sighed in relief.

'We made it…'

He unlocked the door to one of the vans.

'Where are the others?' Gen asked.

'Why isn't anyone here?' Rinoa worried.

'I don't know…damn.' Fleck frowned. He looked back in the direction of the crowd. People were spilling into the parking area, running to their cars, getting in and driving off.

'What if they're in trouble?' Gen said.

'I knew I should have stayed with them.' Rinoa raised her hand to her necklace and grasped the rings anxiously.

'Let's just wait for a few minutes…' Fleck said. 'They may still be on their way…it's a mess in there.'

'Wait…look…I think I see…' Gen pointed.

'It's Jez!' Fleck hurried forward. Sure enough, Jez stumbled out from the crowds, followed by Bo, Seifer and Irvine.

Gen's heart dropped. 'Where're…Sara and Costa?'

'Oh no…' Rinoa whispered. 'This is terrible!'

'Oh thank God.' Jez cried. 'Out at last…damn you Fleck, if you had only been more watchful none of this would have happened!'

Bo shot her a look. 'Jez! Never mind her, buddy. You okay?'

'I'm fine…where's Costa and Sara?'

'They're right…' Bo pointed behind them but then his face fell. 'Uh…they were right…here…'

'Maybe they fell back a little?' Rinoa suggested hopefully.

Seifer looked back behind them and gritted his teeth. Somehow he had a feeling that that wasn't the case.

---------------◊---------------

'I can see the car park!' Tai called back. 'It's just up ahead!'

'It's about time!' Lila exclaimed from the back of their line. 'My feet are killing me from all this walking.'

'At least we managed to pass the cart undetected.' Ash said.

'Lorne wasn't there anyway.' Quistis replied. 'He must be furious at the way things have turned out.'

'Good!' Lila huffed. 'It serves him right! He thought we'd just stand back and let him have an easy ride!'

Vreya held onto Quistis's hand and the older young woman helped to guide her through the crowds.

Zell walked behind Lila who was suddenly pushed aside by a grown man hurrying past with his child. Lila cried out and fell to the floor. A sudden huge mass of people hurried past and Zell grabbed Lila's hand and pulled her back to her feet. The mass of people pushed forward, separating the two further and further away from Tai and the others.

'Hey, wait!' Lila yelled. 'Vreya!'

On the other side, Vreya turned. 'Lila! Zell! They've fallen back!'

'Where the hell did this crowd come from?' Ash wondered.

'There are so many people here…' Quistis began. 'We can't stop! If we do, we'll get crushed!'

'Keep moving!' Tai called back. 'They'll follow us to the car-park…don't stop!'

'No!' Vreya tried to let go of Quistis's hand and force her way back through the crowd, but she was going against the flow of direction and she was pushed back.

'Vreya, no!' Quistis cried. 'Don't, you'll get lost!'

'I can't leave Lila back there!' Vreya said.

Quistis yanked her back and dragged her forward. 'They'll follow this way when the crowd calms down…we have to keep moving!'

Vreya was forced back against her will and could do nothing more as she followed after the others to the vans.

---------------◊---------------

Lila was just as frantic. She grabbed hold of Zell's arm.

'We've lost them! Zell, we'll never find them in this mess!'

'Stay cool…this crowd will pass and we'll make our way forward.' He replied.

Unknown to them, two guards were joining in the mass of people, trying to push through.

'We lost that girl!' One said.

'Keep moving: she can't have gone very far!' The other replied.

'This is all our fault, if we hadn't summoned our guardians, all this chaos wouldn't have happened!' Lila wailed, so loudly, that it caught the attention of one of the guards and he poked his friend in the arm.

'Keep it down!' Zell looked around him nervously.

'Hear that?'

'I sure did…but what does she mean by guardian?' The other asked.

'I don't know, but I bet they do know the girl who got away.' His friend responded. The two guards sneaked up behind the teenagers and nodded.

'Stun gun…no mistakes this time.' One of them said.

'Huh?' Lila turned at the comment, when a sudden jolt of pain ran through her and her legs gave way.

'What the…?' Zell didn't have time to act as he felt the same thing soon after and also fell to the floor. The two guards bent over and roughly picked the two dazed teens up, turning back and forcing them away from the direction they were supposed to be heading in.

---------------◊---------------

'Are we even going the right way?' Roxy demanded.

Zane shook his head. He didn't know what direction was the right one anymore.

'Just keep moving.' He replied.

People pushed them from all sides and Roxy was having trouble keeping her balance. She grabbed hold of one of Squall's arms so that she wouldn't lose herself in the crowd.

The three forced their way forward, when suddenly Zane spotted something in the crowd and yelled in warning.

'Damn, there're more guards…I think they're heading our way!'

'Not again!' Roxy cried. 'Let's run!'

Squall agreed. They were moving far too slowly. It was time they went faster, no matter who they knocked down.

'Let's…' he began, when pain exploded in his head and he fell to the floor, cursing, dazed. A guard had hit him on the head with a baton. He'd appeared out of nowhere and now took out Roxy instantly. Zane didn't realise there was a guard behind him, but he soon felt the barrel of a gun be pressed to the side of his head. He stopped instantly, and looked up into the face of another angry guard, knowing he had been defeated at last.

'You've caused enough trouble here.' The guard said. 'This time, you're not getting away.'

---------------◊---------------

Selphie ran forward. 'There's Squall…I can see…huh?!' She was suddenly knocked off balance as a guard tackled her to the floor.

'Gotcha you little brat!' He exclaimed, cuffing her hands quickly. Selphie wailed and cursed but she was caught and helpless. The two others with him moved quickly toward Sara and Costa, aiming their guns at them.

'Put your hands on your head!' They ordered.

Sara and Costa exchanged glances. There was nothing they could do. They had no weapons and using magic now would only be a waste. They put their hands on their heads, consigning themselves to defeat as the guards approached with hand cuffs.

---------------◊---------------

Quistis looked back over her shoulder, worriedly. 'Zell…'

'Where are they?' Vreya cried. 'You said they'd follow!'

'Calm down…maybe they're still coming.' Ash tried to reassure her, though he was equally as worried.

'Vreya, are you alright?' Jez hurried over to her charge, relieved the girl had arrived at last.

Vreya looked behind her mentor and frowned, noting the people who were safe.

_Seifer__, Irvine, Jez, Bo, Fleck, Rinoa, Gen, me, Quistis, Ash, Tai…oh my God_…Her heart leapt and began to pound in sick dread and fear.

_Lila, Zell, Roxy, Selphie, Squall, Sara, Costa…Zane_…_they're all not here…where are they?! Why aren't they here?! _She turned away from Jez and looked back toward the dispersing crowd in horror.

It was her fault…it was all her fault…Aurion had warned her and now half of her friends were missing.

She felt a hand clutch onto hers. It was Rinoa and the same worry was reflected on her face.

'He's…been caught…' She whispered. 'I can feel it…'

Vreya's heart froze. If Squall had been caught…if the great Squall had been caught…then there was no hope…Roxy was definitely caught…Zane was definitely caught…and the others.

Vreya raised a hand to her mouth. 'Oh no…' she whispered. 'What will happen to them?'

'Shall we go back and look for them?' Seifer looked at Fleck.

The blond haired man shook his head. 'No…you'll only get caught…and we've lost enough already…'

'We won't, we'll take them head on, we'll let loose with magic!' Seifer said.

'No!' Jez looked back at him. 'Lorne doesn't know all your identities yet…it'd be stupid to reveal them now!'

'What's the use?' Seifer snapped. 'If he knows Vreya, why the hell should any of us matter?'

'Trust us.' Fleck replied. 'Going back now would be stupid.'

'There's no way I'm leaving without Selphie!' Irvine raged. 'I'm going back for her!'

'Don't Irvine.' Quistis said. 'They'll catch you and we need as many people as we can to get them all out.'

'Out of where?' Irvine demanded. 'We don't even know where they're taking them!'

'Do you think I'm not worried?' Quistis snapped back. 'The crowds are less now, it'll be harder to dodge guards, use your head, Irvine!'

'Zell and Squall are also back there…we can't just leave them!' Irvine argued.

'This is all my fault…' Vreya whispered.

'No…don't you dare blame yourself.' Rinoa said angrily.

'This is a nightmare.' Jez muttered. 'I mean…what do we do now? Where is the nearest jail?'

'It's…half an hour away from here I think.' Bo replied. 'Not sure…have to check.'

'In any case, e can't stay here any longer.' Fleck frowned. 'Let's get back to base and regroup…we can think of our options there.'

'We can't just leave!' Irvine yelled.

'Irvine, it's too late! You won't find your friends now…they've taken them to prison.' Fleck snapped back. 'It's unlikely they'll take them to Lorne directly…we still have time!'

Irvine kicked a bottle in frustration. 'Damn!'

'The worst thing we can do now is lose our heads.' Quistis said.

'Come on…' Bo said at last. 'We have to get out of here.'

Reluctantly, the group moved to the vans and got in. Vreya got in last, guilt eating away at her very soul.

**Angelheart's**** End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Phew, that's done. Hope you all liked it. It was kind of tricky to keep switching but I think it turned out okay. Please leave your thoughts and I'll begin work on the next one soon. As you can see, this is very parallel to the FF8 game Deliberate I assure you. Anyway, thanks for reading and for all the reviews of the last chapter. Watch this space for an update!_


	50. Behind Bars

**Chapter L: Behind Bars**

'Caught?' Rica whispered in disbelief. 'What do you mean…_caught_?'

'I can't believe it.' Harris shook his head. 'I mean, you're kidding me, right? This can't be all of you; the others will come in any moment and…'

'Damn it!' Fleck slammed his fist on the coffee table, making several people in the room jump. 'No, I am not 'kidding you'! They've been captured and we have to go and help them. We

have to get them out of there!'

'Right.' Locky remarked. 'And just how do you suggest we do that? There will be so much security, cameras, and the works! How could you let this happen!'

Bo stood up angrily. 'I've had it with you people blaming Fleck it wasn't his fault this happened!'

'Oh then who's fault was it?' Jez demanded. 'Who else could possibly be responsible for the mess we currently find ourselves in!'

Bo's hands clenched into angry fists and Fleck looked away, seething. Then a quiet voice broke the uncomfortable silence.

'It's my fault.'

Heads rose to look at the doorway of the room, to find Vreya standing, and her eyes rose to meet the stares of surprise.

'Vreya, don't be ridiculous.' Jez frowned. 'It wasn't your fault.'

'Don't blame yourself.' Tai agreed. 'There wasn't much any of us could have done…'

'You don't understand.' Vreya interrupted. 'If I hadn't…if I just hadn't listened to the voices, none of this would have happened.'

'Voices?' Morgan asked. 'What voices did you hear?'

Vreya's eyes fixed on him, For a few seconds, she just stared back, looking confused. Then she said slowly:

'The voices…in my mind...'

Seifer looked up at her words, and so did Rinoa. The ex-knight frowned.

'In your mind?' He repeated.

'Vreya…' Rinoa said, features anxious. 'Since when have you been hearing…these voices?'

'They're always there.' Vreya replied, and suddenly she seemed to look dazed. This didn't pass the rest of the people in the room.

'Vreya? Are you alright?' Ash asked.

Seifer knew all about having voices in his mind. He was curious to know the nature of the voices that were troubling Vreya.

'It's my fault…my friends are in danger…' Vreya's voice trailed off. Then she stepped back and unsteadily left the room. Both Gen and Ash made a move to follow her but Morgan stopped them.

'Leave her be. We have other urgent matters to see to.'

Quistis massaged her temples. 'We have infiltrated a prison before.'

'You have?' Locky looked at her in surprise.

'Yeah.' Irvine nodded. 'But I'm not sure your prisons are the same here.'

'The prison we infiltrated was underground.' Quistis explained.

'Well that's hope, right?' Harris said. 'They've done it before!'

Seifer shot him a look. 'Didn't you hear what Irvine just said? Your prisons aren't the same!'

'Well I'm sure your prisons have cameras and security too.' Rica remarked.

'It wasn't easy.' Quistis frowned. 'They used disguises to gain access to the control panels in order to disable cameras. It takes a lot of work and planning and time, and from what you're all saying, we don't have time.'

'The situation was different.' Seifer added. 'They're all SeeD's who know about the military, and Edea was in no rush to kill anybody.'

'Besides…' Irvine finished. 'Y'all need some experience in machinery and I doubt anyone here could disable an entire system of cameras. Zell was our machine man…'

Ash glanced at Gen. 'Well Gen's good with machinery.'

'Not that good.' Gen replied nervously.

'Look.' Harris said. 'I think we should just storm the place. We need to get them out fast, so we can't think of any fancy plans.'

'Now you're speaking my language.' Seifer remarked.

'What?' Rica exclaimed. 'You mean we just attack full force?'

'Why not?' Irvine replied. 'We've got magic, and we'll use the most powerful spells we know. I'm not sittin' around when I know Selphie and my friends are locked up in some dark and dingy cell!'

'That is suicidal.' Jez cried. 'You'll all get caught and then we're done for!'

'We don't have another choice!' Rinoa said. 'Like Quistis told you, we don't have time! Our friends are in there and we have to get them before they're hurt! If worst comes to worst we'll use our limit breaks and those are sure to get us out. If I activate my Angel Wing condition, I'm sure I can use my sorceress energy to mess with the controls and camera system. Taking out the guards won't be a problem then. Getting Squall and the others out safely is what matters!'

'I agree.' Quistis nodded. 'It's our best and only hope. You must trust us on this.'

'I don't know.' Tai said uncertainly. 'There will be so many cells…'

'We can pretend we're visitors or something…' Ash shrugged.

'Or…we can access the information we're after directly.' Seifer suggested.

'You mean just go in there and knock them all out straight away?' Rica looked at Seifer, alarmed.

'That _is_ suicidal…' Locky shook his head. 'I mean, what if the other guards discover the unconscious bodies of their fellow friends? We can't afford to leave a trail, Seifer.'

'Then we blackmail someone who has access to the information to tell us what we need to know.' Seifer said. 'Irvine can keep his rifle aimed at the guy. The guy gives us the info. We knock him out, and we're in.'

'You make it sound so simple, but not so fast.' Fleck held up a hand. 'Security codes, keys…how do we get those? They won't all be in the same place.'

'That's where you guys come in handy.' Irvine replied.

'What?' Jez demanded.

'You guys dress up in the uniforms of the guards we knock out, and you use your disguises to get the security codes and access the keys.' Rinoa explained.

'Of course at this point the cameras will be disabled…' Quistis added.

The mentors exchanged glances.

'That sounds kind of risky.' Ash frowned. 'It's not like they know how to act like guards.'

'Hey, all they need are the guard ID cards and they're in.' Seifer responded. 'It's either that or nothing.'

'Morgan?' Bo looked at the older man. 'What do you think of this plan?'

'I don't think you have a choice.' Morgan replied. 'Time is tight. If you delay, who knows what methods Lorne will use in an attempt to make the children reveal information to him.'

'You mean that guy is at the prison too?' Gen's eyebrows rose.

'Most likely…' Locky replied. 'I mean, he'll want to know who he's caught.'

Fleck swore. 'He's right. We don't have time to lose.'

'This plan won't work.' Jez muttered.

'Have faith, Jez.' Harris patted her on her arm. 'Maybe we should trust Quistis, Irvine, Seifer and Rinoa on this one. They've never let us down before, have they?'

'Not yet.' Jez mumbled.

'We need to get moving now.' Seifer stood up.

'Now?' Ash looked at him. 'It's late…won't the security be extra tight at this time?'

'The darkness is also an advantage.' Quistis pointed out. 'And the guards won't be as alert.'

'But we're tired too…' Gen said.

'We have magic that will keep you going strong. The sooner we get them out, the better.' Quistis replied.

'I am sure Lorne is wasting no time in interrogating them…' Morgan added. 'We are all in a race against time to gain an advantage over each other.'

'By the time we get to the prison, it'll take us an hour with of all the diversions because of the parade.' Fleck said.

'We saw it on TV.' Locky nodded. 'That little stunt you pulled will be all over the news tomorrow.'

'No.' Tai replied. 'Not if Lorne doesn't want it to be.'

'He's very manipulative…' Fleck gritted his teeth.

'Who's idea was it?' Rica asked. 'The water and the wind?'

'Zell's.' Quistis replied. 'Lila and I combined guardian forces.'

'That was brave of her…' Ash looked down at the floor.

'I hope we get the chance to congratulate them…' Harris said.

'Hey.' Irvine frowned. 'What is this?'

'You'll see them again, this isn't over yet!' Rinoa cried. 'Ash, you'll get to tell Lila how brave she was and Harris, you can congratulate them and yourself once we get them out.'

'I admire your confidence Rin.' Bo began. 'But we haven't even left the base yet.'

'I have every reason to be confident, and all you guys should be too.' Rinoa stated. 'Negativity is dangerous. We can do this as long as we have complete faith in each other and stick together to the very end. Working as a team we can get through anything!'

Locky smiled. 'You sure are an inspiration, babe.'

'Guess we better get going.' Tai said.

'We can't all go…the smaller the group the better…' Locky said.

'I know I'm going…who else is up for it?' Rica looked around.

'I'll go.' Locky said.

'Fleck and me.' Tai nodded.

'That should be enough…the rest of you stay here.' Fleck said to Jez, Bo, Harris and Morgan, who nodded.

'Are you taking all the kids?' Bo asked.

'We need them all, yes.' Fleck nodded.

'What about Vreya?' Gen asked uncertainly. 'I mean…it might be dangerous, if Lorne's going to be there…she doesn't seem too stable right now.'

'Vreya is coming.' Fleck said angrily. 'I'm not letting that girl sit aside and feel sorry for herself. Not when so much depends on her.'

'We need her.' Quistis agreed.

'Besides…' Fleck added. 'She needs to conquer whatever inner battles she's having. Get your weapons.'

-

Vreya stared at the glass of water in her hand. It was half empty.

_Half empty…I've become a pessimist_…She thought.

She had poured herself water but she hadn't drunk it, despite the fact she was thirsty. She hadn't eaten anything despite the fact she was hungry. She hadn't managed to get any rest despite the fact they had returned to the base nearly two hours earlier and she was exhausted.

She couldn't do anything. She could only think thoughts that she knew were alien to her…but seemed to be becoming less and less so each time she had them. It frightened her but she didn't know who to turn to for guidance. She had learned how to block the voices of her guardians but she could not block the other voices in her mind.

_What have I done?_ **What have you done?** _What if they die_…_what if I can't save them_…? **You cannot save them**. _Where is the light?_ **Seek out the darkness**…conflicting thoughts echoed in her mind. Her hand released the glass of water and it fell to the kitchen floor, shattering. Water spilt everywhere and Vreya put her hands over her ears, tears stinging at her eyes. She closed them tightly.

_Stop…stop thinking that…why can't I stop?__ No…I won't cry…I am not weak!_

**You…are…weak**…

'No…' She sobbed, shaking her head frantically. 'No, it wasn't my fault…he…made me…'

**You wanted to go to him…you were drawn to him…he is greatness…he is everything you wish to be**…the dark voices whispered.

'NO!' Vreya gasped and opened her eyes. She stood for a few moments, listening to the silence that surrounded her. Then she looked down at the broken glass and bent over, scooping the shards into her hands, trying to be careful not to cut herself. She managed to throw most of the pieces away safely but the last shard sliced into her skin and pain jolted her out of her daze. She knelt by the fridge, staring at the blood as it began to seep from the cut on her right hand.

'Well.' A voice cut into her thoughts, sharper than the glass that had sliced her skin. 'A fine mess you have gotten your friends into.'

Vreya swallowed. She had been expecting and dreading this encounter. Her heart began to pound. She was scared of him. He always appeared so silently and so suddenly and always carried that unmistakable aura of power and mystery with him.

She stood up slowly, throwing the last shard of glass into the bin, and turning to face Aurion. She didn't bother to tend to her wound. The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional and mental turmoil she was experiencing within her.

Aurion stood across from her, by the doorway of the kitchen. His eyes were fixed on her, blazing the colour of liquid gold, and in them Vreya saw intense disapproval.

She had disappointed him. The sudden realisation hurt her more than she had expected it to. For some reason…she only wanted to please Aurion, to make him approve of her.

She had disappointed them all.

'I warned you.' Aurion spoke in a low tone of voice. He didn't need to raise his voice; he could communicate his point by speaking quietly when most others would resolve to yelling.

'…Did I not warn you to resist his calling? Despite my efforts, you threw all caution to the wind and allowed him to possess you. You_ allowed_ him, Vreya. Do you not realise what you have done?'

_I know I'm a failure_…Vreya thought. She wanted to cry. She needed some comfort. But no-one understood; no-one knew what she was going through. It was taking everything for her to push back the tears that threatened to fall. She'd disgraced herself enough without having to babble like a baby.

'It happened so suddenly…' She managed.

'Silence.' Aurion snapped. 'You will speak when I address you.'

_But you just asked me a question…_Vreya thought, then forced herself to comply by biting her tongue.

'You are foolish. Just like...' Aurion frowned. 'Never mind…you are ruled by your emotions. Lorne now knows this. He has seen your weakness and he will not forget it! Now that he has possessed you once. It will be little trouble for him to do so again. I warned you. Why did you not resist him? Your friends are now in danger of losing more than their lives…death is only the beginning, Vreya. What have you to say for yourself? Well? Speak!'

Vreya was trembling in despair, anger and guilt.

'I tried…I tried! But I didn't…I'm not…I'm not experienced! Nothing was blocking him; I didn't know it was him! I couldn't…I'm sorry…' Her voice trailed off and she hung her head in shame.

'_Sorry_.' Aurion's eyes narrowed. 'That word is meaningless. It changes nothing.' He turned his back to her and Vreya was horrified. She hurried after him, grabbing onto his left arm, afraid he would dematerialise before she had the chance of making him understand.

Aurion's eyes widened. The human dared to lay hands on him?

Vreya was too distraught to notice how tightly his muscles tensed.

'Please, you've got to believe me!' She cried. 'I didn't know! He was going to kill Roxanne, I couldn't let him…I've been through so much already and so many people have been hurt because of me…please Aurion, don't leave me alone…tell…tell me why I'm hearing these things in my mind…tell me how I can make things right again!'

'Right!' The Guardian King snarled, looking back over his shoulder at the fragile figure of the young girl who clung onto his arm so desperately. 'You cannot even look at him without falling under his spell…how do you possibly expect to make things _right_!' He jerked his arm away and she sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

Aurion gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected the One to be this way. The One of legend was a warrior, brave, fearless, powerful. The One standing behind him was emotional, pathetic and powerless in despair.

_There is so little time…she must learn_…He closed his eyes briefly, willing the anger to subside. The girl was confused and frightened and alone. He knew her thoughts. She felt no-one understood her, yet he did perfectly well. He knew exactly what she was going through…he had guided another young woman like her through the same feelings, many, many centuries earlier.

'You have so much to learn, child.' He opened his eyes again.

Vreya was far too upset and frightened to speak again.

Aurion turned to look at her again. 'Those voices you hear…' He said, in a voice that was calm, like he hadn't lost his temper at all: 'They belong to the darker side of your gift. I can do nothing to relieve you of the whispers you hear when you are emotionally unstable or in darkness. Only a knight can protect you from this.'

A knight…she didn't have one, and she couldn't see herself getting one anytime soon.

Aurion looked at her, long and hard. She had lowered her hands but she refused to meet his gaze.

'You have made a mistake, perhaps you may yet get away with it. Your friends freed you and risked everything out of their love for you. Not only for what you are, as some of them may tell themselves…'

A voice echoed in Vreya's mind.

_I will do my part and make sure you survive. That is as far as my obligation as a __Chosen__ One goes…_

_Zane_…? She thought, confused at Aurion's words.

'From the first bullet fired to the last merging power of two guardian spirits, they did everything in their power to get you out of harm's way. Will you do the same for them, and save them from an even greater danger? If you do not make haste, you will be too late.'

His words dissolved into Vreya's mind, and as she came to terms with them, some of the dark thoughts faded. She remembered everything her friends had done to get her out of harms way.

_My friends_…Vreya thought. _They've kept me going this far…I have to do what I can, I have to keep fighting…not just for the planet, but for them too. For my parents, and for every other good person on this Earth…so I made a mistake…I can learn from it…I can't…I can't despair…I have to keep going…_

Aurion reached out and took hold of Vreya's right hand. A warm, soft glow radiated at the contact and when he pulled his gloved hand away, the blood and the cut was gone. Next he passed his hand over her face, cleansing the blood from it. Then he stepped back, knowing he had succeeded in bringing about a change in outlook…for now.

'If you have faith in your gift and the Earth, you will be protected. What you carry within you will protect you Vreya. You will find the power to use it, in time. If the ground on which you tread is rough, believe, and it will become smoother for you. If you are surrounded by fire, believe and the Mother will let you pass through it. If you reach the edge of safe ground, and there is nowhere else to go but down, believe, and you will not fall. Your heart beats with the heart of the Earth…you are one. The Mother will aid you and give you shelter…when all other aid fails you.'

His words made her feel secure and safe, and she blinked, thinking about their meaning. Aurion stepped back, having said enough. In a brilliant, sudden swirl of golden light, he disappeared from sight. Vreya stood in silence, and this time, the silence was not a dark one.

Her head rose as she heard footsteps clattering down the hall. Rinoa appeared at the doorway.

'Vreya?' She looked at her friend, and tilted her head. 'Are you okay?'

Vreya swallowed, and then nodded.

Rinoa nodded. 'Hey…you know you can talk to me…don't be afraid to tell me what you're feeling…we're the same aren't we?'

Vreya nodded again, and managed a smile. 'Yeah. Thanks Rinoa.'

Rinoa smiled and held out a hand. 'Come on…we can talk on the way…it's time to get our friends back.'

-

'I can't believe it.' Lila frowned, looking down at her chained wrists. 'Who uses chains in prisons these days? They're not even handcuffs!'

Roxy was very unhappy. 'I want to go home…I've had enough of this!'

Selphie sat next to her, but she couldn't hug the girl or pat her reassuringly, because her wrists were chained also.

'It's okay Roxy…it'll be okay.'

'Oh who are you trying to fool?' Sara demanded. 'They stick us in this cell, without even taking pictures or anything, they chain us, and you say it'll be okay? I think it's pretty obvious it's not going to be okay.'

'Thanks a lot Sara; you're making us feel so much better!' Lila glared at her blonde haired friend.

'What?' Sara shot back. 'I can't believe I'm actually in jail. I mean aren't there any procedures they have to take us through first? All they've done is taken our names! We're not even wearing prisoner clothes!'

'I'd rather stay in mine than wear some stinky inmate clothes…' Selphie wrinkled her nose.

'They did take our mobile phones and stuff…' Lila muttered.

'What are we going to do?' Roxy worried. 'How are we going to get out?'

'We'll think of something.' Lila said. She glanced at Sara, before the blonde could speak. 'Shut up. I'm not going to die in this dingy cell.'

'He won't kill us.' Sara replied, looking away. 'Not yet anyway.'

'Huh?' Roxy blinked. 'What do you mean not yet?'

'He wants information no doubt…' Sara sighed. 'You know…about who the One is…'

'What if we pretend that one of us is the One?' Lila asked. 'Then we could trade our freedom.'

'That's crazy…' Sara frowned. 'We can't do that.'

'Hey, why not?' Selphie asked. 'Maybe it'd work…but if we did that, how would whoever it is get away?'

'I doubt he'd fall for it.' Sara huffed. 'So I guess we're stuck here for now.'

'My parents are going to kill me.' Lila groaned.

'Hey I wouldn't mind as long as he doesn't kill me…' Sara said.

'Stop talking about killing.' Roxy said. 'The other guys will come for us…I know they will!'

At that moment, the cell door was pushed open and a tall figure came in, flanked by two security guards. Electricity filled the room and the girls instinctively huddled closer together.

Roxy gasped, horrified. The other girls looked up, and in the dim light, they saw that it was their enemy that was speaking to them.

His eyes looked over each girl intently, as if he wanted to memorise their features. Then he blinked and frowned.

'These are the only girls captured?'

'Yes Sir.' The security guard to his left nodded. He carried a baton in his right hand.

'…' Lorne's eyes stopped at Roxy. The small red-haired girl swallowed, and he knew she was afraid.

'One of them escaped...' He said flatly. '…Perhaps…more than one…'

Roxy couldn't look away. His gaze was so intense that it froze her to the spot. Her heart pounded in terror.

'…Hey!' Selphie said bravely. 'Leave her alone!'

Lorne blinked and glanced at Selphie. 'You are not a child of this Earth.'

Selphie's green eyes widened. The fact he knew so instantly made her realise they really couldn't fool him.

Lorne looked away and his eyes narrowed. 'I know there are more of you, and my guards are waiting for them to come for you…don't think about using your magic or any other trick to escape…I have had you stripped of all your spells.'

Lila gasped. All their magic spells…_gone_? They had spent months building up their stocks.

'And as for your Guardian Spirits…' Lorne continued. 'You cannot summon them here.'

He began to turn his back to them, when Sara spoke up.

She was afraid, but also angry. 'You won't get away with any of this! You're a fake! And soon everyone will know it!'

Lorne stopped in his tracks, and glanced back at her. 'And who will tell them? Who will warn them? The Chosen Ones will be dead. There cannot be much more of you. I know the One is not here, and it will only be a matter of time before I find out who it is…it is you who will not get away from here…as soon as I have my information, your short, pathetic existences will end.'

'Good luck trying to get it!' Lila bravely backed up her friend. 'Because we won't tell you a thing!'

'I wouldn't be so confident.' Lorne replied icily. Then he turned and left the cell, the guards following after him. The girls were left in darkness, as they heard the bolts of their prison lock.

-

'This sucks.' Costa muttered.

Zell stared at the floor gloomily. 'Hey, how do you think Squall and I feel? This is the second time in our lives we're stuck in a stupid cell.'

Squall sat quietly, staring at the chains, trying to think of a plan of how they could escape. But without magic, weapons, and unable to call on Guardian Forces for aid, the chances of getting out safely were looking very slim.

Zane sat with his back against the cold stone wall in one corner of the cell, staring at nothing in particular. All of the young men's wrists were bound with chains.

'Guess you got a criminal record in 2 worlds now huh?' Costa looked at Zell.

'Guess so.' Zell shrugged. 'My ma would kill me…man…I sure miss my ma…'

Costa sighed. 'Yeah…me too…both my parents…been a while since I've seen them.'

A few moments of silence passed. Then Zell turned to look at Squall.

'Yo Squall. Any plans?'

'…' Squall glanced at him and then shook his head.

'Man, we have no weapons and the guards told us our magic is gone…there's no way we can get out of here…' Costa said dejectedly.

Zell said: 'We've broken out of jail before.'

'That was different…' Squall replied flatly.

'This sucks…' Costa said again.

Zane had not said a word since they had been thrown into the cell, and his patience was wearing thin as he listened to Costa moaning about his misfortune.

'Complaining won't get you anywhere.' He said at last.

'Oh look, you've finally decided to join us.' Costa shot back.

Zane rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking away again.

The silence was broken as the cell door opened and four guards entered. After them came Lorne.

Costa swore under his breath.

Lorne regarded them all for a few moments, and then glanced at Zell and Squall.

'You are also not of this world…'

He glanced at Costa, and frowned. 'There are more of you…this cannot be all…'

Costa felt as if his mind was on fire. But he gritted his teeth and forced himself not to respond.

But someone else did respond, and not in the expected manner.

'What's the matter?' A voice said from the corner of the room. 'The little net you laid caught the wrong fish?'

Lorne looked in the direction of the voice, to find the green-eyed youth who had fired a bullet at him during the parade.

Lorne's eyes widened as he looked at the boy. He was staring back at Lorne steadily, his expression blank.

_The very image of Soren_…Lorne thought, though there were slight differences, such as the way the boy's hair was arranged, and the fact that he looked younger.

Curiously, Lorne asked:

'Who are you? Why are you with them, when you possess no magic?'

Zane blinked, taking his time to reply. 'That's for me to know and you not to find out, asshole.'

Lorne couldn't believe his ears. The boy dared to insult him? His eyes narrowed at the youth, who stared back, unfazed.

'I see…' He replied. Then he nodded at two of the guards. 'Bring him.'

The two guards moved towards Zane and roughly hauled him to his feet. Zane didn't bother to put up a fight, as he was lead out of the room.

Squall had stood up. 'Hey…' he began.

'Not to worry.' Lorne cut him off. 'It will soon be your turn.'

With that he turned and left with the guards, and the cell door slammed shut behind them.

'Damn.' Zell said. 'What are they going to do to him?'

Silence met his question. At length, however, Squall replied.

'…Try and get answers…'

-

'Whoa.' Ash said. 'Don't tell me that that's the prison we've got to get them out of…'

'It's huge…' Locky stared up at the high walled prison just ahead of where they two vans were parked.

'That's no prison…' Fleck remarked. 'It's a fortress.'

'Fortress or not…' Quistis said. 'Our friends are in there.'

'How do you know this is it for sure?' Gen asked, as they got out of the van.

'It's the closest one for miles.' Fleck replied. 'This has to be it.'

Tai got out of his van and walked over to Fleck and his group. 'This is it.'

Vreya looked up at the huge building and swallowed. It looked impenetrable. Then she pushed the negative thought out of her head. It didn't matter; she couldn't leave her friends to die.

'What are those…?' Seifer stared ahead. 'Iron gates?'

'How are we going to get in?' Rinoa asked. 'There's got to be some way…'

'Alright, though we don't have much time, we can't rush this.' Rica folded her arms.

The two vans were parked behind some nearby trees, and the group made sure they were standing out of sight of any cameras.

'First things first…we have to take out the cameras.' Fleck said.

'Magic.' Irvine said. 'The best way to do it without making any noise.'

'Right.' Fleck nodded.

'The only danger is what if there are hidden cameras we can't see? Especially now that it's dark.' Quistis asked.

'If I concentrate my energy enough, maybe I can distort any cameras close by we haven't taken out.' Rinoa suggested.

Locky glanced at her. 'You sure that won't drain you or something?'

'I think I can do it…I've got to.' Rinoa replied.

'Okay.' Rica said. 'Guess we do that now then.'

'We're going to have to walk ahead anyway.' Ash stated. 'So we're going to be seen regardless.'

'Unless…' Seifer began slowly.

The others looked at him, and waited.

'Unless…we get one of our GF's to mark the cameras for us…'

Rinoa's eyes widened. 'Diablos…he can create a ball of dark mass around each camera! That way we won't be seen when we move in to take it out with more permanent magic.'

'That's some quick thinking, Seifer.' Irvine glanced at him. Quistis looked equally as impressed.

Seifer waved the compliment off. 'It comes naturally.'

'Maybe he can detect all the cameras and you won't have to use up all your strength.' Gen looked at Rinoa.

Rinoa nodded. 'I hope so…I'll summon him now.'

Fleck looked away from her and frowned. 'Once we take out the cameras, I guess we move in to take out the guards.'

'First we have to get them to open the gates' Tai pointed out.

Seifer grinned. 'I have another idea for that…'

-

Zane made sure to keep his expression blank. The room looked just like something out of the movies. There were chains on the floor, on the walls, hanging from the ceiling. It was quite a large room, and there were various machines situated about it.

Machines that he preferred to remain ignorant about in relation to what they were used for.

He couldn't believe rooms like this really existed. But he supposed they didn't anymore, and Lorne must have had one set up. To entertain his sick mind.

He had been chained to a wall. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going to happen. Zane knew very well why he was chained up. However, he wondered why he had been chosen first.

_Maybe it's because I have no magic…or maybe because I insulted him_…

Fear was a natural reaction to the situation he was in. But Zane was determined not to show it, and not to let Lorne see that he was afraid.

Two guards stood in front of him, and so did the source of all evil himself.

The chains were not comfortable, and pulled mercilessly at the muscles of Zane's arms. But he supposed that was the entire point. He was supposed to feel uncomfortable and intimidated.

Lorne was staring at him. Zane was irritated. Just what was his problem? And why did he keep looking at him in that strange way? He decided to break the stretching silence.

'You're wasting your time. I've got nothing to tell you.'

The raven-haired man blinked.

'We'll see about that.' He replied. 'You have the chance to save yourself a lot of pain and bother and just tell me outright.'

Zane sneered. 'How nice of you to care…and I said there's nothing to tell.'

'So you say you know nothing?' Lorne's eyes narrowed.

'I don't know anything about what you want to ask me.' Zane replied flatly.

'How do you know, when I have yet to ask you?' Lorne said.

'Because it's obvious you're going to ask me about things I don't know.'

'And how do you know that?'

'I just do.'

'Is that so?'

'Well I said so didn't I?'

'I think you'll find that you are mistaken.'

'Ha.' Zane said contemptuously. 'I am never wrong.'

Lorne stared at him again. Finally, looking at him suspiciously, he said slowly:

'What is your name?'

'…' Zane blinked. '…John.'

'…It is not wise to lie to me, boy.' Lorne's eyes narrowed.

'How do you know I'm lying?' Zane retorted.

'I just do…' Lorne mimicked his earlier response.

Zane decided that it made no difference whether Lorne knew his name or not. He knew what he looked like anyway.

'…Zane.' He said at length.

'…Zane what…?' Lorne pressed.

_Why the hell is it relevant?_ Zane thought, confused by the fact Lorne wasn't torturing him yet.

Through gritted teeth, he replied: 'Ivanstorm…'

'…What?' Lorne's voice dropped to a whisper, and his eyes widened. 'You can't be…'

'…' Zane frowned. 'What the hell is your problem? Do you know me or something?'

Lorne blinked, and then he looked away. Closing his eyes briefly, he shook his head. 'No. Not you…'

'Then why the hell do I get the feeling you think you do?' Zane demanded. 'Because I sure as hell don't know _you_.'

Lorne's head snapped up. 'I ask the questions here, _Zane_. This is your opportunity to tell me how many more there are that I have not captured.'

'I don't know what you're talking…' Zane began, but was cut off.

'It's useless to lie. I know it when you do. And I know you know there are more. One of them I know for certain…that girl you tried to help…_Vreya_.'

Zane stared back blankly. 'Don't know any Vreya.'

Lorne glared back. 'You lie.'

'No. I don't know any Vreya.' Zane repeated.

'Then why did you fire the bullet at me?'

'I'm a rebel and I believe you cheated your way into politics.' Zane replied matter-of-factly.

'You expect me to believe you?' Lorne sneered. 'You were caught with them, and so you are working with them. Why then do you not have a guardian or any magic?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' Zane said.

Lorne looked at one of the guards and nodded. The man walked over to what looked like a control panel by one of the machines. Zane watched him, his stomach tightening into knots as he felt uncertainty, an emotion he hated.

_What is that…what are they going to do?_ He thought.

'If you won't tell me willingly, then perhaps some persuasion will do the trick. You are not just chained up to any wall, boy. There are electrical wires attached to the chains. And as I am sure you know, metal conducts electricity very well.' Lorne looked back at Zane, his expression hard, his eyes cruel.

Zane swallowed, but hid his fear well. 'Go to hell, asshole. I don't care what you do to me. Killing me now won't solve any of your problems.'

'But who says I want to kill you…now?' Lorne sneered. 'It is better to see a worm struggling on its hook than finish it off straight away…' He looked at the guard and nodded again.

'Initiating stage one.' The guard announced, and pressed a few buttons, and then began to twist a dial.

Zane glared, but his heart was pounding. He knew it would hurt…it was a matter of how much pain he could take.

Whatever happened, he vowed to himself that he would say nothing. He would give no information.

There was not a chance in hell he would tell Lorne about the others.

There was not a chance in hell he would betray Vreya.

-

'Hey Gibson, you want some coffee?'

The brown haired security guard that supervised the gate looked at his colleague, stifling a yawn.

'Yeah…go on.'

'Long shift tonight huh?' His partner, Lewis, grinned.

'Yeah…we have to be extra alert. Those are our orders.'

'Guess so. I'll just go get you some coffee from inside. Be right back. Buzz if you need anything.' Lewis left the small security control panel and began to walk towards the large building.

Gibson yawned loudly and looked at the security screen that had camera monitoring on it. Everything was dark and silent.

'Just like it should be…' He muttered, and reached for a magazine he had read 10 times.

-

'Diablos has marked the cameras…' Rinoa whispered. 'We can take them out now!'

'Hold on, how are we going to mark the ones we can't see?' Ash asked.

'Diablos is our target…he'll move to each camera and we cast the spells, he'll keep moving on until they're out.' Quistis explained.

'Right. The first one is just up ahead.' Rinoa nodded.

She had aready cast Triple and now cast Blind. The spell was directed at Diablos and it shimmered in the air above the first camera, which was literally hidden from view because of the darkness. But soon they could make out a darker ball of black forming around the location, and the ball of black remained, notifying the group that the first camera had been taken out.

'Perfect.' Rica said. 'That spell is soundless…they won't know what's hit them.'

One by one, Rinoa, Quistis and Irvine took turns to cast Blind. At length, Diablos returned to Rinoa and she nodded, smiling.

'That's it guys…he says there aren't anymore here.'

'Great.' Tai said. 'These spells last don't they?'

'They should, enough for us to get inside safely anyway.' Irvine replied.

'Do you guys have enough to cover us when we need to get out too?' Vreya asked.

'Don't worry.' Rinoa replied. 'We'll have the others back by then, and they've got spells too.'

Fleck looked at Seifer.

'Are you ready to put your other idea to the test?'

'You got it…' Seifer said, and looked at Gen. 'Do it.'

Gen held out a hand and summoned a Water spell, and directed it a far off tree that was close to where the gates were. The spell materialised and washed over the tree. Ash followed it up with a bolt of lightening, and then the group held their breath and waited.

-

Gibson tossed the magazine aside and rubbed at his eyes. He hadn't got much sleep the previous night, and the fact that he had a night shift now wasn't helping his mood.

He gazed out of the double glazed, security window, in an absent-minded manner, thinking whether or not his children were tucked in their beds at home yet.

Then something caught his attention. Beyond the large gates, something glimmered and then crackled. Jolted into awareness once again, he glanced at the camera screen. They showed nothing suspicious, only utter darkness. Curious, Gibson grabbed a flashlight and got up to investigate.

It was way after visiting hours. Was someone out there? Pressing the button to unlock the gate, the man hurried out of his booth and across to the gates, pushing them open and shining his flashlight at the area where he had seen light.

'Someone there?' He called. 'It's after hours…you kids better not be messing around here!'

Silence greeted him. Frowning, he ventured out further, curiously, until he came to a tree. He stared at it, confused. There was nothing there. The guard lowered his baton and shrugged. Maybe three hours of shut eye the previous night were finally catching him up.

He turned away, but as he did so, he heard a noise, and whipped back around.

Something was there…he couldn't have imagined it…

'Who's there? You come out now! This area is off-limits now…come out!'

Quickly putting his baton under one arm, he reached for his walkie-talkie, to radio for help. But no sooner had he moved his arm, he felt an astounding pain in his head and the next thing he knew was that he was falling, and then everything went black.

'Hey, don't you think you hit him a little too hard?' Gen whispered.

'Nah, he'll live.' Seifer replied. 'Let's get him back to the van.'

Together they carried the guard back to the vans, where the others waited.

'Alright, good going.' Locky said. 'Now who's going to play dress up?'

'The guy looks like he's your height…' Rica commented.

Locky shook his head. 'Oh no…no way…'

'Shut up and get in there and change into his clothes.' Fleck ordered. 'All you need to do now is knock any other guard out and we're in.'

'Hello, I don't even have the same hair colour.' Locky pointed out.

'It doesn't matter.' Tai replied. 'You'll have the cap on, they won't even notice in this darkness.'

'You better be right about that…' Locky muttered, but got into the back of the van to change.

-

'Oh…' Roxy worried. 'I sure hope the guys are okay…'

'They'll be fine.' Lila reassured her.

'Do you think the others are coming?' Roxy asked.

'Of course they are.' Sara snapped. 'They wouldn't leave us to rot here.'

'I almost don't want them to come.' Lila shook her head.

'Huh?' Selphie blinked and looked at her. 'Why not?'

'It's so dangerous. There are so many guards…' Lila explained. 'So many risks…'

'Hey, don't you worry, they can get through anything!' Selphie punched her fist into the air. 'I know Irvy's coming for me, and for you, and for everyone else! Irvy and Quisty and Rin, and Seifer, and all your friends too!'

'I hope so.' Roxy said. 'I just wanna go home…'

-

The pain was getting worse. Zane gritted his teeth, trying to take it. But he wasn't sure how much longer he could endure such punishment. The voltage was rising with every refusal he made to speak.

His head was spinning and his nerves were on fire with pain. Another jolt passed through him, making him convulse violently. He bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood.

Lorne held up a hand and the guard stopped. Then he walked up to Zane, eyes wide.

'Save yourself anymore pain and tell me. Who is the One?'

'…' Zane coughed up blood. '…I…told you…I don't…know…'

Lorne was outraged. The boy was enduring so much and still not giving him the information he needed. He had not expected such resolve or strength from a human, much less a boy so young.

Angrily, he raised an arm and struck the boy across the face with the back of his hand.

Zane gritted his teeth. His head throbbed. He felt sick. He wondered if it was all worth it.

Closing his eyes an image of beautiful blue eyes and a musical laugh filled his mind.

He let out a painful breath.

_Yes…it's…worth it…so much depends…on her_…

'You will talk. Before I end your wretched existence, you will talk.' Lorne hissed.

'…G…go…to hell…' Zane managed to say, voice hoarse and full of restrained pain.

Another jolt of electricity, worse than any of the ones before, shot through him. But still he refused to speak, and still he refused to cry out.

-

Locky closed the gate and walked over to the booth he guessed was where the control panel was. He tried to act as normal and calm as he could, but he couldn't help feeling nervous. He felt stupid enough dressed as he was.

Bu the others were waiting outside for his signal. He had to do this.

Stepping in, he sat down on a chair and waited.

It wasn't long before he saw someone coming toward the booth. It was another guard, and he was carrying two plastic cups.

_Must be the other guy that keeps watch_…Locky thought. The man reached the booth, opened the door, and set the coffee on the table.

'Alright Gibson, here's your coffee. Got one for myself too. We've got four hours left after all.' The blond haired man said, without looking at Locky.

Locky thanked his luck. It was very fitting the man had blond hair also.

Gripping the baton, and with a racing heart, he silently apologised to the man for what he was about to do.

'Thanks…'

'No prob…' The man stopped and twisted his head to look at Locky. 'Huh? You're not Gibson…'

'No.' Locky said. 'But I will be now.'

-

'What's taking him so long?' Vreya paced.

'I hope he's not in trouble.' Rica commented.

'No, he's fine, he can handle it.' Tai frowned.

'Any second now…' Fleck ran a hand through his hair.

'Hey, the gates are opening.' Irvine pointed.

Sure enough, the gates opened, and a figure came hurrying out. The group moved forward to meet Locky.

He looked relieved. 'Done it! One of you will have to help me carry him back here so you can use his clothes and ID. I've got swipe cards and the works baby!'

'Alright!' Rinoa smiled. 'Great!'

'Let's do this.' Seifer nodded.

'I'll use the other disguise…' Tai said.

'Alright, come on, quick!' Locky urged. 'Once we hide him with the other one, we're in! Let's go!'

**Angeheart's**** End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Hope you liked! I have been busy with assignments and such, that's why it's taken so long to update. I hope it was worth the wait. Part 2 is coming up next, and it should be action packed. Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter, you guys are great! Please leave your thoughts on this and I'll start on the next one. Thank you!_


	51. Jail Break: Part I

**Chapter LI: Jail Break: Part I**

They had tied the bodies up and gagged them, and stashed them in some bushes nearby. Then they had walked back to the vans and were ready to make their move.

'Alright guys…' Locky whispered. 'The coast here is clear…you wait here while Tai and I go in and assess the situation inside.'

'You got that swipe card ready?' Tai asked him. Locky held it up.

'Be careful.' Fleck said quietly, handing Tai one of the walkie-talkies. 'Use this to keep us informed. If you get into any trouble, just buzz.'

'If you see something you can't get by, just get out.' Rica added. 'It's not worth getting caught over…we'll think of something else.'

'Okay.' Locky nodded. 'Now I don't think all of us should go in. Some of you may want to stay behind in the car and keep watch.'

Rica nodded. 'Fleck and I will stay. The group that goes in should be able to locate you eventually. Some of you will have to stay with us. We don't want to attract any attention.'

'Four of you should be enough.' Tai said. 'You can split up in groups of 2.'

'Okay.' Rinoa said.

'I'm going in.' Seifer said.

'Me too.' Irvine raised a hand.

'I will.' Rinoa nodded.

'Gen, you should go, you're good with machines.' Fleck told the young man.

Gen didn't look too pleased but he shrugged his agreement.

'…Alright…Vreya, Quistis and Ash, you three okay with staying behind?' Rica glanced at the two.

'Not really.' Ash replied. 'But I guess we'll be the backup just in case anything does go wrong.'

Vreya frowned. Why couldn't she go in?

'I…' She began, but Fleck read her mind and shook her head.

'It's far too dangerous Vreya, and we'll need you out here just in case anything happens. You can use your energy to mess up the cameras and signals out here.'

Vreya stared. Irvine patted her on her arm, sympathetically.

'Chances are that guy's in there, and you don't want to run into him again.'

'But I can hide…and fight!' Vreya protested. 'I got them into this mess…'

'There's not enough signal interference for you to hide, Vreya.' Tai replied. 'He'll pick up on you in an instant…at least out here there are electricity cables and a nearby radio station.'

Vreya looked away.

'Alright, decide on your groups.' Rica said.

Rinoa looked at Seifer, who nodded.

'Guess that leaves you and me, pal.' Irvine said to Gen.

'Okay, now that that is sorted, we'll go on ahead.' Locky nodded.

'Be careful.' Fleck said again.

The two nodded and began to walk away from the safety of the vans and towards the large, imposing building that was the prison.

-

The silence was finally broken by Zell, who could stand it no longer.

'…Guys…I think Zane's in trouble.'

Costa snorted in response. 'I'm sure that ass-hole can take care of himself.'

'Hey man, cut him some slack, he's one of us.' Zell shot a look at the Latino youth.

'…It's been ages.' Squall said. 'They should have finished with him by now.'

'My point exactly Squall. What do we do?' Zell looked at the SeeD commander.

Costa looked at them in disbelief. 'What, do you guys want to be tortured or something?'

The other two ignored him.

Squall closed his eyes briefly. 'We'll need to trick them somehow.'

There were a few moments of silence before Zell spoke up again.

'…Hey…what if we pretend to fight each other…we can lure the guards here with the noise and then we can knock them out!'

'…Sounds plausible, unless five guards make their way over.' Squall replied.

'Hello…we're chained.' Costa said.

'…No problem…if we get them close enough, we can knock them flat!' Zell said his enthusiasm building.

Costa shook his head in disbelief. 'And how do you plan to do that?'

Squall's head rose and he exchanged looks with Zell. The blond haired SeeD grinned and looked back at Costa.

'Get ready to see a pro at work!'

-

Zane felt sick. He wanted to throw up, but his stomach was so empty, there was nothing to throw up. The pain was so bad it was making his senses go numb. He wished the process would quicken so he would lose sense of feeling quicker.

He would rather be at some pointless party than this.

He would rather be dancing with some insane and unbelievably strange girl than this.

Anything but this torture…

Again, Lorne ordered the guard to stop and glared up at Zane. He knew that if he used a voltage that was any higher, the boy would die for sure.

It frustrated him that the boy probably knew also.

'Upstart fool!' Lorne hissed. 'If you know nothing, like you say, why do you take such punishment?'

Zane was barely conscious, he hardly heard a word Lorne was saying to him, but he knew that he had succeeded in irritating the raven-haired man.

'Your silence betrays you, boy. You are protecting them…even when you are not truly one of them! You would rather die than speak?' Lorne could not understand why the young man was not telling him anything.

How could he take such pain? He hadn't even cried out, once.

Lorne had no choice but to try another approach. He looked at the other guard who stood watching by the door.

'You! Get him down! It's time to show this boy that he cannot outwit me so easily.'

'Yes Sir.' The guard moved to do as he was told.

'…' Zane's head spun and he coughed up blood. But despite the extreme pain he felt, he was determined to remain defiant. '…You…y…you…puppets…'

Lorne held up a hand to stop the guard, and stepped closer to Zane, peering up at him. 'What did you say?' He demanded.

Zane smirked. He hurt so much, what he really wanted to do was scream, but years of masking emotions were finally coming to use.

'…Puppets…' He repeated.

Lorne closed his eyes briefly, trying to remain expressionless.

'Get him down.' He said again. 'Initiate stage 2.'

At that moment, the door opened and another guard stepped in.

'Sir…it is time.'

'It can wait a few minutes.' Lorne replied.

'…Begging your pardon Sir, it cannot. The car is waiting for you outside, and it will look suspicious if you do not attend.'

Lorne frowned. Though he was president now, he hardly had time to carry out all the duties that came with it. He supposed however, that he didn't have to keep up the act for very long.

'…Very well.' He conceded. 'I am on my way.'

The guard nodded and left the room again. Lorne looked at Zane, who was now on his hands and knees on the cold stone floor.

'Begin stage 2 without me…I will return, and when I do, I expect to have some answers…or else.' He glared at the guards who swallowed nervously and nodded. Lorne kicked Zane in the gut just for the sake of it.

'This isn't over yet.'

Zane doubled over, clutching onto his stomach with gritted teeth. The pain made him unable to retort in time and Lorne turned away and left the room, slamming the heavy metal door shut behind him.

No sooner had he gone Zane felt hands grab hold of him and force him to stand. All he wanted was to lie down and close his eyes and lose consciousness and all feeling. But he was slammed against the wall, and a mean looking guard leered into his face, and spoke with breath that stank.

'Alright pretty boy. Time to make you scream.'

-

Locky walked over to the reception desk, strolling casually with his baton under his arm. Behind him, Tai followed, also trying to look and act normally.

Locky looked at the name tag on the officer who was busy with some paperwork. The man had security screens all around him, to various areas of the prison. Behind him were some files and cabinets, some computer screens, lots of paperwork and documents, and some keys hung up on hooks on the wall.

Taking a deep breath, Locky readied himself to begin digging for information.

'Everything alright Lou?'

The man didn't look up. 'Yeah. You boys shouldn't be leaving your post…'

'Ah, we got some cover for half an hour…' Locky said, and elbowed Tai, urging him to agree.

'Yeah, these night shifts are a bummer…' Tai said.

'Okay…' Lou said, without looking up. 'Better make use of it.'

'Sure.' Locky nodded.

'Oh…by the way…who are you two?' The man finally looked up.

Locky's stomach tightened into knots and Tai felt exactly the same.

But just as Locky was about to answer, the phone rang beside the officer at the desk. He turned to it, and picked it up. Locky nodded at Tai. It was now or never; if it hadn't been for the phone, they would have been in deep trouble; they couldn't waste this opportunity.

Moving quickly, Tai went around the desk and grabbed the phone off the man.

'Hey!' The man frowned. 'What do you think you're…?'

Locky quickly silenced him, knocking him out over the head. Tai cleared his throat and spoke into the phone.

'Sorry about that. How can I help?'

The voice on the other side of the phone sounded impatient.

'There's no excuse to be clumsy just because it's late!'

'My apologies.' Tai replied, looking down at Locky, who was gagging the knocked out guard.

'The master is coming down now; tell those on duty at the gate to prepare to open it. His car should be outside already, waiting for him.'

'Sure.' Tai nodded. 'I'll notify them now.'

'Good, and for God's sake, don't make a bad impression!'

'Got it.' Tai said, and put the phone down. Then he looked at Locky.

'Lorne's coming down…he's got a car waiting outside now.'

'Crap…we have to warn the others!' Locky grabbed Tai's walkie-talkie and switched it on.

'Fleck? Can you hear me?'

Static greeted him, before Fleck's voice came through.

'You okay?'

'Yeah, we made it…but Lorne's coming out right now…is there a car waiting anywhere near you?'

'There's a black car that arrived a few minutes ago, yeah. But we're way out of range of it.' Fleck replied.

'Okay, get ready to keep low…especially Vreya.' Locky said.

'Right.' Came the response, before Fleck cut off the connection. Locky also switched the connection off and handed the walkie-talkie back to Tai.

'Where do we put this guy?' Tai asked. 'Lorne will be down at any moment!'

'Just stash him under the desk…I doubt he'll pay attention…we don't have time to hide him!' Locky replied, and together they pushed the body under the desk. Tai sat on the chair.

'Better run to the control panel by the gate and prepare to open it.' He told Locky. 'I'll stay here'.

'Damn…yes. I sure hope I don't mess up.'

'Just act normal…calm…' Tai said. Locky nodded, but he still felt nervous as he turned away and hurried back outside, to the control booth by the prison gates.

A few minutes later Lorne emerged from a door which slid open. Security surrounded him. He passed the desk without even glancing at the staff on it, and exited the building.

Tai let out a huge breath of relief. Lorne hadn't even looked his way, and neither had any of the security with him. He just hoped Locky would have the same luck, and the rest of the group that waited outside.

He quickly turned to the computer in front of him.

_I think we should work on finding those cell rooms now. _He thought._ They must be on the data-base somewhere…_

-

'Someone's coming.' Rica said. 'Those gates are opening again.'

'It must be what Tai and Locky warned us about.' Fleck said, as he used his binoculars to see more clearly. They had moved the vans well back and away from the sleek black car that waited to pick up Lorne.

'What can you see?' Gen asked.

'It's him.' Fleck replied. 'It's Lorne. Everybody stay low.'

'Vreya, Rinoa, you two get in the back of the van.' Rica said. 'I'll put the radio on…should interrupt whatever signals he can pick up from here.'

Rinoa nodded and took Vreya by her arm, and the two girls got into the back of one of the vans.

'Once he's gone, get ready to move everyone.' Fleck whispered to the others, who nodded in silent agreement.

-

The gates had opened and Lorne breezed past, knowing time was tight, knowing that he had so many things to do and consider now that he was in the position of power he had been working to get into for many months.

Surrounded by guards, he made his way to the car that waited to take him to an important meeting he had almost allowed himself to forget about altogether.

As the driver opened the door, Lorne suddenly froze, his senses tingling. The driver stared at him, and when he didn't move for a few moments, the grey-haired man dared to ask why.

'…Sir?'

-

'Hey…hey, he's stopped…why has he stopped?' Irvine asked.

'Oh no…' Rica whispered.

'Not good.' Fleck said. 'Everyone, get down low.'

In the van, Rinoa was holding her breath. She could feel Lorne's power even though they were so far from him. It hurt slightly, but because she had a knight, she had some resistance to the pull.

Vreya was another matter completely. She gasped suddenly, and clutched onto her chest. Rinoa put a hand on her shoulder, gripping tightly.

'Close your eyes Vreya…fight it…think of anything else…'

'…He's so strong.' Vreya whispered. 'I…I can feel it from here…he's…pulling me…'

Rinoa wrapped her arms around Vreya and hugged her, squeezing her eyes shut.

'Don't think about it…don't think…'

Vreya gritted her teeth, and thought about her friends who were trapped inside.

-

'…Sir?'

Lorne frowned, and looked at the man, and then his eyes moved and scanned the surrounding area. All was dark, and there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

He could have sworn he had picked up on magical essence. However, he couldn't dwell on his suspicion for long. He looked at one of the guards who stood beside him.

'You. Make sure to check the surrounding area. The 'friends' of those captured will be sure to attempt to break in. When they do, you will be ready. I want them all captured. If they escape, believe me, you will not last beyond the second I find out you have failed.'

The guard swallowed. 'Yes, Sir. Of course.'

Lorne nodded his head and got into the car. The driver closed the door and got into the front, and silently, the car rolled away, followed by an escort car full of security.

-

'That was close.' Seifer remarked.

'He's gone now.' Quistis said. 'He must be in a rush.'

'Even so, I'm sure he's got his little troopers stationed everywhere, ready for us.' Irvine stated.

Rica knocked at the back of one of the vans, and Rinoa opened the door.

'Has he gone?'

'Yes…I can't feel him anymore.' Vreya let out her breath.

Rica nodded. 'Come on out. We're ready to go in, as soon as we get word from Locky and Tai.'

The girls got out and walked back to where the others stood.

'…Why can't I go?' Vreya asked, looking at Fleck. 'Lorne's not there anymore…I can help.'

'Vreya, it's too dangerous…' Rica sighed.

'No. My friends are in there! What do you all plan to do, lock me up forever because it's too dangerous? How am I going to get the experience I need? It's my fault they all got caught…please Fleck. I'll be fine…I'll go with Seifer!' She linked her arm through the blond's, who raised an eyebrow.

'Don't get me into this.' He said, detaching his arm.

'Please Fleck.' Vreya pleaded. 'This is really important to me.'

Fleck sighed. 'The more people we send in, the more likely we are to get caught…'

'Well…I don't think one more person is going to make that much of a difference…' Rica said.

Fleck looked at Vreya. Then he shook his head. 'I must be crazy, but fine. Stick with Rinoa and Seifer. That's seven in there now, though Tai and Locky should get out once they locate where the cells are.'

Vreya nodded. 'Thanks. I'll be careful.'

Fleck's walkie-talkie beeped, and he raised it and switched it on. 'Yeah?'

Locky's voice crackled through. 'Man, I actually opened the gates without messing up!'

'Yes, well done.' Fleck smiled. 'Are you with Tai now?'

'No, you guys better get in quickly; I'm going to have to close these gates now.' Locky's voice replied.

'Alright, as long as it's clear, we'll send them in.' Fleck said.

'You got it. See you later.' Locky said, and the connection was cut off.

'Everyone got your weapons ready?' Rica asked.

Irvine patted his rifle. 'Let's get this party started.'

Seifer and Rinoa nodded, so did Gen and Vreya.

'Alright…get ready to go in.' Fleck said.

-

Tai stared at the computer screen. It looked complicated, and he frowned. He didn't want to press anything by accident. He then noticed a 'browse' icon, and clicked on it. He got a screen with options.

_Search by staff name_

_Search by I.D number_

_Search by floor_

_Search by cell number_

_Search by Prisoner I.D_

_Search by Prisoner surname_

Tai clicked on the last option and entered in the first surname that came into mind: Costa's. He waited for the screen to load, and then he got a list of names. He scrolled down, searching for Costa's date of birth. At length, he found it, and next to it were the I.D number, and the cell and floor number he was located at. Tai grabbed a notepad that was conveniently placed next to the computer, and scribbled down the details. Then he searched for Zell's, and realised Zell and Costa were in the same cell. Switching back to the main menu, he selected the cell number option, and typed in the cell Costa and Zell were located at. A list came up and he found that Squall and Zane were also in the same cell. Making a note of this, Tai quickly switched back to the search by prisoner name menu, and typed in Sara's last name. Noting down her cell number, he switched back to the search by cell number menu and typed in the number. As he had suspected, the rest of the girls were in the same cell, a floor above where the boys were located.

'Bingo.' Tai whispered, and then lifted his walkie-talkie, to let the others know it was time to break in.

-

Fleck switched the walkie-talkie on.

'Fleck, I've got the numbers of the cells…get them in.'

Fleck nodded. 'Alright. You keep in contact to let them know what's going on…I'm giving them the other walkie-talkies.'

'Right. Send them in then. I'm waiting.' Tai's voice said.

Fleck nodded and turned to the waiting teenagers. 'Alright kids. This is it. Tai's waiting for you in the entrance. He'll give you the numbers, and you go and do what has to be done. Each group take a walkie-talkie…he'll be keeping an eye out for you. When you find the others, leave immediately. Knock out people if you have to; if you can avoid it, do so. Be careful and stick together. Vreya.'

Vreya looked at him.

'Be careful and don't leave Seifer and Rinoa's side.'

Vreya nodded.

Fleck handed Rinoa one walkie-talkie and Irvine the other.

'Be careful.' Rica said.

'If you need any help, let Locky know, and he'll let us know.' Fleck nodded.

'Good luck.' Quistis said.

The teenagers nodded, and then they moved towards the gate, to begin on their mission.

-

'Guards, guards!' Zell yelled. 'Oh, man, guards!'

'I swear if this doesn't work and I get pounded I'll kill you man.' Costa hissed.

'It will work, trust me, man.' Zell said. Then, switching back to shouting, he howled dramatically.

Squall raised an eyebrow. He'd have to give Zell an award for his brilliant acting skills some time.

'Owww! Guards, he's mauling me!'

They heard footsteps, and sure enough, two guards came along to investigate.

'What's going on here?' One peered through the bars, curiously.

Costa hit Zell, trying to make it look hard, but at the same time, making sure it wasn't too much. With his wrists bound, he couldn't hit efficiently anyway.

'Take that you idiot; this is your entire damned fault!' Costa exclaimed.

'Better break them up before they murder each other.' Squall commented, from where he stood back, leaning against the wall.

The guards opened the door, and one went up to Costa. 'Hey, hey, what's the big idea? Cut it out or else!'

Costa tried to lunge, glaring at Zell. 'I'll kill you man!'

'Not if I kill you first!' Zell shot back. The two stepped forward and both guards intercepted one grabbing hold of Zell, the other of Costa.

Squall took his cue, and quickly snuck up behind the bigger of the guards, and without hesitating, put his bound wrists around the older man's neck, and jerked backwards, trapping the man in a strangle hold. He used his left foot to kick the man in the shins and trip him down, before delivering a devastating elbow to his back. The guard fell, groaning, not knowing what had hit him.

In the same instance Squall had pulled off his move, Zell had turned and floored the other guard. Costa shifted on his feet nervously.

'I can't believe we pulled that off!'

Zell grinned up at him, as he unclipped the key set from one of the guards' belt.

'This is it. We're home free baby!' He looked at the key set. There were four keys attached, and three larger, master looking keys.

'Try them all.' Squall said.

Zell nodded, and awkwardly began separating the keys, which wasn't easy since his wrists were bound close together. He finally got hold of the first one, and nodded at Squall.

'Okay man. Let's hope this is the lucky one!'

-

Tai looked at the control panel nervously, monitoring the many camera screens in front of him. If any other security guards were on their way to the main entrance, he was dead. He glanced at five teenagers who stood waiting in front of him. Then he reached out and handed one slip of paper to Seifer, and the other to Irvine.

'Alright, those are the details. You'd better split up for this. The girls are one floor up from the guys…Irvine and Gen, you free them. You three get the guys out.' He nodded at Seifer, Rinoa and Vreya.

'Got it.' Irvine nodded.

'Get going quickly, before someone gets down here. And here, take these swipe cards, you might need them. And here, take these two sets of keys. I don't know if they'll work, but try anyway. If anyone is coming, I'll let you know via this.' Tai held up his walkie-talkie. The teenagers nodded.

'Be careful! I don't know if this control panel monitors all floors, if there's one on every floor, you'll have to watch out. Just try to keep out of sight of any cameras and use your magic to take them out, is that clear?'

The teenagers nodded.

'Get going!' Tai urged.

Without a word, Seifer lead his group to the left and Irvine and Gen took the right. The race was on.

-

Costa rubbed at his wrists.

'Man, finally, we're free of those things!'

Squall had bound the two guards with the chains, and now stood up and walked over to the door, peering out between the bars of the small window.

'We have to locate our weapons.' He said.

'What about Zane?' Zell asked.

'We need to find our weapons before we can find him.' Squall frowned. 'And without any magic, there's no way we can avoid the cameras just outside.'

'So what do we do?' Costa asked.

Squall had no idea. It wasn't possible to dress up at guards, since the clothes were far too big anyway. He shook his head, raising a hand to rake through his silky brown hair.

There had to be a solution…

_Think, Squall, think. What can we use to take out the cameras_…?

-

The baton was brought down ruthlessly, with no remorse. A second later, a kick to the gut was delivered, and then he was slammed against the wall. Too drained and weak to defend himself, and without any magic to heal his wounds, there was little Zane could do to stop the assault of the two guards.

The guard with the nasty smelling breath shoved his face into Zane's again.

'Had enough, kid? Are you ready to give us the answers?'

Zane felt sick and dizzy. In actual fact, he was surprised he had lasted this long. He coughed and blood splattered on the guard's face. Furious, he backhanded Zane, and the younger man fell to the floor again. His entire body was bruised, aching, on fire. He just wanted to close his eyes but he wasn't being given the opportunity.

'Why the hell isn't he answering? What else do we have to do?' The other security officer glared down at the floored young man.

His companion smiled a sick smile.

'We'll get one of the girls in here…maybe then he'll talk.'

-

Lila rested her head on her arms, closing her eyes. Where were the others? Why weren't they here to rescue them yet?

Sara sat back, staring at the wall opposite them blankly.

Roxy was looking utterly miserable, and Selphie was twiddling her thumbs, having tried to cheer the girls up in vain.

Sara finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

'You know…why do I have this sinking feeling, they're not coming?'

'Of course they are…they're just…late.' Lila muttered.

'This prison is huge.' Sara went on. 'It's got a guard around every corner…how can they get past?'

'They've got magic.' Selphie said, again attempting to raise their spirits. 'They can make it!'

'It's hopeless.' Sara sighed. 'Be realistic.'

Roxy began to giggle at that, and she found that she couldn't stop.

The other three girls looked at her with concern.

'Uh…sweetheart, are you alright?' Lila raised an eyebrow.

Roxy laughed harder, and Sara rolled her eyes.

'Perfect. Roxy's finally lost her mind.'

'Hee hee!' Roxy gasped. 'You said…be realistic! Hahahaha!'

'…Ha…hahaha…' Lila repeated dryly. 'What's so funny about that?'

'It's all not real! Magic and everything isn't realistic!' Roxy chuckled.

Selphie giggled. 'That's kind of funny.'

'Hello?' Sara said. 'Am I the only one who fails to see the joke here?'

'No.' Lila replied. 'I don't find it funny. What if I die here? What if they don't come for us? What if I never get to tell Ash that I love him?'

Roxy laughed harder, and Sara and Lila glared at her.

'Roxy, shut up!' Sara snapped. 'Get a grip!'

Roxy muffled her laughter, but still continued to snicker.

'Stop thinking so negatively!' Selphie cried. 'They're coming, if they're not here already, Irvine wouldn't leave me here, I know none of them would, just wait and see!'

'…Uh…looks like our time is up…' Lila said quietly, as they heard keys jingle, and then the heavy door was pushed open. Two guards stood, smiling menacingly at the girls.

'Hello ladies.' One of them said, looking them over. 'Which one of you would like to play a game?'

-

'Seifer.' Rinoa whispered. 'There're bound to be cameras in that lift. We should take the stairs.'

'Great minds think alike.' Seifer replied, and he crept to the staircase which led up to the next floor.

'Tai said he has this floor covered.' Vreya said. 'So I think climbing up these stairs isn't a problem. All these cameras are safe.' She pointed to the few cameras which were stationed high up on the walls.

'Alright.' Seifer nodded. 'We'll go up here. Then, before the bend that leads to floor two, get read to cast Blind, Rinoa.'

Rinoa nodded.

'Once she does that, you cast Fire to burn the circuit.' Seifer instructed Vreya, who nodded.

'Then you summon Diablos and get him to find all the cameras on the floor.' Seifer looked back at Rinoa. 'He can take them out without being detected.'

'Right.' Rinoa said. 'And then we go and knock out any guards we can find, get the keys, and get them out.'

'…Yeah.' Seifer replied. 'Easier said than done.'

'Why don't we send them to Sleep?' Vreya asked. 'Or cast Confuse or something? Then we don't have to make a scene.'

'Good idea.' Rinoa looked at Seifer.

'We could, but do you wanna waste spells?' Seifer looked back at Vreya.

'Well, we can always get more. Or we'll use the spells if there are too many.' Vreya shrugged.

'That's a better plan.' Seifer nodded. 'Alright. Let's take out the first camera.'

They crept up, and around the last bend, Rinoa stopped, and took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing.' She whispered, and a black cloud of mass formed in the palms of her hands. She peeked around the corner, and saw her target, a camera that was facing in their direction. She looked away, and the ball of mass disappeared in her palms.

'What's wrong?' Vreya asked.

'That camera will notice the Blind spell if I cast it at it. I think it's better to summon Diablos straight away.'

'Alright.' Seifer nodded. 'Do it.'

Rinoa closed her eyes, and focused. A few seconds later, a black cloud materialised. Diablos knew what he had to do, and soundlessly, he disappeared into thin air, to perform his task.

'The guards will notice the cameras are out, so it's only a matter of time until they come out to look at the cameras.' Seifer said. 'So we have to be quick. Better yet, I'll find the control room…you two use your magic and weapons to take out any guards you see around.'

The girls nodded.

'I hope they're okay.' Vreya whispered. 'I hope they haven't been hurt…'

'It's okay Vreya.' Rinoa smiled supportively. 'They're all fighters. They can take anything.'

-

'So, that's the second floor.' Gen said. 'We're going to have to pass the cameras here before we can get to the third floor.'

'Yeah. But how to do it?' Irvine stood just before the bend that led to the second floor. They had taken the right hand staircase, and Seifer, Rinoa and Vreya were on the other side.

'I could just blast the cameras off the wall.' Irvine grinned.

Gen laughed nervously. 'Ah…I think you'll have to be a little more discreet than that.'

'I was kidding.' Irvine laughed, patting him on the back. 'It looks like the best thing for this is magic.'

'Right, but we don't have Diablos like Rinoa does.' Gen said. 'And our guardians can't do much.'

'Hey, the others are on the other side, we just have to wait until they take out the cameras.' Irvine said.

'Yeah, but we still have to figure out how we take out floor three's cameras.' Gen said.

'We'll worry about it when we get there.' Irvine replied. Then he lifted his walkie-talkie and dialled for Rinoa's.

-

Rinoa raised the walkie-talkie to her lips. 'Hello?'

'Rin!' Irvine's voice came through. 'Have you guys taken out the cameras?'

'Yeah.' Rinoa nodded. 'Diablos got back just now. You guys can go up.'

'Yeah, but we don't have a GF like Diablos. Can you send him to floor three to take out the cameras there?' Irvine asked.

'What an idiot.' Seifer frowned. 'Is he too lazy to do it himself?'

Vreya smiled.

'I'll send him up.' Rinoa replied. 'I'll let you know when he's back. Where are you guys?'

'Can you see another staircase anywhere?' Irvine said.

Rinoa peered around the corner, and strained to find the staircase. She finally spotted it far across on the opposite side of where they were standing.

'Oh yeah, I see it!'

'Then you can see me waving.'

Sure enough, Rinoa saw a hand waving in the distance. She giggled. 'Stop being silly and get on with it, Irvine.'

'Sure. I'll be waiting for your call.' Irvine closed the connection, and Rinoa did the same. She turned to Vreya and Seifer.

'Alright, are we ready for this?'

'You bet.' Seifer grinned. 'This is what I live for.'

Vreya nodded. 'Let's just get them out and leave.'

'Okay.' Rinoa said. 'Let's go!'

-

Roxy screamed as the guard hauled her up from the floor.

'Hey!' Selphie cried, jumping up also. 'Leave her alone you big bully!'

'Let her go!' Lila yelled.

'You pigs!' Sara shouted.

'Let me go, let me go!' Roxy shrieked. She tried to resist, but the guard was much bigger and stronger, and she was dragged away from her friends with ease.

'Don't worry.' The other guard pointed his gun at the other girls, forcing them back. 'If that boy agrees to speak, she won't be hurt…much.'

They both sniggered.

'Boy?' Sara gasped. 'Who have you got there? What are you doing to him?'

'Hehheh.' The guard holding Roxy sneered. 'Wouldn't it be ironic if this girl is that boy's girlfriend?'

'It would be very ironic.' The other smirked.

'Well how about it, little lady?' The guard looked down at a terrified Roxanne. 'Is your boyfriend called Zane?'

'Zane?' Lila gasped. 'Oh no!'

'You meanies!' Selphie cried. 'What are you going to do to her?'

'Leave Zane alone!' Sara was outraged.

'Heh. Too late. He displeased our master by not answering his questions about The One. But don't worry. I'm sure once he sees his little girlfriend; he'll beg us to listen.'

Laughing, the two guards left the room, taking a screaming Roxy with them. The door slammed shut, and was locked.

'Oh no, they're going to hurt Roxy, I can't stand this!' Lila said, eyes wild with panic and desperation.

'They've already hurt Zane…' Sara whispered.

For the first time, Selphie had no encouraging words to offer. The reality of how dire their situation really was finally began to sink in.

-

Seifer crept along the edges of the wall, eyes fixed on the two guards ahead. Behind him Rinoa and Vreya followed, ready to act when he gave the signal. The guards were standing and laughing over something. Their backs were turned.

'Seifer!' Vreya whispered. 'I really think that it's better that we knock them out with Sleep!'

'She's right.' Rinoa agreed. 'We'll attract less attention.'

Seifer nodded. 'Do it.'

Vreya summoned a Sleep spell, and directed it at one of the guards, and Rinoa did the same for the other. The spell materialised around the guards, and one of them cried out in surprise.

'Hey, what the hell!'

'What's that light around your…?' the other began, but before the two could say anymore, the spell had worked its effect and they slumped to the floor, in deep sleep.

'There have to be more of them, so keep an eye out.' Seifer instructed. 'I'll go find the control room.'

The two girls nodded.

'We'll find the cell.' Rinoa said, and together with Vreya, split from Seifer. As she did so, she raised her walkie-talkie to inform Irvine that Diablos had taken out the cameras on floor three.

Seifer went in the opposite direction, gripping Hyperion tightly in his hand. He hoped guards would emerge…he hadn't kicked real butt in a while. This was his time to shine, and he wanted to shine as brightly as possible. He passed many numbered doors, and as he got to one, it opened, and Seifer cursed, his quick reflexes the only things that saved him from being caught, as he ducked behind a corner. A guard emerged, a cup of coffee in his hand.

'What's up with those cameras?' He looked around, up at the nearest camera, and then frowned. 'Huh! Hey! Come and look at this guys! There's…some kind of smoke on them!'

A few moments later, three more guards emerged, and frowned up at the camera.

'What the hell is that?' One of them asked.

'Look, the other one has it too!' Another said.

'They all do.' Said the third. 'No wonder the screens have gone black!'

'Well, what do we do about it?' The first guard with the coffee asked.

'I don't know…we don't even know what it is.' The second guard said.

Then the one with the coffee did a double-take, and pointed. 'Hey! You! What are you doing there?'

Seifer glanced in the direction the guard was pointing, and cursed again as he realised that Vreya and Rinoa hadn't realised the guards had come out of the room.

The two girls froze, and the guards began to run towards them. One of them raised a walkie-talkie, to raise the alarm, and Seifer made his move. He quickly emerged and knocked the guard out using the hilt of Hyperion. The walkie-talkie crashed to the floor.

'Hey!' The guards yelled. 'Intruders! Stop them!'

The guard behind the one Seifer had knocked out took out a baton, but Seifer was too quick and round house kicked the man to the floor. The other guard whipped out his gun, and Rinoa cried across in warning.

'Seifer, look out!'

Before the guard could pull the trigger, red light materialised at the hand that held the gun, and it exploded, sending flame up the man's arm. He yelled, and dropped the gun. Seifer quickly kicked it away and then took out the guard.

Vreya, who had directed the Fire spell at the guard, now turned her attention to the approaching guard. He had dropped his coffee and now held a rifle at the two girls, menacingly.

'Drop your weapons! Put your hands up in the air!' He ordered.

Rinoa shrugged, and raised her hands. 'If you say so.'

As she raised her arms, she called on her sorceress magic to lift the officer from the floor. He yelled out in alarm, as he flew up into the air and crashed back down. Vreya followed up with a Sleep spell, and the man was out cold.

She looked at Rinoa, who smiled. 'We make a good team!'

Vreya smiled back, and the two girls nodded across at Seifer, before Rinoa blinked, and pointed.

'Seifer…there!'

Seifer looked to his right to find that one guard had managed to break away, and was running across the other side, in an attempt to raise the alarm.

The girls were closer to where he was heading, and Vreya broke away. As she did so, Rinoa cast Haste to allow her movements to be faster. Vreya raced ahead, reaching the alarm button at the same moment the guard did. The guard whipped out his pistol, and fired in Vreya's direction. Vreya gasped, as the bullet flew towards her. She heard both Seifer and Rinoa yelling at her, but her body froze.

Just as the bullet reached her it suddenly stopped. Vreya watched in shock as it turned in mid-air, and then flew right back at the guard. It pierced into his chest instead, and his eyes widened in pain. But before he fell to the floor, he managed to hit the red alert button before Vreya could move, and instantly the alarm went off.

Vreya's heart pounded. She had been so close to death, but it hadn't happened. She hadn't even done anything to stop it. She heard footsteps running towards her, and Rinoa's voice called over the blaring of the alarm.

'Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?'

'No…I'm…did you stop it?' Vreya turned to face the raven-haired girl, who shook her head.

'No…I couldn't…it was moving too fast.'

Vreya frowned, confused. Then who had stopped it…?

Seifer's voice yelled to them. 'Get moving! The guards will be here at any moment…try the keys…if they don't work, look for any on those guards!'

The two girls quickly turned and ran back in the direction of the cell the boys were being held in.

Rinoa twisted the knob, and was surprised when it opened. 'Huh? It's open!'

She then found herself face to face with Zell, who grinned.

'Alright Rin! We were watching you in action!'

Rinoa looked past him, her eyes stopping on Costa, and then on Squall. All young men were unharmed. The sorceress ran forward into the cell and threw her arms around him, relief draining her for a moment.

'Squall, you're okay!'

Squall let her have a few seconds, before pushing her away gently. 'Rinoa, why are you here? It's dangerous…you could have been caught.'

'Relax…it's clear to me this babe can handle herself.' Costa said, before moving to Vreya and giving her a big hug.

'Been a while Bonita.'

Vreya pushed him away, and looked at Zell. 'Are you all okay? This is…' She then frowned as she realised one of them was missing.

Dread filled in her stomach. 'Where's Zane…?'

Costa's smile disappeared, and Zell coughed uncomfortably.

'Squall?' Rinoa looked at her knight. 'Where is he?'

Squall averted his gaze, before finally replying: 'They took him for interrogation…'

Vreya's breath caught in her throat, and horror washed over her.

'But…' Squall continued, raising his eyes to meet Vreya's. 'That was over an hour ago…'

A silence followed his words. Then, without saying a thing, Vreya turned and ran out of the cell.

'Vreya, wait!' Costa hurried after her.

Zell clucked his tongue and looked back at Rinoa. 'Hey…the alarm's gone off, so I guess it's time for some action! Have you taken all the cameras out…?'

'Seifer's working on that now.' Rinoa nodded.

'Seifer?' Zell's expression passed from shock to irritation. 'Man. What's he doing here?'

'Give him credit Zell…we wouldn't have made it this far without him. He's taken the lead and everything.' Rinoa frowned at him.

'I bet he loves playing the star role.' Zell muttered.

Squall shook his head. 'We have to find our weapons.' He said, changing the subject. 'We don't have any magic…it's all been stripped off us. We've been silenced so we can't use our GF's either.'

Rinoa nodded, and raised a hand, and cast Esuna, first on Squall, and then on Zell.

'You can now.' She said. 'Come on guys…we have to help find Zane. Do you have any idea where they took him?'

Squall shook his head.

'Then we search.' Came Seifer's voice, from the doorway. In his left hand, he held Lionheart. He tossed it to Squall, who caught it.

'Tch.' Zell glared at Seifer, who ignored him.

'I'm going with Vreya to look for him.' Seifer said. 'You take out whatever guards get in your way, and meet at the bottom floor. Tai's waiting for us down there.'

He began to turn away, and Rinoa kicked Zell in his leg, silently demanding he speak.

'Uh…' Zell said uncomfortably. '…Don't think I'm happy saying this but…we appreciate it.' He folded his arms and looked away at Rinoa. 'Happy now?'

Rinoa nodded. Then she looked at Squall. The blue-eyed SeeD took a few moments, but finally he looked at Seifer.

'…Thanks.' He said at last.

Seifer blinked in surprise, and then he smirked, but didn't respond. He left the doorway, followed by Vreya, to begin the search for Zane.

-

Roxy kicked wildly, but in vain. She had been carried up a long flight of stairs, and her legs were aching. She was now shoved through a door, and what she saw shocked her.

It was a real life torture room. She almost passed out, but then she saw a familiar figure slumped on the floor, in chains. He was bleeding, and badly beaten, but somehow managed to raise his eyes to look at her as she was dragged in.

Roxy's eyes filled with tears.

'Zane…' She whispered. 'What have they done to you?'

Zane's eyes lowered in response, and closed briefly. His handsome face was stained with blood and dirt, his usually silky hair was a disarranged mess. His clothing was torn and bloodstained, and he looked like he was about to lose consciousness at any moment.

'Heh heh.' One of the guards sneered. 'You'll talk now, won't you boy? I've brought along your little girlfriend!'

Zane, though badly hurt, still managed to curl his lips up into a sneer of disdain. But he didn't say a word.

Roxy was dragged back, and chained to the wall. She screamed insults, tears streaking down her cheeks. Zane was too weak to help her, and she knew it would hurt. The green-eyed boy was so much stronger than her, and he was a mess. What would happen to her then? She would die.

'It's time to play a little game.' The other guard leered into her face.

Zane's eyes rose, tiredly, fixing on the guard's back. He had to think fast…of some way to stall them so that they wouldn't hurt Roxanne. But he was tired…so tired.

The only hope he was clinging onto was that the alarm had gone off. They were here…he knew it…but just how close were they to finding him? How would they be able to find him and Roxy in time?

For the first time, Zane wished he had someway to communicate with the others…to let them know. It was then that he remembered a knight could communicate to his sorceress. His eyes closed again briefly, and then he angrily pushed the thought from his mind. Now was not the time for mental weakness, no matter how physically exhausted he was.

-

Irvine knocked out another guard, and Gen cast a Blizzard spell on the last guard.

'We better find the ladies quickly!' Irvine called back to his companion. 'These alarms are gonna bring many more guards to join our party!'

Gen nodded and ran forward, eyes scanning the cell numbers. They had taken out many guards, and like Irvine had said, more were no doubt on their way.

Finally he found the cell he was looking for and ran to it, calling in.

'Lila? Sara? Roxy, Selphie? Are you in there?'

'Oh my God!' A cry greeted his ears, and it was one that was welcomingly familiar.

Sara came to the other side of the bars, and glared at Gen.

'You stupid jerk! What took you so long! Do you know how worried we were getting and…huh!'

She was pushed aside by Selphie. 'Irvy, is that you?'

Irvine pushed Gen aside and grinned. 'Hey babe. They haven't hurt you have they?'

'No, but they have Zane and Roxy, we need to go and help! Are you guys okay? What took you so long?' The petite SeeD cried, tears of relief and happiness forming in her eyes.

'Who set the alarm off?' Lila demanded. 'We're doomed!'

'Relax babe.' Irvine assured her. 'I'll protect you.'

Lila snorted in response. 'Just open the door you idiot.'

'Let's get them out.' Gen said. 'Give me the keys.'

-

Seifer shoved the guard into the wall roughly. 'You tell me where they take prisoners to interrogate them, or you won't have a tongue left to speak with!'

Vreya looked around them anxiously. Many fallen guards lay around them: they had passed a lot, but still hadn't found Zane.

'Hurry up!' She urged Seifer. If any more guards came, even more time would be wasted.

Seifer punched the guard in the gut, and roared into his face again. 'Tell me you worthless idiot, or I swear I'll kill you!'

The guard shook his head. 'I…I aint saying a word! My master would never…I'd never betray him!'

Vreya glared, and stepped forward, holding the edge of her weapon to the man's neck as Seifer held him back.

'Your master is going to die, just like you if you don't tell me where the hell they're holding Zane right now! Tell me or I'll kill you damn it! Don't think I won't!' Vreya yelled.

The man saw something in Vreya's eyes that frightened him, and finally, he gave in.

'…It's…it's on this floor…through that door…door D23. P…please don't kill me! Take the keys…here!'

'Sucker.' Seifer sneered, grabbing the keys from his shaking hand before knocking him out cold.

Then he looked at Vreya, and raised an eyebrow. He had been shouting at the man for five minutes, with no response. Vreya had yelled once and the man had given in. 'How'd you do that?'

Vreya shrugged, and took the keys from him. 'Let's just go.' She said, praying they weren't too late.

The two ran, looking for the door. Seifer found it, and beckoned Vreya over. Inside, they could hear screaming and twisted laughter. Vreya's heart pounded. The scream sounded familiar…it was Roxy.

With a shaking hand, she pushed the key into the keyhole and twisted it. The door unlocked, and Seifer kicked it open, and stormed in. before the guards knew what was happening, he had knocked them both out. Then he examined the two prisoners in the large torture room.

Roxy was crying, but looked relatively unhurt. But Zane was another matter. Seifer bent over the bodies of the guards, looking for the keys to the chains.

'Oh my God.' Roxy sobbed. 'I'm so…so happy to see you…oh my God…'

Vreya's eyes stopped on Zane, and her stomach tightened into knots. His eyes were closed, and he was slumped on the floor, motionless, bleeding, and badly injured. Vreya rushed forward, and fell to her kneed beside him, placing a hand on his left shoulder.

'Zane!' She cried. 'Zane, can you hear me? It's Vreya…Zane!'

Seifer had freed Roxy, and now moved over to Zane. The young man's head was bowed and his breathing was slow and unsteady.

'Seifer…' Vreya whispered. 'What do we do?'

'He's on the edge…Vreya, you use Curaga, and I'll cast Full Life.' Seifer instructed.

'He's going to be okay right?' Roxy clasped her hands together worriedly.

Seifer nodded at Vreya, who caste Curaga three times. The spell fell over Zane, closing many of his wounds. But the bruises remained. Seifer followed up with the Full Life spell to bring Zane back to consciousness.

Then the three held their breath and waited.

'He was so brave, Vreya.' Roxy whispered, taking Vreya's hand in hers. 'He wouldn't answer any of their questions, and they were all about you…'

Vreya looked at Roxy, and then back at Zane. The young man's eyebrows twitched and Seifer laid his hand on his left shoulder, and shook him.

'Hey, Zane! Wake up!'

Zane's eyelids finally lifted to reveal his brilliant emerald depths. Relief flooded through Vreya, and she was so happy he was alright; the urge to hug him was almost unbearable.

'Are you okay?' Roxy cried, unable to resist her urge, and throwing her arms around him. Zane coughed, and pushed her away, though less roughly than she had expected.

'Stop…fussing…' He managed. Seifer smirked and unlocked his chains, and then offered his hand. Zane accepted it and got to his feet.

'You okay to go on?' Seifer asked. Zane's weapon was in the corner of the room, placed there to mock him while he had been chained.

Zane nodded. His body hurt a lot less, though mentally, it had been a terrible experience. He was not one to show his emotions however.

Vreya retrieved his sword and held it out to him, her eyes lowered. It was all her fault that he had been hurt so badly, it was all her fault they were here to begin with.

Seifer coughed and motioned with his head to Roxy. She got the message and nodded, following him out of the cell, picking up her weapons on the way.

Zane looked at the slender hand that held the sword hilt out to him, and then at the face whose eyes were lowered.

He reached out and took the sword from her, without a word, his fingers brushing lightly against hers as he did so.

Then he moved around her to follow after the others. Vreya's eyes rose. He had to hate her now, if he didn't before. And she knew he always had disliked her.

She bit her lower lip, and without turning around, spoke his name.

'Zane…'

Zane stopped at the mention of his name, and waited.

'I'm sorry.'

He knew what she meant, and now his own eyes lowered in turn. He considered for a moment, and then replied matter-of-factly:

'I'm not.'

**_Angelheart's_****_ End of Chapter Ramble:_**

_I'm going to stop there. I actually lost half of this, which was supposed to make the next chapter, which is why I've had to do it all over again and hence the delay. Sorry for that, I know I haven't updated in ages, but uni is over for the year, so look forward to more from me now. Thanks so much for being patient and I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I'll start on the next half of the escape as soon as possible. Please leave your thoughts on this and watch this space for more!_


	52. Jail Break: Part II

**Chapter LII: Jail Break: Part II**

Not sorry? What on earth did he mean? Vreya stared after him as he left the horrible torture room, a soft frown on her face. But before she could contemplate any further, Seifer stuck his head back through the door, scowling at her.

'C'mon, we haven't got all day!'

Vreya blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, and nodded, hurrying forward and leaving the room, glad to shut the heavy door behind her.

Roxy gaped at the several bodies of guards Seifer and Vreya had taken out on their way to finding their friends.

'Wow, you guys did some serious damage!' She exclaimed.

'This aint over yet.' Seifer responded, his green eyes scanning their surroundings. The cameras had all been taken out and the alarm was still blaring. Lights on the high walls flashed yellow and red in warning.

Seifer turned to his three companions.

'Alright, listen up. Fleck is waiting for us outside. Squall and the others should already be on the ground floor, or at least on their way.'

'What about Selphie, Lila and Sara?' Roxy asked. 'They were locked up with me.'

'Irvine and Gen should have reached them by now, so they'll be making their way down too. Locky and Tai are on the look-out for us, disguised as guards and we're using these to stay alert.' He held up a walkie-talkie and shook it. 'It's a case of making our way down as fast as possible. I'm sure there are loads of guards crawling around this dump.'

'I just want to leave this creepy place.' Roxy shuddered. 'And they stole all my magic stocks too; I have to work all over again to build them back up!'

'I can give you some spells.' Vreya offered. 'I have a lot of Fires, Holies and healing magic.'

'Let's get moving.' Seifer ordered and turned to lead the way.

But a voice stopped him.

'Wait.'

Seifer, Vreya and Roxy turned and looked back at Zane, whose eyes fixed on the blond ex-knight.

'What?' Seifer demanded impatiently.

'Is he gone?'

Seifer stared back blankly. 'He? Who's he?'

'…' Zane stared back but did not reply. Realisation and understanding washed over Seifer's face and he nodded.

'That freak? Yeah. We came in after he left.'

'There are more than just guards here.' Zane warned.

Roxy's eyes widened. 'Huh?'

Vreya frowned. 'What do you mean?'

His eyes flicked onto her for a second before darting back to Seifer. 'I heard the guards say that just in case anything should go wrong, they'd execute the special operation.'

'What?' Seifer frowned. 'What 'special operation'?'

'They called it…operation Giant.' Zane replied.

'I don't like the sound of that.' Roxy said nervously.

Seifer snorted. 'I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle.'

Zane's eyes narrowed but he said no more. Seifer turned back hurried away, and Roxy skipped after him.

'Wait for me Seifer! I'm sticking with you!'

Vreya glanced back at Zane, saw the way his eyes lowered momentarily.

Concern gave her courage to address him again.

'Zane? Are you really alright? If you're still hurt I can…' She broke off as his eyes rose and fixed on her.

They were still as intense as ever, but something was different about them. They seemed oddly detached in some way.

'What?' He asked in a dull tone of voice. 'You can what, Vreya? You can make it all better?'

Words failed her. Something passed across his face, an expression too brief for her to interpret. He then shook his head and walked forward, passing her without another look or word, and for the second time in minutes, Vreya was left speechless and confused by Zane.

-----------

'Blizzaga!' Gen yelled and the spell flew from his hand and smacked the guard who howled in pain from the freezing assault.

Irvine reloaded and glanced at him. 'No need to shout, man.'

'Irvine, look out!' Lila cried as a guard aimed a rifle at him.

Irvine blinked, surprised. 'Whoa!' He quickly raised his own rifle and fired a shot at the threat. It missed the guard but caused him to drop his gun.

'So much for not shouting.' Gen said, smacking the same guard with his staff and knocking him out.

Selphie struck a guard with her weapon, wrapping it around the rifle he carried. Then she jerked on it and succeeded in disarming him.

Sara was finally ready to let Chaos loose. The elemental materialised and drew back the string on his mighty bow, and released a devastating Holy charged arrow. It slammed into the seven guards and they cried out in pain. When the golden light and Chaos disappeared, they teenagers saw that all the guards had been knocked out. A few lay groaning on the floor, but were too weak to get back up.

'All right!' Selphie grinned, giving Sara a high-five.

'At least I managed to draw a few spells.' Lila said. 'We'll need to stock up again after they took them all from us.'

'There'll be more guards.' Gen said. 'Let's just make it down to the bottom.'

'Didn't you say Squall and the others were on this floor?' Selphie asked.

'Yeah, but they must have reached the bottom by now.' Irvine replied.

'Clearly they did some damage before they made their way down.' Sara observed looking at the many guards floored around them that had already been knocked out when they had come down.

'Let's get going ladies!' Irvine beckoned to them and they ran towards the stairs to descend to the next floor down.

-----------

'There're so many of them, we'll never make it down!' Costa yelled, as he ducked behind the corner in response to bullet after bullet being fired his way.

'Don't panic man!' Zell yelled back.

On the other side, Rinoa poked her head around to assess the situation, but a guard spotted her and aimed. Squall grabbed her and pulled her back to safety.

'Squall, we're way outnumbered.' She told her knight.

The temptation to summon Bahamut was almost too much to resist, but Squall knew that if he did call on the mighty King of Dragons, the entire floor would be damaged and would become unstable.

'Rinoa. You have Cactuar right?'

'Yeah…shall I summon him?'

Squall nodded. 'Our GF's are the best way we'll do the most damage. I'll follow up with Shiva.'

Rinoa nodded and focused. Squall did the same.

Meanwhile, Costa was cursing his anger at the entire situation. Zell rolled his eyes. He felt angry he had lost his stock of spells too, but he knew moaning about it wouldn't get them anywhere now.

'Yo, if you don't shut your mouth, I'm gonna punch you.' He warned.

'Well what do you propose we do huh?' Costa demanded.

'Why don't you summon your GF?' Zell replied. 'Just because you lost magic, doesn't mean you can't still call on your GF.'

'Huh? Really?' Costa's brows rose.

'Man, you didn't know that?'

'You didn't tell me! What am I waiting for?' Costa began to concentrate. But just as he did, they heard yelling and screaming and saw flashes of lights. Costa broke off his summons and peered around the corner, with Zell.

'Ow what is that prickly freak!' A guard shouted, as the giant Cactuar let loose his 1000 needles attack.

'I can't believe this is happening!' Another guard howled. Cactuar dematerialised and as he did, another flash of blue light lit up the room and Shiva materialised, beautiful and devastating. She released her attack and froze any remaining guards to their core. Once the light and mist cleared, they found that the guards had fallen.

Squall immediately stepped out of the corner he and Rinoa had taken shelter in and nodded to Zell and Costa.

'Let's move!'

-----------

Fleck paced back and forth, looking at his watch as he did so.

'They should be out by now.' He frowned.

'Maybe they're in trouble.' Ash said.

'If they were, they would have contacted us by now.' Quistis reasoned.

'I just contacted Tai and Locky and they say they're still waiting for them.' Rica informed Fleck.

'Ten more minutes.' Fleck said. 'If they're not out, Ash and Quistis, you two go in and see what's happening.'

The teens nodded and all eyes moved back to the large, dark prison building.

-----------

They managed to make it the rest of the way down without too much trouble. Strangely, the guards had disappeared. The sight of Tai at last filled them with relief.

'Man, I'm glad to see you!' Costa exclaimed.

Tai glanced around nervously. 'Get out, quick. Locky's waiting to open the gate.'

'Wait, what about the others?' Rinoa asked. 'Have Irvine and Gen freed the girls? Did Vreya find Zane?'

'They're not down yet.' Tai replied. 'But I'll bet they will be very soon. Just go. Fleck will see you and signal his position. The vans are waiting. Get out before anyone else gets here!'

'We can't just leave without them…' Rinoa argued.

Squall took her arm however. 'They'll be fine, Rinoa. The more of us here, the more likely we are to run into more trouble. Let's go.'

'But Squall…'

Squall didn't give her a chance to argue. The group hurried out of the building and toward the gates. Locky jumped out of his seat at the sight of them.

'Finally! Where are the others?'

'They're coming.' Zell replied. 'Open the gate, dude.'

Locky nodded and did so. The group slipped out and Locky closed the gate again after them.

-----------

The guard was sore all over, bruised and cut. He was afraid by the things he had seen, unnatural, insane things. Lights and spiritual beings that made ice and other things come out of their hands. But his loyalty to his master was unquestionable. He knew that the prisoners could not be allowed to escape under any circumstances. So, with great effort, he dragged himself to the wall and with every last ounce of strength he possessed, pressed the emergency button that would initiate operation Giant.

'Where are all the guards?' The General demanded. He had been watching the escapees from camera they had failed to notice. They were clearly very powerful and they moved quickly.

He had thought the guards would take care of it but it seemed that the prisoners had taken out more than he had anticipated. He looked back at the four guards with him and at his nephew.

Richter raised an eyebrow. 'You're not going, uncle. Leave it to the emergency operation.'

'You can stay here and make sure what's on this camera gets to the master.' His uncle snapped at him and gestured to the other guards.

'Let's go and stop the group that's yet to reach the bottom. Move quickly!'

The guards, though afraid by what they had witnessed, nodded and rushed to the door and followed their commander out.

Richter's eyes fell to the screen, and he watched as the blond-haired young man knocked out yet another guard. Then his eyes slipped onto the beautiful slender brunette girl. He silently hoped she and her friends would escape. Then Lorne would finally authorise him to carry out his plan.

-----------

'Oh my God, finally!' Lila cried in relief as they safely reached the ground floor. Tai ushered them to the door.

'Get out, quick! Squall's group are already outside.'

'Is that all of us?' Sara asked.

'Just Seifer's group left, but they should be down any second.'

'Let's get out of here.' Selphie said and they moved to leave the building.

'Thank God.' Rica sighed, as Irvine's group passed safely through the gate and headed towards them.

'Only one group left now.' Fleck said.

Squall looked at the building, silently hoping the last few members would make it out just as easily.

-----------

'Haven't we knocked them all out yet?' Roxy whined.

'Let's just keep moving.' Seifer replied.

The four ran towards the stairs but just as they reached them, voices called across and they turned to find five more guards heading their way.

'Stop them at all costs!' One guard, dressed differently from the rest yelled.

The guards fired bullets and the four teenagers dropped to the floor, hiding behind the low wall that separated the two sides.

'Use the grenades, use the hand grenades!' The same guard yelled. Seifer guessed the man was their leader.

'Oh no.' Roxy said. 'They'll come around here at any moment!'

Vreya peered over the edge of the wall and then ducked as a bullet narrowly missed her.

'They're coming.' She confirmed. 'We have to think of something quick!'

Seifer scanned his mind for ideas, but it was difficult to think straight above the gunfire and the yelling.

'Hey, hey, what if we use Wind spells to blow them away!' Roxy's eyes lit up.

Seifer glanced at her. 'That…just might work.'

'Uh, you guys will have to use them though. I don't have any!'

'I have a few Aero and Tornado spells.' Vreya said to Seifer.

He nodded. 'I do too, use Aero.'

Vreya nodded and they both cast their spells. The magic hurtled towards its target and lifted two of the guards into the air. As they landed, their hand grenades exploded, sending blood splattering everywhere.

'Ew, gross!' Roxy cried.

The other guards were shaken but they fired madly in response. Their leader yelled at them to keep calm and not to waste bullets.

'Stop firing blindly! Stay together!'

'Here's our chance to go on the attack!' Seifer hissed and he jumped up and away from the barrier.

'Seifer!' Both Roxy and Vreya cried. Zane's eyes narrowed and he moved after the ex-knight, and together they charged at the guards.

Vreya jumped up, her heart racing. She had to make sure she deflected all bullets that were heading Seifer and Zane's way.

But they moved so fast that the guards missed. The leader spotted Roxy and aimed at her but Roxy quickly cast a Fire spell Vreya had given her and his aim faltered.

It didn't stop him from trying however. He took a hand grenade and threw it at the girls. Roxy screamed and threw herself to the one side and Vreya did the same. The grenade exploded and sent shards of metal everywhere. One sliced into Roxy's arm and the small girl howled in pain.

Vreya sat up dizzily and saw how badly Roxy's arm was bleeding. Zane and Seifer were still fighting with the other two guards, who were somewhat tougher than others they had encountered. They seemed to be better trained.

Vreya scrambled over to her friend who looked at her with wide eyes.

'I don't have Curaga…I don't…'

'Hold still!' Vreya replied. But as she raised her hand to heal Roxy, the click of a gun being loaded alerted her to a presence and she looked up right into the barrel of the leader's shotgun.

'Put your hands down.' He snarled.

Vreya swallowed and slowly did as she was told.

'If you move an inch, I'll kill you both.' The man threatened. Then he yelled to the others.

'You stop or I'll kill them!'

Seifer and Zane stopped and looked at where the leader held a shotgun at Roxy and Vreya.

'Shit.' Seifer swore.

The guards they had been struggling with grabbed their guns to aim at the two young men. But Zane moved quickly and disarmed the one closest to him and in the same movement aimed it at the leader, before he could even think of reacting.

Seifer took out the other guard and glared across at the man.

'Looks like your fun's over.'

'Drop the gun.' Zane said coldly.

'You shoot me, I shoot them.' The man sneered.

'Drop it!' Seifer held the other gun at him.

Vreya's mind raced. If only she could find the right moment to attack…but with Roxy in the way, it was risky.

'You think you can escape?' The leader demanded. 'We have it all on camera. You kids think you're so smart, but you missed a spot. Haha. The master will see this, he'll know your faces, and then it'll be all over. Even if you kill me now…you won't leave this prison alive. Something's waiting for you outside…call it a present from us.'

They had missed a camera? Vreya looked at Seifer, horrified.

'You're lying!' Seifer roared at him. 'Now drop it or I'll shoot you damn it!'

'Go ahead and I'll blow their pretty little heads off! You can't defeat the master, resistance is futile and…' He broke off suddenly and his eyes widened as pain flew through him. His hand pulled the trigger and Vreya screamed and her hands flew up instinctively. The bullet was reflected by an invisible force and it pierced the man instead, in his gut, the second bullet to hit him.

Zane slowly lowered his gun. He had fired the first bullet as the man had been speaking, right into his neck. The man slumped back to the floor, dead.

He had just killed a human, but he didn't think of it that way. Vreya had been in trouble and firing at the man had been the only way to protect both her and Roxy.

Vreya healed Roxy and helped the girl up, and they regrouped.

Seifer looked at Zane. 'Nice shot.'

Zane threw the gun to the floor. 'Let's get out of here.'

-----------

'Uncle!' Ricter grabbed onto the camera screen as his relative slumped to the floor, lifeless. His hazel eyes darted to the person who had fired the bullet. It was the young man with the light brown hair and green eyes.

Horror and pain at the loss stung him, and quickly turned into anger and hate. He should have gone with his uncle. He shouldn't have stayed behind.

_No…uncle…damn it! _He slammed a fist onto the control panel, outraged and stricken.

His uncle had always treated him roughly, but he had been family, the only family Richter had ever really known. His parents had abandoned him when he had been very young and his uncle had taken him in. Now that he was gone, Richter knew he was on his own.

His eyes, glazed with tears that wouldn't fall, rose in time to see the group of four head down the stairs. They narrowed and he vowed to get revenge on the boy who had killed his uncle.

And he vowed that there was no way he would let the last four prisoners leave the building, plan or no plan.

-----------

'Oh my God!' Lila cried at the sight of her friends. Then her eyes stopped on one in particular and she ran towards him. 'Oh my God, Ash!'

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug, though not as tightly, genuinely relieved to see that she and the others were alright.

'Are you okay?' He asked.

'I'm so relieved to see you!' She cried.

Sara smiled slightly at the sight of Lila clutching onto the object of her affections.

'Hey man.' Zell greeted Irvine.

Selphie grinned at Zell and launched herself at him.

'Zelly!' She exclaimed happily. He coughed playfully but smiled through it, happy to see his friend again.

'Are you alright?' Quistis looked them over. Irvine grinned at her.

'Hey, you were worried about me? I'm touched!'

She rolled her eyes in response.

'Come on, what's taking so long?' Fleck said.

Squall frowned. Perhaps he ought to go back and make sure Seifer and his group were alright. He glanced at Rinoa, who was talking to Sara and Rica. Then he caught Quistis's eye, and she raised a brow at him, and walked over.

'You're going back in aren't you?' She asked. Squall looked away, not liking the fact she had read him perfectly.

'I don't want Rinoa to come with me.' He replied at last.

'Alright. Let's just go when no-one's looking.'

'Let's?' He glanced at her. 'I'm going alone.'

'Of course, and I'm coming with you.'

'Quistis…'

'That's final, Squall. I've been standing back just watching thus far. Lead the way.'

-----------

Tai's heart was racing. If any other guard came down, he was in big trouble. He was out of ammo for his gun and around him were the fallen bodies of a number of guards who had come down demanding why the security at the gates was so poor.

He looked up at the sound of footsteps entering the building and his heart leapt. Then he saw the two figures were familiar and friends.

Squall spotted him and hurried over with Quistis behind him.

'Where's Seifer?' He demanded.

'I'm still waiting for them…'

'Get out of here and tell Locky to keep the gate open.' Squall instructed.

'What? I can't just…what about you two?'

'We'll wait.' Quistis replied. 'And if they're not back here in five minutes, we'll go and look for them.'

'Go.' Squall ordered again. Tai nodded, reluctantly, but relieved to leave his post at last. He ran out and left the building.

A few minutes later, Quistis and Squall heard footsteps from around the corner and moments later, Seifer appear at the bottom of the stairs.

'Hurry up!' He barked at the people behind him. Then he saw Squall and Quistis.

'What are you still doing here?' He said.

'Waiting for you…' Quistis replied. 'Is that all of you?'

'That's all of us.' Roxy nodded. 'Are the other guys out?'

Squall nodded. 'Let's go.'

They ran out of the building, and sure enough, found that Locky had left his booth and had left the gates open for them. They ran towards them, crossing the far distance quickly.

But as they neared it, the gates suddenly closed of their own accord and locked. The six teenagers slowed and Roxy frowned.

'Hey, that's not supposed to happen…huh?'

A new alarm went off, and they heard the sound of a heavy metal door creaking open. They turned and looked behind them, and out of the darkness, made out two, giant figures emerging. With every step they took, the ground rumbled and shook.

'What…what is that?' Vreya cried.

The giant dark silhouettes drew closer and closer, and finally a red light switched on, revealing them.

'Oh no…' Squall muttered. The figures were familiar, or at least, they looked like things he had previously encountered in his world.

'Iron Giants…' Quistis murmured, frowning. One Iron Giant on its own took a long time to beat, and even with the help of Guardian Forces, it was no easy task bringing them down.

Zane glanced at her. 'You know these things?'

'They look just like things we've fought before.' Quistis nodded.

'Well what are we waiting for?' Seifer demanded. 'Let's bring them down!'

Squall rolled his eyes. Obviously, Seifer had never fought one before.

They heard yelling and looked back to find Tai and Locky on the other side of the gates.

'Hey, what's going on, I left them open!' Locky exclaimed.

'Get out of there!' Tai yelled.

'We can't…they're locked!' Roxy screamed back.

'We're going to have to fight them.' Squall said. 'There's no other way.'

Vreya stepped back. They were so huge, and menacing. The swords they carried looked like they weighed a tonne.

Then suddenly, one of them spoke in a robotic voice.

'Prisoners must not be allowed to escape. Stop the prisoners. Kill the prisoners.'

'You want us?' Seifer taunted. 'Come and get us!'

'Uh…I don't think it's a good idea to make them mad…' Roxy said nervously.

'Kill the prisoners!' The other said, and then stepped forward and swiped down with its huge sword. The sword struck the floor, missing them all, but causing the ground to shake so hard, they all fell to their knees from the impact.

'You've fought them before, how to we beat them?' Zane looked at Squall.

'They attack physically…they don't use magic!' Squall replied.

'They carry important spells like Haste and Shell, make sure to stock up!' Quistis added.

'Physically?' Roxy swallowed. Just one hit from their sword would kill them all, surely.

'They're slow but it's hard to damage them because of their tough armour…draw and cast their Haste so you don't waste your own. Then cast Protect, we'll need it!' Quistis advised.

Vreya nodded and cast Triple. Then she drew Haste and cast it on herself, Roxy and Zane. Squall did the same for himself, Quistis and Irvine. They did the same with the Protect spells.

'Don't bother attacking it physically until the armour falls off! Use Thunder and Ice magic until then. Don't use Earth magic! Quistis, who has Doomtrain?' Squall asked.

'I do.' Seifer said. 'And I'm calling on it right now!'

'Because it only uses physical attacks, cast Blind to weaken its hit success rate and then we can work on wearing it down.' Quistis said.

Vreya wasted no time in casting Blind. The spell had no effect on either Iron Giant.

'Huh? You said Blind works!' Vreya glanced at Quistis.

'It should…' Quistis attempted to cast the spell, but once again it didn't work.

One of the Iron Giants raised its mighty arm and swiped at them again with the sword.

'Look out!' Squall yelled and the group scattered.

-----------

Fleck frowned as he saw the lights flashing in the direction of the gates.

'Tai, what the hell is going on there?' He yelled.

Locky and Tai ran back to the vans.

'The gates are locked. Seifer's group are trapped inside, fighting two of these huge…things!' Locky replied.

'What?' Rica exclaimed. 'You left the gates open…'

'I don't know how or who closed them.' Locky said.

'Trapped? What…?' Rinoa looked around and suddenly noticed Squall and Quistis were missing.

'Where are Squall and Quistis?' She asked.

'They went back for them…they're on the other side with them.' Tai replied.

Rinoa felt hurt. Why hadn't Squall told her he was going back? Why had Quistis gone with him and not her?

'Is there anyway we can open those gates?' Ash asked.

'No, they're solid steel you'd need dynamite or something.' Locky said.

'So what do we do?' Sara asked. 'We can't just stand here!'

'Don't panic. We have to stay focused. Maybe the gates will open once they defeat whatever it is they're fighting.' Fleck suggested.

'Maybe?' Lila said in disbelief. 'Maybe not! What are they fighting?'

'These…giant metal things with huge swords…' Tai replied.

Zell, Rinoa, Irvine and Selphie exchanged looks.

'Iron Giants!'

'The who what?' Costa asked.

'Iron Giants…that doesn't sound good.' Gen frowned.

'Yo, they need Quezacotl…I'm going over there!'

'They'll need Diablos too…' Rinoa said, and both she and Zell took off towards the gates.

'Hey…no…wait!' Fleck called after them. But the two teenagers didn't stop. He turned to the others.

'The rest of you stay here. We can't be causing a scene outside. We don't know who else is about!'

-----------

Squall cast Thundaga and the spell hit one of the Iron Giants. It didn't do much damage and the monster swiped down in retaliation. Again the teenagers were forced to scatter.

Seifer held out his hand. Doomtrain was finally ready. The GF materialised and rushed towards both enemies, running them over and weakening their defences. But their statuses did not change.

'I don't think these are the same kind of Iron Giants we've faced, Squall.' Quistis said to him. 'They don't seem to be susceptible to status changing magic.'

Squall's eyes narrowed. 'Then we bring them down the hard way.' He held out a hand and cast Meltdown. Roxy cast Thunder and Seifer cast Demi.

The Iron Giants appeared to get angry, because they both roared and rushed towards the teenagers, swinging with their blades.

'Watch out!' Seifer yelled, pushing Quistis to the side. Roxy yelped and threw herself out of the way just in time, but the edge of one of the blades managed to hit Squall, who was thrown back from the impact. Blue Protect magic sparked at the connection and lessened the damage done, but Squall still felt pain.

'Are you okay?' Vreya looked at him, and then cast Cura his way.

Zane hated not being able to cast magic. There was really nothing he could do to help. There was no reason for him to even be with the group.

_What am I doing here?_ He wondered. The others were all managing to get hits in, but he couldn't even use his sword.

'Zane, look out!' Vreya's yell snapped him out of his thoughts and he managed to dodge an attack at the last moment.

Quistis had summoned Leviathan. The water GF appeared and sent a tidal wave at the giants. They stood their ground however, and Roxy angrily cast Thunder spell after Thunder spell.

'C'mon, why isn't it working?' She cried.

Meanwhile, Zell and Rinoa had reached the other side of the gates.

'Whoa, they really are Iron Giants!' Zell exclaimed. 'Alright Quezacotl, let's make a storm baby!'

'Squall!' Rinoa yelled as loud as she could. Her knight heard her and glanced in her direction, gesturing frantically.

'Get away from the gates Rinoa!'

'Stand back!' She shouted back. 'Zell's calling Quezacotl!'

Moments later, the Thunder guardian appeared, and sent furious bolts of lightening at the monsters. As Quezacotl dematerialised, Vreya immediately followed up by summoning Krysta and the giants were assaulted with a freezing blizzard. Seifer cast Meteor and at last, one of the Iron Giant's armour cracked.

'Alright, let's hit him!'

Zane wasted no time in smacking the weakened Iron Giant in the shins. It roared and swung down at him with its sword but a well placed Thundaga spell from Quistis faltered its aim.

Then, suddenly, a red glow surrounded both giants and Squall cursed.

'Damn! They have their mighty guard up!'

'What does that mean?' Roxy asked, as she attacked the shins of the same Iron Giant with her elbow blades. But as she did so, blue Protect light sparked and she frowned.

'Huh? Who cast Protect on them?'

'They do it automatically…Roxy, get out of the way!' Quistis shouted at her. The small girl rushed back and Seifer frowned.

'We'll be here all day…we haven't even brought one down!'

Zell again summoned Quezacotl from behind the gates and again the GF attacked. Rinoa summoned Diablos also and the giant with the cracked armour fell to its knees, bringing its sword down as it did so. The sword struck Seifer and Roxy and they were sent flying back.

Quistis instantly healed them.

Squall narrowed his eyes, finally ready to summon his greatest weapon.

'Bahamut!'

The mighty GF King materialised and roared with fury, spreading his great wings and sending pillars of intense blue light at the giants. Zane watched, impressed. Vreya looked on with the same awe. Bahamut was a beautiful sight.

The Iron Giant on its knees let out a sound of anger and slumped forward to the floor. The teenagers jumped aside and as the monster slammed into the floor, the ground trembled and made them lose their balance. The other Iron Giant saw its opportunity and raised its sword to swipe across at all of them.

They were unprepared and the sword moved with surprising speed towards them.

'Look out!' Zell and Rinoa cried from the other side of the gates.

'Oh no, we're dead!' Roxy cried.

Vreya tried to sit up, to raise her arms to somehow protect them all, but she couldn't in time and the sword was swinging right towards her.

'Vreya!' Zane's voice came to her. 'Get out of the…what!' His tone suddenly changed to one of disbelief.

The night sky had changed in colour and was now an ominous grey-black. Rain began to fall heavily and the Iron Giant had frozen. It was as if time itself had come to a stand still.

It was then that they saw the monster had a huge split in the middle of the entire length of its body.

Seifer glanced at Quistis in shock.

_No way…he came…_The ex-knight thought.

The Iron Giant made a strange sound. Then it fell forward, its two severed sides falling to the left and right respectfully, its huge sword fell to the floor, once again shaking the ground. As the dust cleared, the teenagers sat up and looked in wonder and disbelief at the sight that now stood where the Iron Giants had been.

The figure on horseback slowly raised its head, a mighty sword gripped in his right hand.

Squall managed to stand up, his hair and clothes drenched from the rain, his mouth open, a stunned expression on his face.

'…O…Odin?' He whispered.

'You…you know this guy?' Roxy squeaked. 'That's a relief…we…we don't have to fight him right…did you see the way he just split that thing in half and…'

Quistis put a hand over her mouth and bowed her head respectfully. Seifer's head also lowered. He felt too ashamed to look at the great GF.

'Odin…' Squall said, and happiness started to mix with the shock of seeing the GF again. 'You…how…?'

The GF tilted his head back haughtily and pulled on the reigns of his impressive steed.

'When you are in need…I will aid you.' Was his simple reply. Then he vanished in a flash of light.

Vreya, Roxy and Zane looked at Squall, Seifer and Quistis, gob smacked by the power they had just witnessed.

From the other side of the gate, Zell was cheering madly.

'Oh yeah! Odin's back, Odin's back! Selphie, Irvine, Odin's back baby, Odin's back!' He ran away from the gate, yelling joyfully. Rinoa smiled happily as the gate unlocked of its own accord and the six teens exited.

'Squall, why didn't you tell me you were going back?' Rinoa asked.

Squall shook his head. 'I didn't want to put you in any more danger.'

'We always stick together, right? Don't ever do it again!' She censured.

They reached the vans at last and Lila grabbed Vreya in a tight hug.

'Thank God you're okay!'

'Is Odin really back?' Selphie cried excitedly. 'I can't believe it!'

'He just cut that giant like a knife through butter!' Roxy exclaimed.

'Heh, why'd you think we're so glad he's back?' Irvine grinned.

The reunions were cut short by Fleck.

'Hate to spoil the moment but we've caused enough damage here. Let's get going before our good fortune runs out!'

They all got into the vans and were soon on their way off.

In the van Fleck was driving, Lila yawned.

'I don't know about you guys, but spending a night in jail is enough excitement to last me the rest of the year!'

Roxy snuggled into Zell's arm, grinning. Zell grinned back, putting a friendly arm around her.

'My parents would kill me if they knew.' Sara laughed. 'Me, the star student, in jail. Story of the year!'

They laughed. With the exception of Vreya, who smiled, and Zane, who's eyes were fixed on her from the other side of the van. He could see the relief all over her face. She was relieved they had managed to escape in one piece.

But she had no idea how much he had had to cover up and lie for her. His eyes lowered, thinking about the terrible experience he had gone through.

'I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving.' Roxy piped up. 'Hey, Fleck? Can we stop at Mcdonalds and treat ourselves?'

'I don't know. It's late.' Fleck replied.

'Lighten up.' Rica said. 'They deserve it, and besides, they must be starving. I know I could use some food right now.'

'There's a Mcdonald's on the way.' Sara said. 'Take the right from the next junction.'

'Mcdonalds?' Irvine raised an eyebrow.

'Oh my God, they've never been to Mcdonalds!' Roxy grinned. 'We have to go! Zell, they have these huge, delicious burgers, you have to try it!'

'Even better than those hotdogs you have at home I bet.' Lila laughed.

'Hey, I'll be the judge of that!' Zell grinned.

Fleck smiled and shook his head. 'To Mcdonalds it is then.'

-----------

A few minutes later, the large group were packed in the restaurant, around four tables. They had spread the cost between them and were enjoying their meal of French fries, chicken and beef burgers, salads and cola flavoured drinks.

'This is really good.' Irvine admitted as he took a bite out of his burger. Selphie nodded her agreement, and Lila elbowed Zell playfully.

'So, better than hotdogs?'

Zell's mouth was full of burger and he grinned and managed:

'Comes a close…second!'

'Come on…' Ash laughed. 'Stop being so biased.'

Rinoa stole one of Costa's fries. He glared.

'No, those are my fries, no-one can have any, not even cute girls!'

Irvine laughed. 'Come on, you can't ever deny a cute girl.'

'You're terrible.' Vreya smiled at him, and took one of his fries.

'Quistis, try half of my burger!' Roxy cried. The blonde shook her head, having settled for a salad.

'No thank you, this is really quite enough…'

'Oh come on, you're not going to get many more chances, have some!' She shoved half of her burger at Quistis, who reluctantly accepted.

'Well…alright. Maybe a little.'

Roxy cheered.

The mentors smiled at the sight of the young people getting along so well. Fleck then noticed that one of them was missing and frowned.

'I'll be right back.' He told Rica, and made his way to the doors. He left the building and looked around the car park. Sure enough, standing alone against one of the pillars that supported the building, stood his charge, his face tilted up, watching the stars.

Fleck slowly walked towards him.

'Hey Zane. You haven't eaten.'

For a few moments, there was no response. At length, Zane replied:

'I'm not hungry.'

Fleck studied him. Something seemed…different about his charge. But he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

'Is everything alright? You know you can talk to me. Did something happen that I don't know about?' He asked.

Zane's eyes finally moved away from the night sky, to look at his mentor.

'Nothing you need to know about.'

Fleck sighed. 'Alright. Fine. I'll leave you alone. I'll save you some food…just in case you change your mind.'

'Don't bother.' Zane replied. Fleck rolled his eyes and then heard the doors behind him open. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Vreya. He blinked, and then glanced back at Zane.

'I'll…be going then.' He said, and went back to the doors, smiled at Vreya, and entered the building again.

Vreya looked at Zane. He didn't look back, but he knew she was there.

Vreya slowly walked closer to him, and stopped and leaned on the pillar next to his. For a few minutes neither of them spoke, just watched the stars.

But she finally broke the silence, looking at him.

'Back in the prison…what did you mean when you said you weren't sorry?'

Zane closed his eyes briefly. Maybe he should have gone back inside. Then he wouldn't be having this conversation now; anything but this, anything but her.

'Did…I want to know. Did he do that to you? Were you interrogated by him?'

Zane's eyes opened but remained fixed on the stars.

'Yes.' He said at length.

'What did he want to know?' Vreya asked.

Zane didn't answer at first. Then he said:

'Who The One is.'

'…I don't understand. You could have told him. You didn't need to suffer like that for me. He'll know soon enough now anyway. We missed some cameras. He'll see us all on tape.'

'Then at least I'll know it didn't come from my mouth.' Zane said flatly. 'Your friends already trust me little as it is. Not that I care. But it just goes to show, who's right and who's wrong.'

Vreya looked away.

'I trust you.' She said quietly.

He didn't reply. Vreya sighed and pushed herself away from the pillar.

'Well. Thank you for what you did. I'll make sure he pays for all the people he's hurt.'

Zane snorted scornfully.

'You have no idea what you're up against, Vreya.'

She looked at him again, surprised.

He finally looked at her.

'He's not human. And I can tell you there's no way you're ready to face him yet. And you can _trust me_ on that.'

Her head bowed, but she didn't reply. Then, without another word, she turned away and went back into the building. Zane's eyes turned back to the night sky and he found himself wondering, for the hundredth time, what role he was supposed to play.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_I hope that was okay! I wrote the last few bits suffering from flu so if it's not as good or has mistakes, forgive me. Mcdonalds is property of Mcdonalds and isn't owned by me obviously. Please leave your thoughts on this and I'll work on the next one soon. Thanks for all the great reviews of the last one and for reading this!_


	53. No More Mistakes

**Chapter LIII: No More Mistakes**

The glass containers were carefully lined up, in all shapes and sizes, full of different coloured liquids. The young man examined each one carefully, using his uncle's absence as an opportunity to take a closer look at things he was normally forbidden to touch.

What his uncle was planning and working on, he had little idea. All he knew was that everyday he would send him out to fetch some items from the market stools, strange and rare plant herbs and other ingredients.

He had collected the latest order and had returned to find the back wooden door of the stone hut open. The alchemy store his uncle owned was by no means unpopular. His uncle was a skilled man; it was his somewhat erratic personality that was another matter.

The sight of a crystal hanging on string caught Lorne's eye and he examined it. A pretty trinket and one a lady would very much like to possess.

He looked around. Surely his uncle would not notice it missing. But perhaps he ought to take something else, something less obvious. He walked around the wooden table and curiously looked up at the glass containers on the shelves placed on the wall.

He found nothing of interest, just labels of contents he didn't understand. Bored, he was about to turn away and see where his cousin was, when something again caught his eye.

It was a piece of purple velvet, a small pouch carefully wrapped and placed in a glass container that looked different to the others. His curiosity piqued again, he turned back to the shelf. It was on the top one, almost out of sight, as if it was not supposed to be seen.

Lorne dragged the nearby stool from the floor and stepped up to take the small item. He did so without managing to break anything or lose balance. Setting foot on ground again, he opened the glass lid and lifted the pouch out.

He carefully unwrapped the black string and shook the contents out and into his palm.

His eyes widened at the sight he saw. Three softly glowing white stones, each one tied to string, like a necklace.

He had never seen such stones. Their luminosity was fascinating and their beauty reminded him of another beauty.

A young woman fit to possess such a great treasure.

He stood, silently arguing whether his uncle would notice if he took one of the stones. Then he reasoned that surely his uncle would not notice if he took the smallest stone.

Surely he wouldn't. And besides…she was worth it.

He slipped the smallest stone into his pocket and carefully tied the black string around the small pouch, replacing it in the glass container. He then put the container back exactly the way he had found it, replaced the stool and quickly left the store.

It was a bright and magnificent day outside. The people were busy about their daily tasks and as it was still early morning, the market square was packed full of villagers stocking up on daily supplies.

Lorne saw many familiar faces. He was a handsome youth and so often found himself on the receiving end of many admiring glances from the young women of the village. But he could scarcely care for them. There was only one woman talented and beautiful enough worthy of his time.

He passed the market stalls, wondering where his uncle was. As he rounded the corner and headed towards the small lake, he slipped a hand into his pocket and felt the cool stone necklace he had taken. He suddenly began to have second thoughts on his decision and contemplated returning the stone. Lost in deep thought, he failed to see the figure that was heading towards him until they collided.

His head snapped up and he frowned out of instinct, but then his frown softened as his eyes set on the fair face of the very lady he had stolen the necklace for.

Valynne blinked, steadying the basket of flowers she held in her hand.

'Oh! Lorne…' She smiled and then averted her eyes, pushing back a strand of long silky hair behind her ear. Her eyes then moved back to him, twinkling in merriment.

'You know, you should look where you are going…'

He stared at her, having no idea how to reply. The corners of her soft, rosy pink lips stretched further up and she giggled in her breathy manner.

Finally he found his voice, his eyes lowering to look at the flower basket.

'Are those preparations for the ceremony to greet the new spring?'

'Yes.' She smiled and lifted one red flower and laced it into her hair expertly. 'It shall be a fine ceremony! You will come I hope?'

'Should I?' He asked, looking away.

'But of course! For you are my severest critic and I am determined to impress you with my singing and my dancing!'

The corners of his lips twitched but he managed to hide his amused smile. 'You have enough admirers Valynne.'

'True…' She pouted. 'But they mean nothing to me…those that I would wish to admire…think little of me.'

Her eyes moved to him and then shyly darted away. Finding nothing else to say, Lorne pulled out the necklace and held it out to her.

She looked at it, and then at him questioningly. 'What is this?'

'Something that would be of better use with you.'

Curiously, she balanced the basket on her slender hip and reached out and took the necklace. She gazed at the stone, and then her eyes widened in wonder as she saw it glow softly.

'Ah, I have never seen such a beautiful stone…what is it?'

'Its mystery is what makes it enchanting.' Lorne replied. He had no idea what it was, but he didn't want to admit it.

'You…you would wish me to have this?' She turned beautiful eyes at him.

He nodded. She smiled in delight and set the basket down and fastened the necklace around her neck. Then she pushed back her long, glorious hair and smiled at Lorne.

'Well, what say you of it? Does it suit me?'

'Like it was made for you.' He replied.

She smiled and touched the stone gently. 'Thank you Lorne…it's beautiful.' Her eyes moved to him and she seemed to consider, before suddenly stepping forward and placing a quick and light kiss on his cheek.

He froze, stunned, the smell of her sweet perfume overwhelming his thoughts and senses. A faint blush had touched her cheeks but she picked up the basket and without another word, continued on her way.

Lorne stood, trying to make sense of the various emotions that had been let loose from her small and simple action.

He did not see that some distance away, a young man stood, leaning against a tree. His deep green eyes followed after the figure of the slender girl and then moved to Lorne, narrowing as they fixed on the raven-haired youth.

Soren had seen everything.

* * *

'Hellooo!' The high pitched voice cut into her sleep, her sanctuary from the harshness of reality. 

Vreya groaned and pulled the soft blanket over her head. Her tormenter would not give up so easily however, and the warmth suddenly disappeared as the blanket was cruelly yanked from her.

'I said wake up sleeping sunshine…wake up!'

Vreya's eyes cracked open and rested on the cheerful, bright-eyed face of Selphie.

The petite brunette grinned at her success and ruffled Vreya's hair playfully.

'Rise and shine!'

Vreya disliked being dragged out of her sleep, especially when she had been having such a strange and interesting dream about Lorne and a young woman with long, silky hair she was sure she had dreamt of before. She decided she needed answers and had a mind of who to get those answers from. But for the moment, it was impossible to focus on anything and anyone else except for Selphie.

'Ugh…Selphie…I was dreaming…' Vreya complained.

'Oooh! Was he tall, light-haired, green-eyed and somebody we know?' Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

He had been tall, light-haired and green-eyed, but not who Selphie was referring to. Vreya glared.

Selphie giggled and Quistis's rational, soothing voice berated her. The young woman had just finished fixing her hair.

'Selphie, she's just woken up. Give her space.'

'Sorry Vreya.' Selphie winked, not looking the least bit like she was. Vreya rolled her eyes and finally sat up. Selphie giggled again, finding something very funny. Vreya stared at her and Quistis raised a fine brow.

'Selphie…'

'I'll go and see if the guys are up!' Selphie, always a ball of bouncy energy, raced out of the room.

'How can she be so hyper so early?' Vreya wondered to Quistis, who shrugged.

'I don't know how she does it. Most people would be exhausted but no, she never stops.'

Rinoa appeared at the doorway, dressed and the perfect picture of beauty, as ever. She smiled at Vreya.

'Morning sleepy!'

'Morning…' Vreya stifled a yawn. 'What time is it?'

'Nine thirty.' Quistis replied.

'Gee, why did you wake me up? We stayed out late last night.'

'Lazy!' Rinoa exclaimed. 'Come on! Fleck called us up for breakfast almost 10 minutes ago!'

'We'll go on ahead.' Quistis nodded. 'See you upstairs.'

* * *

After breakfast the mentors went into one room to have a meeting, and the teenagers set about busying themselves either by training or passing the time by other means. 

Quistis flicked through the thick book in her hand. It was entitled _The Greatest Moments of World History. _With everything that had been going on, she had hardly had any time to find out more about the Earth's different cultures and traditions, as well as its history. Since they had a little breathing space while the mentors decided on what the next best possible action was, she reasoned that it was as good a time as any to learn a few things. Rinoa and Selphie sat beside her, Selphie with a teenage magazine Roxy had brought in, and Rinoa was looking at it with her, giggling at the pictures of cute and significantly less cute boys.

Across the room in the large training area, Costa was firing wooden bullets while Irvine lazily sat back, throwing in a comment or two as he watched. Sara and Gen watched Costa and offered words of encouragement, though Sara's were more on the sarcastic side.

Squall sat on one of the mats, reading through a geography encyclopaedia. Like Quistis, he was curious about the many different countries of the world they were in. Zell, Lila, Ash and Roxy were in a heated discussion and Vreya rearranged some of the targets with Seifer's help.

'Hey Quisty, look at this!' Selphie giggled at the article she was reading.

'Hmm.' Quistis replied absentmindedly, without looking up from her book.

Rinoa peered at her friend. 'Hey what are you reading?'

'By the looks of that huge book, something boring I'll bet.' Seifer remarked as he and Vreya set up targets near to the girls.

'Is that the history book?' Vreya asked. 'That's such a dull read.'

'This magazine isn't!' Selphie exclaimed and she and Rinoa laughed.

'Actually I find it very informative.' Quistis defended. 'There are far more countries and continents in this world than there are in ours and subsequently, so much more history.'

'What's your world like?' Vreya asked.

'Full of mostly desert, water and grass.' Selphie replied. 'With the odd town here and there.'

'Aren't there many people?'

'There are too many!' Selphie cried. 'I don't know why they don't build more towns!'

'I think President Loire is starting a project to build more…' Quistis began.

'Yeah about time.' Seifer rolled his eyes.

'Be that as it may, I still miss home…' Rinoa's voice trailed off, and she hugged her knees to her chest.

Vreya smiled sympathetically.

'I think being stuck here is cool.' Selphie grinned. 'Look at all the great people we've met!'

Seifer muttered something inaudible and turned his attention back to Quistis.

'Are you planning to actually finish that entire book?'

Quistis shot him a look. 'I am planning to educate myself…'

'By reading all of that…?'

'As much as I can.'

Seifer gave her a look of disbelief.

She raised a brow.

'You never did pay attention to history classes, it makes sense the thought would horrify you.'

A small, sly smirk formed on Seifer's lips. Quistis blinked, clueless as to why he was smiling suddenly.

'There were more interesting things to focus on.' He remarked.

Selphie blinked, and then let out a huge 'wooooo!' that caught the attention of almost everyone in the room.

Rinoa giggled and Quistis blushed a light shade of pink. Seifer's smirk widened and then he turned away to collect the rest of the equipment from the other side of the room.

Vreya looked at Rinoa and Selphie in confusion.

'What?'

'Quistis used to teach history class.' Selphie cackled.

'Oh…' a smile played on Vreya's lips as she glanced at the flushed instructor.

'You're all very immature.' Quistis muttered, raising the heavy book as high as she could and pretending to lose herself in the contents. But deep within her heart was pounding at the sudden and unexpected compliment that had been paid to her.

* * *

His eyes stared in disbelief at what he saw on screen. The young people had disposed of all of the guards so easily. They were clearly skilled users of magic, and their fighting skills had improved greatly since the last video he had seen of them. 

He could take no more. Such failure was inexcusable.

'Turn it off.' Lorne ordered, through his teeth. One of the savages fumbled with the remote, and when he did not immediately turn the screen off, Lorne yelled in fury at him, standing up and slamming his hands on the desk.

'Turn it off now!'

'Y…yes Great One…it's just I…'

Richter stood deathly still in front of Lorne.

The savage was far too slow. Lorne growled and a moment later, a ball of blazing purple light was fired at the fumbling savage, and when it disappeared, the savage was no more.

The others swallowed in fear.

Lorne turned furious eyes onto Richter. 'I charged your uncle with the keeping of the prison. How could he fail! How could you let them escape! Are you all so worthless that a bunch of children can outwit you!'

Richter swallowed. He was full of rage and bitterness at the death of his uncle. He swore he would kill the green-eyed young man who was responsible.

'What happened?' Lorne demanded. Then, at Richter's silence, he angrily threw heavy books off the desk and they slammed onto the floor just in front of Richter. 'Answer me!'

Richter swallowed and slowly looked up. 'Master, my uncle told me to stay back and make sure the emergency plan was executed. I could…do nothing. I…watched him die on camera.'

'Your orders come from me!' Lorne snarled. 'And your pathetic uncle had it coming! Curses! If failure runs in your bloodline it would be better to dispose of you now! Worthless mongrels! It was a mistake bringing any of you here. Worthless, all worthless! Can you do nothing right?'

Richter said nothing, silently furious at the insults.

Lorne looked away, fuming. They were stronger than he had expected, and they would keep getting stronger. The ones that were more proficient in their battle skills were the ones teaching Earth's children how to improve. Lorne knew it. Already, the slender brunette girl's magical abilities were honing to the point of being unstoppable by most forces. Every time he saw her, suspicions filled his mind. She was a sorceress, and yet, there was more. There was only one way to make sure however, and that was to capture her and extract the truth from her. The problem was, getting to her was no easy task. There had to be a reason why she was so guarded. Even the stoic green-eyed youth, the stubborn fool who Lorne vowed to deliver a nasty end to, protected the girl with everything. He had even killed another human to stop harm coming to her. There had to be a reason.

_Could it be she is what I am searching for? _He had considered the likelihood that Vreya was in fact The One. There was no way to find out unless she was captured, or…

His eyes moved back to Richter. He remembered that the youth had had another plan, another way of finding out who The One was. But in order for it to work, Lorne would have to alter his appearance, as well as have a fake Earth stone made that would glow when Richter came close. Everything that could pass him off as a chosen one had to be taken into consideration.

His eyes narrowed. There was no other way, and things were becoming desperate. The more he stalled, the more time the enemy had to improve. He could not afford to take anymore chances. The rest of his soldiers were worthless and would easily be defeated. He would have to release a higher number of upper level monsters, and use another cunning way to get into the circle of the chosen ones.

Which meant that he had to trust his hopes in the hands of the young man who stood before him.

'Richter.' He hissed. The youth's eyes turned to him.

'You will go ahead with your plan. Just as you wanted. I will prepare the potion that will alter your appearance and will manage the rest of the preparations. You will leave tomorrow and you will bring me back The One. Do you understand me?'

Richter nodded, letting his face give nothing away of the satisfaction he felt of getting his way at last.

'If you fail, you will wish you had died with your miserable uncle.' Lorne glared. Then his eyes turned to the savage who stood behind the boy.

'Prepare the casting room!'

* * *

Something was ringing shrilly in his ear. Something was not letting him sleep. Angrily, he reached out and slammed the offending thing with pinpoint accuracy. It stopped. 

Zane cracked open an eye and winced at the bright sunlight that spilled in through the curtains. He had gotten back late last night, and after showering, had attempted to eat something. Failing at that, he had retired to bed, only he had hardly gotten any sleep. He couldn't. His experience the previous night had shaken him more than he liked to admit.

He twisted his neck and blinking through bleary eyes, glanced at the time.

It was 1.30pm.

He then noticed the answering machine's message button flashing red. He sat up slowly and rubbed at his eyes tiredly, before jabbing a finger at the button.

'You have 3 messages…' The automated female's voice stated. 'First message received today at 11am…'

There was a crackle, and Zane waited, but no message came. Then another crackle and the female voice said: 'To listen to the message again, press 1…'

_What message_…? Zane thought in irritation. _How stupid_. He deleted the message and waited to hear the next one.

'Second message, message received today at 11.05am…'

Another crackle, and then a familiar voice spoke:

'Hey kiddo. Sorry about that other message. I hope you're not asleep…the rest are all here, training. Get your ass down here as soon as you hear this.'

Zane frowned at Fleck's message and deleted it. Didn't the guy ever have a break?

'Third message, message received today at 1pm…'

'Zane, where the hell are you? I'll give you an hour to get here. If you're not, you train extra hard next time.'

As if he didn't anyway. Zane deleted Fleck's third message and sighed heavily. He really wasn't in the mood. He cursed his luck for being a chosen one to begin with and stood up. Just enough time to freshen up, change, grab something to eat, and then he had to leave.

He walked to the bathroom and washed his face with ice cold water. Immediately, he felt more awake. Then he brushed his teeth and walked back to his room to change.

Five minutes later, he made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he stared at the contents. Damn. He had to go shopping. He grabbed a carton of near finished orange juice and the last bagel left. A further 10 minutes later, he was clearing up and about to leave the kitchen, when he got the sudden strange feeling that he was being watched.

Slowly placing the glass on the rack, he dried his hands and looked back over his shoulder.

What he saw startled and surprised him, but he was quick to catch any looks of shock before they registered on his face.

Aurion stood at the doorway, his arms folded, his golden eyes fixed on Zane.

For some reason, Zane could never hold that gaze for too long. There was something about Aurion that made him feel immensely uncomfortable, but he had no idea what it was. Ever since he had first seen the Guardian King, the feeling that something was not quite right had lingered.

Turning to face him fully, Zane said, as flatly as he could, and making sure to look as if he was not intimidated:

'What are you doing here?'

Aurion's eyes narrowed in response.

'Perhaps you would like to address that very question to yourself.' Came the equally as cold reply.

'…' Zane frowned. He was in no mood for riddles. 'What?' He asked at length, annoyed. This was his home. What sort of stupid question was that?

'Tell me boy. Why do you not yet have an elemental to call your own?'

Zane did meet his gaze then. Folding his own arms, he replied sarcastically:

'Well I don't know. I was hoping as their King, you could tell me. Guess there's no chance of that then.'

Something flared in Aurion's eyes, and Zane immediately regretted his words.

_Shit…I shouldn't have said that…_He thought. Something told him he could not be sarcastic, should not be disrespectful to the figure that stood across the room.

'Or perhaps…' Aurion's voice lowered and became soft and dangerous in tone, '…you already know the answer, but are too blind to acknowledge it.'

'I don't know what the hell you're talking about.' Zane looked away. 'I'd love to stick around and chat, but I'm already late…'

'Yes. You are late.'

What? He agreed? Zane frowned again, turning his eyes back to the Guardian King.

'And with each day you pass blind, you put her in more and more danger. I had hoped you would open your eyes and see for yourself what you are doing, but it seems you are stubborn and blind and will not do so without any interference. Just like your father…who let everything slip from his grasp.'

Zane's eyes widened. He knew his father…?

'What…? You knew my father?'

Aurion's lips curved up into a slight sneer. 'So, now you are ready to listen? Foolish boy. Of course you remember nothing. You do not know why you are here, you do not know how it is you became.'

For some reason, Aurion's words were having an affect. The way the flame-haired Guardian King was looking at him made his stomach twist into knots, made his heart begin to pound.

'What…are you talking about?' Zane demanded hating the fact he was at a disadvantage.

'You have no right to ask any questions. But know this. You can try to run from your destiny, try to delay and prolong it, but you cannot hide from it. You cannot deny it. You were brought here for a purpose. I was not wrong about you. Open your eyes, Zane. Before it is too late.'

What on earth was he talking about? Zane was utterly baffled and stared blankly.

'I don't know what you're…'

'Of course not.' Aurion stepped back. 'But you will. Very soon. Trust your instincts, the way you always have.'

Zane opened his mouth to retort, but Aurion was gone before he could even form the first word. The young man was left to contemplate the meaning of the strange encounter alone.

* * *

'So what's the agreed plan now?' Jez demanded. 

The mentors were coming to the end of their meeting. They had spent 2 hours discussing the best possible course of action

'I guess we do more monster hunting.' Tai shrugged.

'Morgan, how much time do you think we have before Lorne finds out who The One is?' Rica asked.

'I believe he may already have a suspicion.' Morgan replied.

'Argh.' Fleck rubbed his forehead. 'It's because it's so obvious they're protecting Vreya.'

'Well how are we supposed to make it more subtle?' Locky raised a brow. 'Let her get hurt?'

'Even if we do, what she carried will repel bullets and everything anyway.' Harris pointed out. 'So really, it's just a matter of time…'

'Oh, thank you so much for your intelligent input.' Jez said through her teeth. Harris shrugged.

'I say we do the monster hunting.' Bo agreed. 'It'll give the tykes more practice and they need as much as time can give them.'

'What about Vreya?' Rica said.

'Well if we hid her, it'd be even more obvious.' Tai said.

'She needs to improve.' Morgan added. 'Battle is the only way she can even hope to be prepared.'

'That ends it then.' Jez stood up.

'Right.' Fleck nodded. 'We'll go monster hunting as soon as Zane gets here…if he's even coming.'

'Hey…' Bo coughed. 'I think you need to take it easy on him…'

Fleck laughed bitterly. 'Oh no. Trust me, I can't take it easy on him.'

'Why not?' Locky asked.

'Because Vreya still needs a knight and Zane is still refusing to agree.'

'So why don't we just get someone else to be her temporary knight?' Harris suggested.

'No.' Fleck shook his head, exchanging a look with Morgan, who nodded. Fleck looked back at the others.

'Trust me. I know Zane's the only one for the job. Think of it as…it's the reason why he's here.'

* * *

After leaving his motorbike outside, Zane entered the base and made his way to the training room. He found that everyone was indeed there, practicing or talking. The mentors were shouting instructions and no-one noticed as he slipped in, walking towards Fleck. 

No-one noticed, until Costa yelled out, that is.

'It looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake!'

He felt eyes turn onto him.

Zane gritted his teeth. Once saving the world was over, he would make sure he would give Costa's ass a good kicking.

But he ignored the Latino youth and reached Fleck.

Fleck stood with his arms folded and a displeased look on his face.

'I said be here by 2pm. It's now almost 3pm. Where have you been?' He demanded.

Zane had no answer. He just shrugged in response.

Fleck decided not to press the issue. 'Don't do it again. Forget training. We've been waiting for you.'

'For what?' Zane said.

'We're going to hunt down some monsters. Get your sword. We're leaving now.'

* * *

The potion was almost complete. Lorne had used the best knowledge he possessed to create it. He held up the phial that contained the black liquid, and narrowed his eyes. Richter was already a skilled wielder of the sword; he could even wield two at the same time. All that was needed now was a quick briefing of how to use the potion and all would be ready. 

Without looking up, he ordered:

'Summon Kane to me.'

_**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**_

_ZOMG! Finally an update. I am so sorry this took so long. Thanks so much for being so patient. I spli__t this chapter in half just to give you an update asap. It's been too long. The next one is well under way so it shouldn't take so long. Thanks so much for all the reviews and for sticking with this. I hope it was worth the wait. The action will be in the next chapter, where the gang will meet Richter. Thanks for reading!_


	54. Dive Into Battle

**Chapter LIV: Dive Into Battle**

He stared at the phial of dark liquid that he held in his hand, and doubts suddenly began to creep in.

Did he really have to change his appearance? Surely none of the Chosen Ones had seen him before. He had been careful to remain inconspicuous to any of their eyes.

On the other side of the brewing, bubbling, steaming black cauldron, Lorne regarded him with narrowed eyes.

He knew, of course, exactly what the boy was thinking.

'If I wanted to kill you, believe me, I would not choose poison as the means of doing so.' He said coldly.

Richter swallowed, determined to push aside his doubts. He had no choice but to trust in Lorne, just as Lorne was now forced to trust in him.

Even so, he wanted to know what he was getting himself into.

'How does it work?'

'The potion is potent.' The sorcerer replied. 'You do not drink it all. If you do, then yes, it shall kill you. You drink a quarter every 3 days to keep up the effects.'

'The effects?' Richter stared at the phial.

'Your eyes will change shade. They will turn to green.'

_Why green?_ Richter wondered, and again, Lorne read his mind.

'Because that green-eyed boy-Zane…' Lorne practically spat the name as if it were a disease. '…is important to Vreya. His lies of not knowing her and not caring for her did not fool me. Additionally…I believe you once overheard her saying she dreamt of a green-eyed stranger. And in light of the fact you desire revenge on the one who murdered your uncle…you can see how the pieces are falling together.'

Richter saw perfectly.

'However…' The raven-haired man added, 'Your priority is not to achieve revenge. It is to find out who The One is, and to lure them to me. There is something to that girl, and I cannot be sure of what it is unless you gain her trust and get the information from her.'

'It might take time.' Richter said.

'That is something you do not have.' Lorne snapped. 'A maximum of 5 days, no more.'

Five days? But that was impossible. It would take Vreya and her friends a week just to get used to him.

'10 days…I guarantee results if you give me the extra days.'

Lorne glared. 'Fool. The more time you waste, the stronger they will become.'

'But this potion will last me for 12 days, if I calculate correctly.' Richter dared to argue. 'The more time, the more convincing my act will be, and the more information I can send back to you. I know it will take them all time to trust me. Not just Vreya, but her friends and their trainers.'

Lorne looked away. The boy had a point, he hated to admit. Closing his eyes, he replied, through gritted teeth:

'Very well. However, if you do not succeed by the time the days are up…'

'I won't fail you, Master.' Richter replied.

Lorne's eyes opened and looked at the youth. 'You had better not.'

'Will it be only my eyes that will change?'

'No. Your hair shall, and your complexion shall be lighter.'

'What colour will my hair be?'

'I have fashioned your appearance to go hand in hand with the cover story you will give them. You are not of this world.'

Richter stared.

'Your hair shall be silver.'

'And…what is my cover story?'

'One that cannot fail provided you keep the phial hidden. Your mentor was killed by…my minions and you have been wandering in search of the other Chosen just as he instructed. The Chosen tend to band together, so the fact you finally find them is perfectly plausible. You were transported here from your home land…one of the 14 worlds of the universe existing parallel to Earth, Spira. You were sent to protect The One. That is your duty. Wear this.'

Lorne held up a small stone on a black leather string. 'It is an Earth stone. It will not react to you, but in the presence of the other Chosen, it will. They will think you are one of them, for their stones respond to all Earth stones. The fools thought I could not acquire one, and there are no more that can be acquired now. But I have been saving this one for centuries. Do not ever lose it. Do not allow any of them to take it from you.'

He tossed it to Richter, who caught it and immediately tied it securely around his neck.

'In addition, you will need to change your name. I leave that choice to you. Your weapons are waiting for you. Two steel blades that you are to wield at the same time. You must give the impression you are a skilled fighter, which should be no problem to you. A scenario will be set up, and you will kill a few of the lower level, disposable monsters. The Chosen will be there once they hear that humans are being attacked. You are to let them see you. The monsters all know who you are. They will attack you, but you will never be seriously wounded.'

That was a relief to Richter's ears.

'They will separate Vreya from the rest of the group, and you will see to defending her, indirectly. Pass her for long enough for her to get a glimpse of your eyes only, and the Earth stone. Then you will disappear, and a day later, appear at their base. Let one of them catch you spying…and you will give your story from there.'

It was a lot to digest, but it did sound like a remarkably brilliant plan.

'What about their guardians? Won't they know I am a fake?'

Lorne smirked. 'Oh no. They cannot interfere. The Guardian King will suspect. But he will not interfere. This will just be another test for them.'

'How will I get information back to you?'

'On the seventh night, when you are alone, a black raven will come to you. You are to slip a written account into its claws. If you still have no information by then, it will return on the tenth night.'

Richter nodded. 'Is there anything else I should know?'

'I suspect that since my useless subjects have failed to locate the ashes of the Phoenix, that the Chosen Ones may have already located and acquired them. You will bring the ashes to me. The potion will strip you of your dark magic ability and because you do not have a guardian, you will be unable to use any other form of magic. If you do not have dark magic, the Guardian King cannot prove that you are a subject of mine. Take your first drops now, before you leave. Your attire has been prepared and is waiting for you in the armoury.'

Richter nodded. He was still a little apprehensive, but Lorne had told him all he needed to know and there was nothing left but to carry out the plan.

'Ten days, Richter Kane.' Lorne hissed. 'Now get out of my sight.'

Richter bowed slightly. 'I will not fail you, Master.'

He turned and left the dark room. As the door slammed shut behind him, Lorne's eyes narrowed.

'We shall see…boy.'

* * *

'I've gotten a report in from Ortega that monsters have been sighted in this area.' Fleck pointed to the map.

Bo quickly glanced at it before returning his eyes to the road in front of them.

'South west? We've covered that range already!'

'Seems to be a monster hot-spot.' Fleck muttered in response.

In the back of the van, Roxy was singing the same song for the seventh time. Even Selphie, who was not familiar with it, was starting to sing along.

'Old Macdonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o!'

Zane, who sat at the end, wished Roxy would disappear to some remote farm in some remote area and take her singing there. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep from snapping completely.

'And on that farm he had a...' Roxy stopped and turned to Ash. 'Hey what animal haven't I done?'

'Haven't you done them all?' Ash raised his eyebrows. 'You've sung that so many times now.'

'I love it!' Roxy grinned at him. 'Give me an animal!'

'The only animal you haven't done must be an ant!' Lila cried.

'Oh! An ant!' Roxy exclaimed. 'C'mon Selphie! And on that farm he had some ants, e-i-e-i-oooooo!'

Selphie giggled and Zell rolled his eyes.

'Yo, that chick is just like Selphie. You'd think they're long-lost sisters.'

'Well it's a good thing they're not from the same planet.' Sara declared, and went back to filing her nails.

Roxy and Selphie sang a little more, when suddenly Roxy broke off and whined.

'Fleck, are we there yet? It's been ages!'

'Ten more minutes.' Fleck replied back to her. 'Actually Bo, is there a specific place we should stop do you think?'

'The city central? I have no clue, bud.' Bo shrugged.

Roxy huffed and continued with her song.

'And on that farm he had a chameleon…'

Zane glared at her. 'Who the hell keeps a chameleon on a farm?'

'Old Macdonald of course!' Roxy looked back at him and stuck out her tongue. 'D'uh!'

Zell clucked his tongue and Ash looked at Zane and shrugged helplessly.

'Roxy's famous for her great imagination…' He offered.

Zane rolled his eyes and went back to looking out the window. The sky was an ominous, dark grey, and it looked as if it would rain heavily at any moment.

In the van behind them, Jez rubbed her temples.

'You alright boss?' Harris asked her, glancing at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the road.

'Headache.' She muttered.

Seifer stared boredly out the window. Next to him, Quistis was reading a small geography guide. Vreya sat between Gen and Costa. Rinoa, Squall and Irvine had not joined the party and were back at base.

'How are you Vreya?' Gen looked at her.

'What?' Her head rose in surprise at the seemingly random question.

He smiled. 'Well it's been a while since I've asked how you are.'

She blinked and then smiled back. 'I could say the same to you.'

Costa put his arm around her casually. 'We're not seeing enough of you Bonita! My daily dosage of beauty isn't delivering!'

She laughed and poked him in his side. 'Come on, there are plenty other beautiful women in our party for you to gawk at.'

'True.' He grinned at her. 'But there's only one Bonita!'

Vreya smiled and looked back at Gen. 'I'm okay I guess. Besides the usual worries we have, I don't know what we're all supposed to do about school. And there's no news on TV these days! There're only random programs about wars and stuff and people are complaining, but no-one's doing anything about it.'

'Man, that asshole has control of the police force, TV and radio stations, everything!'

'You have to give him credit for the speed at which he's taken care of everything.' Quistis looked up from her book.

'He couldn't have done it without the help of humans here who are on his side.' Gen replied.

'Damned traitors the lot of them.' Costa muttered.

Vreya sighed. 'We haven't actually encountered normal people from our world who work for him though.'

'Not yet.' Seifer remarked, glancing at her. 'I'm sure as the action heats up, you'll see loads of them.'

'What about those savage whatevers?' Vreya pondered.

'They're from a world called 'never brush your teeth or wash yourself'.' Costa declared.

Vreya laughed despite herself. 'They are a little scruffy.'

'A little?' Costa blinked at her. 'Bonita, they make my old granddad look squeaky clean.'

They laughed at that, and then Harris announced they had arrived.

'Alright everyone, Fleck's come to a stop. Get your weapons ready and let's find out what's going on here.'

They parked and met up with Fleck's group.

'Are you sure we're even in the right place?' Jez demanded. She was in no mood to waste time.

Fleck looked around. They had parked in a street corner that looked rather deserted.

'It's too bad Ortega couldn't meet us here.' He said in response.

'You know, you've never actually told us what he and that woman do.' Sara said.

Bo glanced at her. 'They're sort of our look-out crew and report any strange goings-on. They're our version of secret undercover agents!'

'I'm sure I've told you that before…' Fleck frowned. Then he shrugged and said: 'Let's just get out on the main road and see what we can find.'

They found their way out of street they had parked in, and continued to weave in and out of other streets for a while. Finally, Sara called out to Fleck:

'Excuse me but…didn't the man even give you an address?'

'He only said that he had come here, seen that nobody was about, and when he'd asked some local residents why, they shook their heads and closed their doors in his face.' Fleck called back to her.

Roxy huffed. 'Well where is everyone anyways?'

'Man, it's like a ghost town.' Costa said.

'Ghost town, but where are the ghosts?' Jez muttered. They continued to walk, and as they did so, rain began to drizzle from the sky.

'Oh perfect!' Lila cried in dismay, putting her hands over her hair. 'The only thing we'll find here are bad hair days!'

'I love the rain!' Selphie cried, grabbed Roxy's arm and skipped forward happily.

_What don't you love?_ Zane, who walked at the back of the group, thought in exasperation. Selphie was always so cheerful and bubbly he was sure she had a medical condition.

Seifer, thinking along similar lines, rolled his eyes. 'That girl isn't normal.'

Quistis sighed. 'And you finally realised that after how long…?'

Gen smiled slightly. 'You know it's funny.' He said to Vreya, who walked beside him. 'Ever since I got Dragoone, I haven't minded water at all.'

'I thought you didn't mind it to begin with.' Vreya glanced at him.

'Well, I never really liked swimming before.' He admitted.

She smiled. 'Well it's great you've gotten over that fear now.'

'Yes, definitely.' He agreed.

'I can hear something. I think we're getting closer to the town central!' Fleck called back.

'How do you know?' Jez demanded. 'We might have covered towns around this region, but this place doesn't look familiar at all.'

He stopped suddenly as the loud sound of an explosion and a high pitched scream filled the air.

The rest of the group also came to a halt, and Harris looked at Fleck. 'I think you might have been right about us being close to the centre.'

'Someone's in trouble!' Roxy cried. Then more screams filled the air.

'No, my baby, don't hurt my baby!'

'What in God's name are you?'

'Call the police…argh!'

'A lot of people are in trouble…' Fleck said. 'Let's move!'

They hurried to the end of the alleyway and what they saw on the other side shocked them all. The large, spacious city central, with both sides of the streets lined with shops and tall, dark glass company buildings, was a complete wreck.

'Good God.' Sara whispered.

Civilians were scrambling and screaming about in a panic. Smoke rose from the remains of the broken remains of chairs and tables of cafes, and from the broken glass of shop windows. Still bodies littered the floor and the entire scene was one of chaos.

In the centre of it were grinning savages, and the same black shadowy goblin creatures that had attacked Vreya's parents. Her eyes widened.

'Those are the things that attacked my home!'

'Holy crap.' Costa exclaimed. 'There are like…20 of them at least!'

Seifer brandished Hyperion. 'If there were 100, let them come!' He charged forward, straight into the action.

'I guess that ruins the idea of thinking up a strategy…' Jez huffed.

'The strategy is to save these people!' Lila cried, and followed after Seifer. The rest of the group rushed after her.

The goblins noticed the movement of human life instantly and their eyes glowed red. They raised their arms and pointed with their weapons, and spoke in a language that sounded like gibberish to the ears of the humans.

They began to jump up and down and then they charged forward. The savages sneered. One of them caught hold of a human woman who had been trying to flee by her hair, and caught Gen's gaze.

'Too late human scum…' The savage leered, and swiftly drew his blade across the woman's neck, slitting it deeply. She screamed, then, choking on her own blood, fell to the floor as her captor released her. Gen stared in horror, and then retaliated with a Water spell. He sent it at the savage, who cackled and threw a dark energy ball back at him. The two spells collided and exploded.

'Gen!' Harris called. 'Don't waste spells! Just use your guardian!'

Seifer decapitated the head of one of the goblins, and kicked another away from a small child who was shrieking in fear.

Lila grabbed hold of the child, but as she did, another savage threw an energy ball at the little boy.

'Oh God!' Lila cried, and pushed the child out of the way, taking the full effects of the dark magic. She was thrown back, screaming.

Ash frowned and looked at the savage who had hurt her. Angrily, he summoned Aquila, and the thunder-bird screeched and unleashed a devastating attack which had grown more powerful as Ash's battle experience had increased. But the enemy had also become more powerful and resilient. The attack damaged the savages and the goblins, but they were still standing.

One of the goblins jumped up and down, and then pointed its spiked club at Ash. A burst of dark energy swirled from it and flew at Ash. Thinking quickly, he batted it with his sword and it flew back at the goblin.

Lila struggled up and crawled to the little boy who was on the floor, cowering.

'Where's your mother?' She winced, casting Cure to heal her wounds.

The boy sobbed and pointed to the woman who had been slaughtered by the savage.

Horror washed over Lila, and it mixed with anger. She picked the child up and set him under a table. 'Stay there, and don't move!' She ordered. Then she ran back to the battle and slammed a savage with a Tornado spell. When he fell, he laughed insanely.

'Ahaha! Your little spells are weak!' He rushed at her with a battle-axe and her eyes widened. She raised her arm and fired a shot from her crossbow. It pierced the savage's shoulder but did not stop him. But a sudden crack of a whip around his leg knocked him off balance and Sara tugged ruthlessly, dragging him back.

'Finish him off Lila!'

Lila didn't hesitate to aim an arrow right into the savage's head. It connected and he convulsed in pain. To make sure he was finished off, Zell cast Thundara. The savage fell still, fried to his core.

'Hey, they keep coming!' Selphie exclaimed. She and Costa had just finished off three goblins.

'Where are they coming from?' Quistis shouted over a sudden gust of harsh wind. The skies had darkened and it began to rain.

Zane turned to look in the direction of a wreck. He saw black silhouettes behind the smoke, and cautiously stepped forward, away from the rest of the group. The silhouettes had green eyes, and a new kind of enemy emerged. It was a lizard-like man, dressed with heavy armour and armed with a metal rod with a sharp point at the end of it. It pointed at Zane, and then five more of them emerged.

_What the hell is this_…? Zane thought, but didn't have much time to consider, as one of the lizard men raced towards him. His speed despite the armour caught Zane by surprise, but before the creature could reach him, something slammed into him. It was a shard from Vreya's projectile. Three more shards flew through the air and smacked into three of the other lizard men. Having had time bought for him, Zane ran forward and slashed into one of the creatures, at the space where its belly was exposed underneath the armour. The creature snarled and threw a green energy ball at Zane. It slammed into the boy and he was flung back from the unexpectedly strong force.

Roxy gasped and summoned Elyria. But the creatures were not silenced from her song, and Fleck waved his arms.

'They've become resistant; you have to try something else!'

Seifer blocked an attack with Hyperion from a savage directed at a male civilian and his wife. 'Get out of here!' He yelled at them. The centre was almost completely vacant of civilians now.

Zane got to his feet, glaring at the monster that had managed to floor him. Looking around for a way to get to it, he then realised something. Not only were more and more monsters appearing out of seemingly nowhere, most of them were heading in the direction Vreya was in.

He forgot about getting even with the lizard creature and stepped towards where Vreya and Roxy were firing off spells.

'Vreya…!' He began, when a snarl alerted him to the fact that the creature had not forgotten him.

Zane cursed and whirled, just in time to block a stab from the monster. He dodged a swipe from another of the creatures, but they were surrounding him.

'Yo, hang on man!' Zell yelled, and rushed forward, punching his way past three goblins. He directed a Firaga spell at the lizards, but they were unaffected.

'Shit, what are those?' Costa exclaimed, pointed towards the group that was surrounding Zane.

Vreya's head whipped around and her heart leapt as she saw just how many had cornered Zane.

'Zane!' She ran forward, but failed to notice the goblin that had been anticipating her move. She was tripped off her feet and Quistis rushed forward to aid her, but something wrapped around her legs and knocked her off balance.

'Ugh…' She looked up into the face of a new snake like creature that had appeared from nowhere. It hissed and drew its head back to strike.

'Quistis!' Seifer yelled. He ran forward and stabbed an intercepting savage angrily in the stomach. He got to Quistis and hacked at the snake, but it let go of Quistis and disappeared into the ground in a pool of black, ink like substance.

'This is insane!' Jez cried, looking at the scene. The place was swarming with monsters. It was like they all had known the Chosen would be here.

The snake rose from the ground behind Selphie, who shrieked and hit it with her weapon. It was struck but again disappeared into the ground.

The petite SeeD then summoned Ifrit and the damage he did was enormous. A few of the goblins fell, defeated. But the savaged still remained.

Seifer summoned DoomTrain and their defences were worn down, but still far too many monsters still stood.

'We need Bahamut!' The blond ex-knight said in frustration. 'Where the fuck is Squall when you need him!'

'These monsters have some kind of resistance spell on them!' Quistis snapped at him. 'Even one strike from Bahamut wouldn't kill them all!'

Seifer cast Dispel, but no barriers were removed. 'What resistance spell?' He glared at Quistis, who was shocked to be wrong.

'How could they have gotten so strong all of a sudden?' Gen shouted, while dragging a young girl away from the rubble and dust and pushing her towards the alleyway.

Nobody had an answer. Ash managed to kill another goblin and Roxy finally managed to get another savage down, with Zell's help.

Sara had come out of a shop, coughing, having found no survivors. She was greeted with a goblin, but she was so angry, one strike with her whip floored the already weakened creature.

Vreya fired a Holy spell at the lizards that surrounded Zane, and she finally got a result. The creatures writhed in pain and then turned away from Zane and rushed right at Vreya.

But Zane was not going to let them go so easily. He ran after them and swiped at their calves with his sword. They fell, the bottom half of their legs seriously wounded. They hissed, and tried to get back up, but Zane finished them off, one by one.

But as many as they killed, there were still more. Zane, having finished his kill, looked at Vreya, who relaxed slightly. No sooner had she done so, red light surrounded her, and pushed everyone else around her away. The same force sped towards Zane and threw him back, through a cracked shop window. It shattered.

Vreya screamed, not knowing what the force was. All her friends had been floored from it.

'What the hell was that?' Costa cried. 'Argh!'

Selphie cast Curaga on everyone and bounced back up, green eyes bright with anger.

'That's it, now I'm mad…huh?'

From the red circle that throbbed around Vreya, monsters rose. They were similar to the snake creature, but they had arms and legs and throbbed with red, pulsating light. Another circle of the same creatures materialised and headed towards the rest of the Chosen.

To the mentors, it was all too clear what was happening. Vreya was being segregated from the others.

'Vreya, they're trying to target you!' Jez screamed to her charge. 'Get out of there!'

Seven of the monsters surrounded the girl. She tried to keep an eye on all of them, but it was impossible. Her friends were battling to get to her, but too many monsters kept appearing and slowing them down.

Stumbling from the window which he had been sent through, Zane angrily wiped the blood away from his face and gripped his sword hilt tighter. Fighting dizziness, he once again cursed the fact he had no guardian. The only way he could be healed was if someone cast magic his away. The potions he carried had smashed in their containers from the impact of being sent through the window.

He was the only one who the monsters were not attacking. His mind scanned the possibilities of what he should do. But they found nothing. If he rushed in, he would be killed. He couldn't attack from a distance because he had no magic. And he was already injured. So he did the only thing he could. He yelled at the monsters, hoping to get their attention.

'Hey you hybrid freaks! I'm not down yet!'

Two of the creatures turned to him and crawled away from Vreya. She caught Zane's eye, and raised an arm to cast Curaga his way, but one of the creatures attacked at that moment. Acting quickly, she smacked it in the side of its head with her projectile weapon, then sent a wave of energy at all of the monsters. They were forced back, but not far enough. They closed in on her again.

The two that crawled towards Zane disappeared into the ground. Zane looked behind him and around him, not knowing where they were going to come out from. The last place he expected was from the air. Something crushingly heavy landed on him and knocked his sword from his hand. The creature leered up at him and Zane struggled to get free.

'Zane!' Vreya cried, and ran straight towards him, raising a hand and firing a Holy spell towards the monster. But the ones that surrounded her intercepted and took the blow. Her heart pounded in horror. Zane was already badly injured and the others were nowhere near him. If she didn't do something, he would be killed.

'Aurion!' She cried up to the skies, not knowing what else to do, and unable to find a split-second to summon her own guardians. 'Help him!'

'Vreya!' Lila screamed. 'They're getting to Vreya!'

'Shit, these monsters keep coming, it's like this was a trap all along!' Ash yelled, smacking another goblin away. They had never been in such a desperate situation.

* * *

High on the rooftops of one of the buildings, a figure cloaked in black stood. In his hands, were two twin blades. He had been watching the progress of the battle and now knew it was time to make his move at last. His green eyes fixed on the brunette girl who was surrounded by monsters. Lightening crackled in the dark sky and the wind howled.

Without hesitation, he pushed himself away from the roof and dove off the building.

**Angelheart's End of Chapter Ramble:**

_Ok cliff hanger and that's only half of what was originally an entire chapter, but to be honest with you guys, the other half isn't ready yet! Too much fighting and battle to do, so I had to stop it there to give you an update as fast as possible. Otherwise it would've been another week of waiting! Sorry for the huge delay, I've been having personal stuff to deal with as well as uni work! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try to update the next one as fast as I can. Thanks again for all the reviews of the last one. I hope this one doesn't disappoint! By the way yep I used the name Spira for a world because I couldn't think of another lol. And yep the last bit is inspired from Riku's Deep Dive from Kingdom Hearts 2! Lol!_


	55. Enigma: Part I

_Whee! A totally random update for a discontinued fic! How often does that happen eh? Assuming that people actually still wait for updates for this which is like sooo unlikely. Lol. Anyways as it's been so long, I'll have likely forgotten some picky details of the story which all you guys & girls will have to forgive me for. This update also does not mean that I've decided to finish the story. But I admit that I was just missing it (specifically Zane and Vreya interaction XD)) far too much, and I decided to type up the next chapter since it pretty much leads into the Zane/Vreya arc of the story. Who knows where it'll go from here? XD It's v. unlikely I'll get much else done as I've got 2 other fics that are priority over this but hey, enjoy the new content for now. Anyways, if any of my dear old readers do read this, I do hope you'll enjoy it : )_

**Chapter LV: Enigma – Part I**

The snake-like monster's leering face was a hideous sight to behold. The muscles in Zane's right arm screamed in protest and agony as he ignored his injuries and reached desperately for his sword. It was within his grasp, but it became all too apparent to him that he hadn't the time to retrieve it. The stench of the creature's breath made him want to gag, but he fought against the overpowering urge to cough and clear his lungs. It hissed and drew a heavy claw back, ready to deal the finishing blow.

At the last moment, Zane's fingers found a sharp, long shard of broken glass. They closed around the weapon tightly, and with the reflexes of a trained fighter he lifted his aching arm and stabbed up, straight into the monster's chest.

It let out a hiss of anguish, and in its rage again attempted to kill the human beneath it. But Zane didn't relent, stabbing and slashing at it again and again until he felt its weight above him lighten. The instant it did, he summoned all his remaining energy and shoved it off, backing away and grabbing hold of his sword again.

Panting as he regained his feet, his eyes darted away from the writhing creature and locked onto Vreya. She was still surrounded. His mind raced, trying to find some way, any way, to get some of the monsters away from her.

But he wasn't given long to formulate a plan. A hiss alerted him to two lizards that were standing, tilting their big, ugly heads almost mockingly at him.

He gripped his sword tightly, gritting his teeth in frustration. He braced himself, having only enough energy to either defend or attack; not both. As one of them stepped forward, Zane heard the sickening sound of bone cracking. The lizard let out a pained sound, faltered and fell. Its companion looked at Zane, confused, and then turned, only to be met with one end of Selphie's Strange Vision nunchuks. A few seconds later and the brunette girl had made short work of the foe.

Gen, who had accompanied her and knocked out the first lizard, looked visibly impressed. She sure was fast.

Selphie placed her weapon proudly on a tiny shoulder, pointing her fingers in a pistol-esque motion at the fallen bodies.

'Bang, bang, I shot you down!' She exclaimed, before turning bright green-eyes to Zane. 'Heeey! Sorry it took us so long, we had to wait for a good opportunity before we could slip by.'

Gen peered at him. 'Are you alright?'

Zane declined to respond.

Selphie examined his injuries with experienced eyes and winced. 'Ouch! You're pretty badly injured. C'mon, lemmie fix you up a little!'

The taller young man was not impressed as he allowed her to cast healing magic. How much longer would he have to keep relying on the magic of his team-mates? The battles were becoming harder and Zane was becoming increasingly irritated.

What was the point of being a Chosen child when he didn't have the same privileges the others selected by the planet had? Why would nobody give him the answers he sought?

Once Selphie had finished, he felt as good as new. She turned, and they looked back toward where the fight was still raging. The sky was an explosion of brilliant lights as GFs and Elementals materialised over and over again. But still the enemy came, as if replicating itself.

Quistis deposed of another goblin and watched as more rose up from the ground. She killed another, and watched Seifer destroy a fourth. It was then that realisation sunk in as her intelligent mind did the math.

'These monsters...they're coming out from the same spot the last one you kill sinks into!'

'Say what?' Zell asked, narrowly avoiding a lunging lizard-man as he tried to get in close enough to strike.

'The position they rise from is determined by the location the ones before them fall to; it's...like a trigger of some sort!' Quistis informed them.

'So you're saying that as long as we kill these freaks on ground...' Seifer began, as he parried a goblin's attack.

'They'll keep rising, yes!' Quistis nodded.

'Wait, wait, how is that even possible?!' Sara demanded, as she helped Roxy take out another monster. 'Are you saying they've all been...coded, or programmed, or something?'

'That's insane!' Costa exclaimed.

'No crazier than anything else we've come up against.' Ash said, eyes moving worriedly back to where Vreya was surrounded. He moved forward in an attempt to aid her again.

'So what now, guys?' Lila demanded, stepping back to catch her breath for a moment.

'You need a change in strategy!' Fleck yelled voice barely audible above the commotion.

'Vreya, help Vreya!' Jez was screaming and gesturing madly.

Roxy and Ash were trying to do just that, summoning spells and attacking the monsters that surrounded Vreya from a distance. But they kept re-materialising like the others.

'If I'm correct in my theory, they should only be able to regenerate provided the bodies of their fallen comrades touch the ground.' Quistis stated.

'So what're you saying, we kill them in the air or something?' Zell asked.

Quistis glanced at her friend.

'That's exactly what I'm saying.'

'Err...how are we supposed to do that exactly?' Lila questioned. 'Our wind spells don't last long enough for us to kill the things suspended in midair.'

'Use Tempest.' Quistis looked to the brunette. 'He can keep them locked in place can't he?'

Lila stared back incredulously. 'I...I don't know, can he?!'

Zell grinned, readying his fists for a fresh wave of fighting. 'Yo, I think you need to put a little more faith in your spiritual friends.'

Seifer was growing bored of the useless chatter and swiped at the air before him with Hyperion.

'C'mon! Let's wreak some havoc!'

'Lila, summon Tempest! We have to save our magic stocks, remember?' Ash called back to her.

'Ok, ok!' Lila nodded, and closed her eyes, focusing.

'Everybody, form a circle and make sure nothing interrupts the summoning!' Sara ordered.

Meanwhile, Gen, Zane and Selphie were trying to think of a way to help Vreya.

'Just charging in is out of the question.' Gen said, looking at Zane. Zane glanced back at him. What was the boy implying? That he was ready to just blindly jump in without considering the consequences?

'Just charging in would be stupid.' He retorted.

'Wait a minute, wait a minute guys!' Selphie jumped up and down excitedly. 'I think the others have a plan!'

Sure enough, Zell was gesturing for them to stay in place.

'What're they up to?' Gen wondered out loud.

'It better not be some dumb ass plan.' Zane muttered, placing a hand on his hip in premature exasperation.

Selphie blinked, and grinned at him. 'Wow, you really are more optimistic than Squall!'

Zane gave her his trademark 'whatever' look, which prompted her to giggle. He didn't know which was more annoying; her constant perkiness, or his inexplicable inability to actually form a steady dislike for the cheerful girl. Normally, people so happy and hyper irritated him. He looked away from her and back toward where Vreya was holding off a fresh circle of enemies.

She had held her ground well up to that point, but Zane could tell from the way her slender form was beginning to hang that she was starting to tire. And there were only so many times she could heal without rest. His eyes moved back to where the others had formed a circle around Lila.

'Hang on, Vreya!' Sara called out. 'We're coming!'

Tempest materialised and unleashed his element. Gen, Zane and Selphie watched, expecting the usual, but were surprised to see the elemental change his attack. As the monsters were sent flying into the air, he held them into place with carefully controlled, powerful wind energy.

'Payback time!' Seifer yelled, and an explosion of sparks and the clang of metal erupted in the air, as the others moved to finish the creatures off.

'Huh? Why're they finishing them off in mid-air?' Selphie asked, perplexed.

Her answer followed closely behind as Lorne's minions disappeared in a puff of thick, purple smoke which was blown into oblivion by the remaining wind.

'I was right.' Quistis breathed, as no further monsters rose from the ground to replace the ones slaughtered.

Gen nodded in understanding. 'They must've been linked to the ones coming out from the ground.'

'Quisty figured it out!' Selphie exclaimed. 'Woohoo! Way to go Quisty!'

Zane was already running forward, sword ready to hack at the monsters surrounding Vreya. On the other side, Zell, Seifer, Lila, Ash and Roxy were moving toward the same goal. As they all closed in a sudden, blinding white light forced all to shield their eyes. The ground rumbled and shook. They were all forced to stop.

When the blinding illumination subsided, they were shocked at what they saw.

Many more monsters had materialised; new creations they had yet to encounter.

'Shit!' Seifer cursed, instantly recognising some of the hideous creatures.

'The hell?!' Zell yelled. 'Ochus and Cockatrices?!'

'Forbiddens and Death Claws?!' Selphie screeched.

'Status-changing enemies!' Quistis exclaimed, thinking it was no mere coincidence that they had all appeared together.

But the greatest horror was still approaching. Vreya found her feet, sensing a terrible presence behind her as the ground shook.

She whirled – just in time to see an enormous red dragon thundering toward her, wings flaring at its side, eyes a malicious, dark crimson. Its roar was devastating and she stood, frozen in shock and horror.

'A Ruby Dragon-!' Selphie was gob smacked, her smile completely wiped from her face.

Her friends were obstructed by the new, more powerful enemies. Assisting Vreya was now an even harder task than it had been before, especially with the new addition of the menacing, fire-breathing dragon.

'Oh shit, SHIT! Vreya, look out!' Costa shouted frantically.

Lila, Sara and Roxy screamed in terror.

Ruby Dragon lunged – Seifer, Ash and Zane did the same – but the momentum from its weight meant that it was propelled forward faster than the human boys. Vreya raised her arms, mind blank, ready to cast any spell in defence, but the glint of a spinning blade broke her concentration. It sliced into the front of the dragon, and another followed. The Dragon released an angry roar, setting a mighty foot down to stop itself in its movement and turn to address the new threat.

Seifer, Ash and Zane, who had all fallen short of their target, stared from their positions on the cracked ground, as a figure in a dark, hooded cloak slashed at the dragon with a speed and agility that was undeniably impressive. The stranger's movements were a near blur to the untrained eye.

Quistis looked away, back at Zell, Lila, Roxy, Sara and Costa.

'The Ruby Dragon is being taken care of, let's clean this up!'

'Who is that?' Lila asked, jaw hanging. She couldn't see much from where she stood – just a flash of dark clothing and twin steel blades.

Sara just shook her head. A stroke of luck had saved them. Gen rejoined them, looking stunned.

'Did you guys see that?'

'Where the hell did this show-off come from?' Costa demanded.

'Whoa, I dunno, but I'm betting they're on our side!' Roxy said excitedly, and with renewed vigour she faced the new enemies.

'These are monsters from our world, so listen up!' Zell stated.

As he and Quistis guided the Fated Children with battle strategies, Ash, Seifer and Zane were on their feet, watching as a complete unknown took on a hulking mass of a monster. They had reached Vreya, who was staring at the fight ahead of them with wide eyes.

'We've gotta help.' Ash said at length.

'Hey, how do we know if this tough guy is on our side?' Seifer challenged, echoing Zane's exact thoughts.

'Why else would he or she stop the dragon?' Ash replied.

'Where did he or she come from?' Zane backed Seifer.

Ash looked at them, and shook his head. 'So what, we don't know who it is, we just wait for them to die to find out? That's pretty stupid guys.'

Both Seifer and Zane glared at him.

'Shut your mouth.' The blond ex-knight retorted. 'I say if they're so keen to take it on alone, they can go ahead. Saviours don't just randomly show up.'

Zane silently agreed. But Vreya turned to him, and met his eyes.

'Yes they do.'

Zane stared at her blankly, before realising that she was referring to his saving her from the bikers, the first time they had met. He averted his eyes, annoyed that he didn't have a counter-argument to offer on the spot.

Ash looked between them, confused. Seifer huffed impatiently, deciding he preferred action to letting someone take the glory, even if it was a stranger.

'Fine, ok, own the dragon then pull the mask off. Let's move, kids!'

As he and Ash moved forward, Vreya made to do so also, but Zane turned back to her.

'Not you.' He instructed, and turned and followed the others before she could protest.

So she stood, between where two sets of battles were being waged. Behind her, Quistis, Costa, Roxy and Gen had teamed up to take on one group of monsters, and Selphie, Zell, Sara and Lila another. Ahead of her, she watched as Seifer, Ash and Zane joined in the dragon slaying fray.

She tried to keep her eyes on the cloaked figure, but it was difficult to track them. Their movements were so swift and graceful, twisting, turning, hurtling a blade up and catching the other, all the while avoiding danger.

Seifer, Zane and Ash were trying to get closer to the stranger, trying to glimpse beneath the mask – to no avail. The Ruby Dragon clawed at them, forcing them to disperse before letting out a great breath of fire.

'The dragon's almost finished!' Seifer called to the others. 'Two more strikes and it'll be out – but watch out for the final breath of fire!'

'Got it!' Ash replied, moving in to strike again. But the stranger's blade hacked once, and as he fell through mid-air he recaptured the first blade and hurtled it toward the dragon's abdomen again. It scored four consecutive slashes. The dragon roared in pain and fury, faltering and taking a deep inhalation of air.

'Look out!' Seifer warned, as Ruby Dragon exhaled a devastating stream of molten fire; its final, dying attack before it disintegrated in an explosion of bright light. Zane and Ash scattered, barely avoiding the scorching flames.

The rays blinded Vreya, and she felt the heat carried along a great gust of wind even as far back as she was standing. She shielded her face with her arms, and squinted, struggling to see clearly. A blur to her right caught her attention, and she lowered her arms marginally, ready to fire a round from her projectile weapon.

It was then that she realised the cloaked figure was heading straight toward her at breathtaking speed. She faltered, indecisively, uncertain of what to do; the enigma had helped to slay the dragon but even so – were they friend or foe?

They were rapidly incoming, and she dizzily noticed that the twin blades in the stranger's gloved hands were pointed away from her. If the person had any intention of attacking, they would be pointing toward her.

But when the person suddenly raised their left arm, alarm filled her.

'Vreya, look out!' Ash's voice came to her above the sound of rushing wind.

The stranger tossed their blade and it hurtled toward Vreya. Something, instinct, told her to stand her ground. The sword spun through the air, curving around her in an arc at the last moment. She heard snarls and hisses behind her, and turned to find four enemies that had been creeping up on her, slain.

As the blade tore through the last enemy, it curved around Vreya again and returned to its master's hand. The individual caught it with a professionalism that was impressive.

Vreya was dazzled by the display of sheer skill. Who could the stranger be?

As the robed figure reached Vreya, it seemed to marginally slow down. As it came close by her right side, she struggled to see the stranger's face.

Her eyes widened at what she witnessed next.

The individual's head turned to the right; a slight fraction toward her. The face was cast by shadow from the hood, but the light from the magical battle taking place behind them was a source of illumination which cast a golden glow to the right side of the stranger's face, which was concealed to just above the tip of their nose.

Vreya's breath hitched in her throat as she caught a glimpse of stray strands of impossibly silver hair – and green, green eyes.

A boy.

The green eyes framed by long dark lashes which sharply contrasted with the silver strands, widened marginally on meeting her gaze. Then he had passed her, and was gone.

She stood, stunned, not quite certain of what she had just seen.

Behind her, the robed figure finished off three more enemies, as Quistis and the others deposed of the rest.

As the smoke cleared, and no more enemies materialised, the mentors ran to the teenagers.

'What the hell happened in there?!' Jez demanded.

'Phew that sure was tough.' Bo said, rubbing the back of his neck stressfully.

Roxy, Lila and Sara were looking around frantically.

'Where'd they go?' Roxy exclaimed. 'The cloaked person?'

'Who was that?' Sara questioned, turning her eyes to Fleck, who shook his head.

'I...really don't know.'

'Are you kidding?' Costa said incredulously, clutching his left arm. 'If that's someone who's on our side then why the hell don't you know who it is?'

'Because to our knowledge there isn't anybody else!' Harris replied.

'It seems you may be wrong.' Quistis remarked.

Selphie nodded, big eyes blinking pointedly.

'That person saved Vreya.' Gen stated.

'I don't get why they just disappeared.' Lila frowned, as she helped heal Costa's arm.

Jez shook her head.

'We'll have to ask Morgan. There's little we can do if Mr. Hero just vanishes into thin air!'

'Did any of you guys get a glimpse of this person's face?' Bo asked.

They all shook their heads.

'We'll figure this out later.' Fleck said, and looked to his far left. 'Vreya! Seifer, Ash, Zane! Let's regroup and move out!'

'We couldn't save all the people.' Lila remarked miserably. 'I guess that means we failed.'

'No.' Harris replied. 'There're always going to be losses. The aim is to save as many lives as possible.'

'If you hadn't shown up, many more people would have died.' Fleck agreed. 'You did a good job – good teamwork and good strategy. You're definitely getting better and faster at dealing with enemies.'

Despite the supportive words, the town was a ruin. All humans had abandoned the location, save for the unfortunate victims of the monsters. Roxy looked away from the bloody, mutilated bodies, tears forming in her eyes.

'This...this is so awful guys...' She whispered. Zell put a sympathetic arm around her.

Sara shook her head angrily. 'The cops and emergency services aren't even here. How useless are they?'

'Remember who's controlling the majority of them now.' Jez reminded her.

'We've healed and saved everybody we could.' Harris said. 'That's the most important thing.'

Seifer, Ash and Zane reached Vreya, who was still standing in the same location. Zane and Seifer silently passed her, but Ash stopped by her side.

'Vreya?'

She slowly looked up at him, meeting his cool blue eyes, which reflected concern.

'You ok?'

'Yeah I...' Her voice trailed off, before she affirmed, 'I'm fine.'

At the unconvinced look on Ash's face, she insisted, 'Really.' and gave him a smile for good measure. Then she surprised him by linking her left arm through his right one.

He was pleased that she felt she could seek comfort from him; but he was more surprised to realise he wasn't pleased in the way he imagined he would have been months earlier.

They walked back to the others and Jez scolded her charge as Ash left her side.

'You were standing like a deer caught in headlights! Those monsters were right behind you and if that stranger hadn't flung their sword-'

'Oh here we go, always criticising.' Sara snapped. 'She held off a lot of monsters on her own.'

'She bought us time to execute our plan.' Gen defended.

'Yeah, give her a break, seriously.' Costa frowned.

'No! These are novice mistakes and she – and all of you in fact, can't afford to make those kinds of errors anymore!'

'We'll talk to them.' Fleck said, giving Jez a look which told her to drop it. Seeing Vreya down in spirits, he walked over to her and put an arm around her.

'You did well Vreya. Those were a lot of monsters to hold off alone.'

'But...the people...'

'You can't save everybody.' Seifer stated flatly, surprising Selphie, Zell and Quistis with his uncharacteristic attempt to be comforting.

Selphie stepped in next, taking over from Fleck and throwing an arm around Vreya.

'It'll get better Vreya! You'll get better! We'll all get better together! And you'll see, more and more lives will be saved. Now that's worth fighting for!'

'Hell yeah.' Zell grinned, pulling a goofy face.

Seifer snorted. 'Chicken-wuss.' He muttered.

'Say what, Seifer?!'

Quistis sighed heavily.

Vreya smiled faintly at their kind attempts to cheer her up.

'Ok, back to the vans.' Fleck ordered. 'We've done all we can here.'

* * *

From his carefully concealed position, Richter watched as the vans pulled out. Everything had gone according to plan and he thought he had pulled off a convincing job. More importantly, he had succeeded in catching the eyes of the girl, and he could tell that she had been instantly troubled by the encounter. All he had to do now was to wait until sunset, when he would make his way to their base.

He looked at the small electronic tracking device in his right hand, which highlighted the location of both vans. A small smile curved his lips. This was proving to be almost too easy.

* * *

Back at base, the mentors filled Morgan in on all the details of the battle and the teenagers were given some time off to rest.

'Yo, Squall, Rin, Irvine.' Zell greeted his friends. 'S'up.'

'Hey, guys.' Rinoa replied. 'How'd it go?'

'The toughest battle we've had yet.' Quistis replied.

'The monsters wouldn't stop coming!' Selphie gestured dramatically and Irvine reached over and snagged her from behind, causing her to squeal.

'What happened?' Squall asked, looking up from the scrap weapons pile he, Rinoa and Irvine had been asked to sift through by Locky, Tai and Rica.

'Monsters, shit-loads of them.' Seifer replied, waving a hand dismissively. 'Nothing I couldn't handle.'

'Tch, as if you took them all on alone.' Zell retorted.

'Actually a stranger came to our assistance.' Quistis explained.

'A stranger? Did you find out who it was?' Rinoa asked.

She shook her head. 'I'm afraid not. They were cloaked.'

'Too bad, coz he sure was handy.' Zell exclaimed.

'Maybe he wasn't a he.' Quistis said.

'He fought like a guy.' Seifer replied.

'Sexist!' Both Rinoa and Selphie stuck out their tongues.

'Whatever...' Squall shook his head. 'Do you have any leads to find this person?'

'They just randomly appeared on the scene. I'm guessing we just keep an eye out next time we're on the battlefield.' Quistis shrugged.

'Oh, Squall! We fought Ochus, Cockatrices, Forbiddens and Death Claws!' Selphie informed him.

'Blast from the past, much?' Irvine commented.

Squall looked at Selphie intently. 'What else?' He asked.

'A Ruby Dragon.' Quistis, Seifer, Zell and Selphie said in unison.

'Huh?' Irvine exclaimed. 'Are you serious?'

'That can't be good.' Rinoa bit her lower lip, and glanced at her knight. 'That means the bigger monsters are gonna start appearing, right?'

Squall was frowning lightly at the news. The bigger monsters from their world were very tough to beat. The Chosen children from Earth had to be absolutely prepared to face up to the challenge.

'They've got nothing to worry about we're familiar with all those circus freaks.' Seifer bragged.

'Right! Irvy, we've got some time off. Let's go bowling!' Selphie said, grabbing her boyfriend's hand.

'Go what?'

'Bowling! It's a sport the people play here! Costa says he should be able to find an abandoned bowling parlour somewhere.'

'Isn't that uh...immoral?' Zell asked.

'Who's gonna catch us, chicken? The corrupt cops?' Seifer rolled his eyes.

'Shut your mouth Seifer! At least I have a conscience!'

Quistis put a hand to her forehead in dismay. Zell just couldn't keep his big mouth shut. But Seifer took it surprisingly well, simply snorted, stated he was going to unwind, and left the room.

Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and a muttering Zell followed after him, leaving Squall and Rinoa alone. After a few more minutes of sifting through the metal, Rinoa huffed loudly.

'Geez Squall, this sure is boring.'

'...' Squall was staring intently at the remains of an old sword. Maybe something could be salvaged from it.

Rinoa frowned and shifted in her position on the floor beside him. He wasn't paying her his full attention. She had to change that. Reaching out, she plucked the piece from Squall's hand and threw it back onto the scraps pile.

'Boring!' She stated again.

Squall gave her a look. 'Rinoa. They asked us to go through this.'

'We have! We've sorted out that big pile there! That's enough for now, right?!'

Squall looked back at the unsorted pile. Rinoa leaned over and reached out, turning his face back to look at her.

'Is that lump of junk more interesting than I am?' She pouted, stroking his cheek. He rolled his eyes.

'So what do you want to do?' He asked.

She looked up at him innocently, but a small, mischievous smile played on her soft pink lips.

'Bowling.'

* * *

'Bonita, we're going bowling.' Costa said to Vreya. 'Coming?'

'Costa's desperately trying to maintain an ounce of normality in our lives.' Sara remarked.

'What a lost cause, man.' Ash shook his head. 'We're bound to encounter monsters.'

'Fleck and the others said it'll be good practice for us to go out on our own.' Costa argued.

'Yeah, let's go bowl!' Zell exclaimed. 'C'mon man!'

'You're only going because you heard hot dogs might be on the menu.' Lila pointed out.

'Eheh heh...no, no that's not it, I'm a keen sports player!'

Selphie sniggered at that. 'Yah right Zell!'

'Well I'm going to win so move your lazy behinds!' Seifer roared from the doorway.

'How about it Vreya?' Ash asked.

'No thanks.' Vreya replied.

'Oh c'mon, don't be a spoil sport!' Roxy pouted. 'We're all going.'

'Asides from 'I'm Such a Boring Ice-Cube', obviously.' Costa muttered.

'Thanks guys, but there's something I need to talk to Morgan about that really can't wait. Umm...when I finish, I'll catch up to you, ok?'

'Do you promise?' Lila gave her a stern look.

She smiled. 'Sure.'

'Make sure you bring one of the others with you.' Squall told her, and she was touched by his consideration.

'I will. Thanks.'

'Well, suit yourself.' Sara shrugged. 'Gen, let's go.'

'Coming. We taking the van?'

'Yeah. Fleck's said we can use one.' Ash replied. 'It'll be cramped though.'

'Oh, oh girls will sit in laps!' Roxy giggled with Selphie.

'See you later, Vreya.' Rinoa called.

'I'll call you if you're not there in an hour!' Lila told her, and they all left the room, clattering up the stairs and piling out of the base. A minute later, she heard the van outside start up. It was terribly quiet without the rest of them, and the place instantly felt lonely and empty. She sighed, and turned, leaving the room. Making her way down a level to where she knew the mentors were having their meeting, she approached the door and was about to knock, but her hand froze when she heard muffled fragments of the conversation that was taking place inside.

'...needs a knight, and fast.'

'...have a lot more confident in her skills and abilities if she did.'

'...She needs to focus more.'

'...doesn't teach her to be independent.'

Her hand dropped.

'...split up and keep her within a small team.'

'...and maybe if we keep them together, he'll agree.'

She turned away, only to find Zane leaning against the doorway which had been empty just moments earlier. His arms were folded and his eyes were on her.

'They just don't get it.' He stated, and she instantly knew that he was referring to the subject of being her knight.

She didn't reply, averting her gaze. Her thoughts moved to the green-eyed stranger who had saved her life earlier in the day. She had been so convinced that Zane had been the one in her dream. But now, after her unexpected encounter, she didn't know what to think. The way the stranger's eyes had widened had suggested some form of recognition. She was confused and until she saw the stranger again she couldn't clear up her confusion.

The sound of footsteps walking toward her caused her to snap out of her thoughts and she raised her head to find that Zane was now standing before her.

For a moment, he simply searched her face with his eyes. Something didn't seem right about her; ever since they had returned from the battle, she had kept uncharacteristically to herself. He was suspicious that it could relate to the mysterious cloaked figure, but she didn't seem willing to talk.

His eyes met hers and when she couldn't hold his, he knew she was hiding something.

'What?' He asked at length.

The irony struck her as almost amusing. Here she was, beginning to have doubts about Zane being the green-eyed boy from her dream after one random encounter with a complete stranger – and here he was, reading her like a book. He always seemed to know when she was concealing something.

Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Perhaps she had imagined it. Perhaps it was meaningless. But it was the look the stranger had given her that was troubling her. She considered telling Zane. Then in a moment of bravery, she took the plunge.

Taking a deep breath, she began,

'The...dreams the planet sent us...'

There was a pregnant pause.

'What about them.'

She tried to ignore the disinterested and clipped tone to his statement. Why was he so protective of her in battle and so uncaring and blunt away from it? Was that really all he viewed her as – just the One, and not an individual with feelings? She didn't have the strength to deny that it upset her deeply, for reasons she didn't fully understand; reasons she didn't _want_ to admit.

She was frightened to admit it, because to feel for someone like Zane was a lost cause, one that would bring her only pain and misery, despite everything Rinoa had told her about people's abilities to change. Zane wouldn't change, because he couldn't. Not unless something Earth shattering happened – and even in the midst of their world breaking, he still stubbornly stood by his own, selfish principles.

She almost gave up. She was almost ready to just step around him and tell him it was nothing, in much the same way he usually treated her. But Krysta's voice in her mind was a source of encouragement.

She said, _'Continue'_.

With great difficulty, and without looking up, because she knew his eyes were fixed on her, she carried on,

'I...you know that I...my dream had someone with green eyes and-'

Zane's mind jumped to the wrong conclusion, linking her words to the issue of her needing a knight.

'I don't want to discuss that.' He replied curtly, wishing he hadn't bothered asking.

'No, that's not what I-'

'Whatever, Vreya.' He turned away and she was hurt. How could she let him understand if he wouldn't even listen to her?

'Zane – I don't mean that – wait!' She caught onto the sleeve of his left arm. Although this annoyed him, he didn't pull away instantly, turning his head and looking down into big, troubled eyes.

How expressive her eyes were always bothered him. They always had, from the very first day he had met her.

'I didn't mean – it's about what happened today when-' She began again, but was cut off once more.

'Is everything alright?' Came Rica's voice behind them. Zane glanced back to find her standing with Tai, Locky, Fleck and Jez. Vreya stiffened at the sound of the interfering voices. She had lost her chance to confide in Zane first. He pulled his arm from her grasp but before he could leave the room first, she shook her head and passed him, disappearing down the hallway.

Zane stared after her, a light frown settling on his brows.

'What's going on?' Fleck asked.

'Did you upset her again?' Rica demanded.

'Geez, you really are a jerk.' Locky muttered.

Zane's head whipped around and he glared at Rica. 'If you hadn't come out and opened your big mouth, maybe I would've been able to tell you.'

'I told you we should've stayed inside a little longer.' Tai mumbled.

'So, go follow her and ask her.' Fleck said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world to do.

Zane snorted. If Vreya wanted to approach him, that was her decision. He wasn't going to go following her and giving her ideas that he was concerned about what was on her mind.

'I've got a better plan. _You_ ask her, and I'll go home and rest up.'

'Zane!' Fleck exclaimed in exasperation. 'She was going to tell you, not us! Will you grow up?'

'And get old like you? No thanks.' Zane retorted, and turned, leaving the mentors gaping after him.

Locky couldn't help but laugh.

'I can't believe this guy.' Tai said incredulously.

'He's something else entirely alright.' Rica sighed.

Fleck shook his head. 'Let's just round this meeting off and then I'll go and find Vreya.'

**Author's Note:**

_Yeah so I haven't really spell-checked or gone over this super long chapter, so ignore any horrid type-o's. That said, I really hope at least one of my old readers sees/checks out this update. I'll definitely be writing up Enigma – Part II, and I'll see how things go after that. XD No promises or anything! Anyways please leave me reviews if you do read this. I'd super appreciate it. Though I'm only expecting about 5 at most loool. I'm semi-reviving a dead project after all! Oh and if any of ye old faithful do read, let me know if you think my writing's changed since the last chapter too! That'd be interesting to know XD Thanks!_

_Oh and a final note, think of the cloaked stranger's sword hurtling as similar to the awesomeness presented in the Kingdom Hearts: Deep Dive trailer. That's kind of the coolness I was aiming for : )_


	56. Interlude

_Woo another update! It's a direct continuation of the previous chapter. _

**Chapter LVI: Interlude**

Vreya hadn't headed for any room in particular. Nevertheless, she found herself in the training basement. She was now in even less of a mood to join her friends than before.

She settled down on one of the mats by the far wall, hugging her knees to her chest, lost in thought. What if the green-eyed stranger was another Chosen child? Morgan had said they believed they had found them all, but what if they had missed someone out? Was it plausible?

If the stranger wasn't a Chosen child, then why had he assisted them?

That wasn't the only issue troubling her. She had called for Aurion's assistance in the battle, and he had not appeared, despite telling her that he would come in her time of need.

'Aurion.' She said softly out loud. 'Why didn't you come?'

She was startled as his voice answered her, and she raised her eyes to find him standing before her, leaning against one of the columns with his arms folded and his usual stern look on his chiselled face.

'Never question me. I appear at will – when it pleases me.'

She met his beautiful, luminous gold eyes.

'Zane was in trouble.' She dared to argue. 'He needed your help.'

A contemptuous look formed on the Guardian King's aristocratic features. 'I do not come to the aid of the foolish.'

Vreya's eyes widened. 'But he could have died!'

The contemptuous look was now replaced with disapproval. 'You exhibit more concern for that boy than he deserves.'

She looked away, shaking her head. Then she smiled sadly. 'You're right. I worry, while he hates me.'

'That is a strong word.' Aurion replied flatly.

She looked at him again. His eyes burned steadily, an indication, she hoped, that he was neither angry nor irritated with her. She decided to venture forth with her question.

'The cloaked stranger who helped us today, who was he?'

Aurion's expression remained stern. 'I cannot say.'

'He had green eyes. I only met his gaze for a second but it was like he recognised me.'

The golden eyes narrowed. 'Do not be deceived by first impressions, girl. Certainly not ones formed in the heat of battle.'

She looked even more troubled.

'Can't you just tell me who the green-eyed boy in my dream is?'

'Are you in doubt?'

'I...' Vreya faltered, before affirming, 'Yes.'

'Then know this. It is a soul that does not yet exist.'

'I...what?' Vreya frowned, utterly confused. 'You mean it's not Zane?'

'I will speak no more of this matter.'

'But I-'

'You must be cautious, girl. For things are seldom as they seem.'

'What are you talking about...?' Vreya shook her head hopelessly, feeling even more lost than she had been before he had shown up. In response, his eyes slipped away from her and fixed pointedly to his right.

Vreya looked past him to find Zane standing by the entrance to the training room. He was looking at Aurion with an uncharacteristic look of uncertainty on his face. She wondered how long he had been standing there unnoticed by her, and got to her feet. Zane's eyes moved to her briefly, before returning to Aurion.

He took a few steps forward, and then stumbled suddenly, clutching his left side. A look of pain swept across his face and he suddenly began to cough up blood. Vreya started, moving forward in alarm. What was going on?!

'Zane-!'

'Stay back.' Aurion instructed calmly.

'What? But Zane is-'

'Stay back.' The words were repeated more forcefully, and his eyes locked onto her. For a split-second, she thought she saw the pupil change, but it could have been a fragment of her imagination. She swallowed and with great difficulty obeyed, but her heart was pounding.

Aurion abruptly raised a gloved hand and crystal shards materialised in the air around Zane. They spun, circling him, and at Aurion's gesture, rotated and flew toward the boy. Vreya felt a physical pain as the sharp weapons pierced into him.

'What are you doing?!' She screamed, looking at the Guardian King in shock, anger and fear. Had he lost his mind?

In response, a larger shard of crystal formed in the air, glinting with a razor sharp edge. Vreya's stomach lurched with realisation.

'NO! STOP!'

The crystal hurtled toward Zane's neck – and all went white.

There was silence, then blackness.

And then, Aurion's echoing words,

'You may have the strength to fight your enemies physically. But do you have the strength to overcome the boundaries and limitations of your mind, and the tricks your eyes may play on you? Be cautious.'

His voice faded, and she was then distinctly aware of somebody shaking her and calling her name.

'Vreya. Vreya! Wake up!'

She screamed, squeezing her eyes shut more tightly and struggling and fighting against whoever was restraining her. Her hand came into contact with the underside of someone's jaw, pushing at it roughly.

'Ugh, just calm down!' The voice pleaded, and her eyes snapped open, and she gasped, breathing rapidly.

Fleck gazed back at her, face full of concern. He was gripping onto her arms, just above the elbows, crouched in front of her. She realised that she was still sitting on the mat by the wall.

Standing behind Fleck, Zane was staring at her, dark green eyes wide.

Seeing him alive and well made her realise that what she had seen had not been real. She let out a choked sob of relief. It had been a dream, or a simulation in her mind; a horrible simulation that Aurion had given her to prove a point that she didn't fully understand.

Fleck couldn't quite bring himself to release the slender girl when she was trembling so violently. He had been on his way to find her and had encountered Zane getting ready to leave in the hallway. Shortly afterward they had heard a scream and rushed down to find Vreya unconscious.

Fleck had shook her and called her name for two whole minutes before she had finally responded.

'What happened?' He asked. 'Are you alright?'

She was ashamed to cry, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't get the image she had just seen out of her mind. It had seemed, and felt, so real. She raised her hands, and placed them over her face.

Fleck sighed, feeling pity for the girl. Perhaps they were asking too much of her; perhaps they needed to let her rest. It was hard to know what the right course of action was. It was hard having to be responsible all the time.

'Do you want to talk about it?' He asked gently, and then glanced back, surprised to see that Zane was still behind him. He had expected his charge to leave the moment Vreya woke up.

That he had remained was a promising sign. The boy's actions betrayed his words. Fleck looked back to Vreya, who raised her head, and sniffled.

'No I...I'm fine. Thanks. Really I am.' She replied. 'I just...I must have fallen asleep and had a nightmare.'

'Can you remember what it was about?' Fleck pressed.

She felt Zane's intense gaze on her, watching her every expression and movement like a hawk. She swallowed, refusing to give into the urge to raise her head and meet his eyes. Keeping her attention focused on Fleck, she shook her head.

'No. No, I don't want to remember. I don't want to talk about it. It...wasn't real.'

Her shaking had subsided, so Fleck relented and released her, but he remained silently unconvinced.

'Why don't you get some rest? Take your mind off things for a bit?' He said kindly. 'These tough times have been hardest on you. Go and join your friends. Why did you stay behind?'

The matter of the green-eyed stranger suddenly seemed unimportant. Whoever he was, there was no point thinking about it unless they saw him again.

'I don't know.' She lied.

Fleck sighed again, shaking his head. 'I think you had better go and join them. Zane, take her will you? We've still got some more plans to finalise upstairs and we're waiting to hear from our scouts-'

'That's really not necessary.' Vreya cut in. She wiped at her damp eyes with the sleeve of her top and stood up. Fleck did in turn, waiting for an explanation.

'I'm sure Zane's in a rush to get home. I'll just stay around here and rest up on one of the beds. You guys go ahead with your meetings.'

Zane stared hard at her. Fleck looked at him.

'I'm sure he wouldn't mind dropping you off, right Zane?'

'...' The green-eyed boy gave no response.

Vreya shook her head. 'It's fine Fleck. I don't feel like bowling anyway.'

'Are you sure? Do you want someone else to drop you off?'

Vreya was very tempted to say 'yes', just to snub Zane. But she wasn't a cruel soul, and she shook her head again, and smiled.

'I'll be fine here. Thanks Fleck. I'm sorry I worried you.'

Fleck smiled and reached out, ruffling her hair affectionately. 'Well, I'll be around with the others upstairs if you need anything.' He stepped back, and nodded at Zane.

'We have to finalise some plans which we'll brief you all on early tomorrow morning. You're free to rest up until then.' He glanced at Vreya once more, offered a reassuring smile, then turned away and exited the room, leaving the two young people alone.

Silence hung heavily in the air between them. At length, Vreya decided to break it.

'Is there something you wanted to say?'

His eyes, which had been fixed on an interesting spot on the floor, now rose, and she thought a little reluctantly, to her face.

Another pregnant pause filled the space, and she was beginning to think he wouldn't respond at all in his usual, frustrating way, when he finally graced her with a reply.

'He was here.'

It wasn't a question; rather, a blunt statement, full of certainty and knowing.

Vreya stared back at him in mild confusion. Another few quiet moments passed, and when it became apparent that he wasn't going to elaborate, she realised that, as usual, she would have to drag the information out of him.

'Who?' She questioned at last.

Zane's eyes met hers levelly.

Vreya frowned at his continued silence. Did he expect her to read his mind? He was so frustrating! She placed her hands impatiently on slender hips.

'I don't know who-'

'Their King.' Zane cut in abruptly.

Vreya blinked as understanding finally settled in the depths of her mind. He meant Aurion. She tilted her head slightly, regarding him curiously.

'How did you know?'

Zane fell silent again. It was inexplicable and insane, but it almost seemed as though, _felt_ as though, he could always sense whenever the Guardian King was present in physical form. The realisation always came in the form of an uneasy feeling, something that hung over his senses like a heavy, ominous cloud.

Something about the golden-eyed spirit made him uncomfortable. It caused whispers he could never quite comprehend to taunt his mind. He felt tense and Zane despised anything that could set his mind off balance.

Vreya was still awaiting an answer, and he merely offered her a brief, unreadable look, before turning his back to her and walking away. He'd had enough rubbish for one day. It was time to go home and wrap up for the night.

She watched him disappear around the door. He had cold-shouldered her again – as usual. It was despairing and infuriating. Her eyes lowered, and her small hands clenched into tight fists. She desperately wished she could do the same to him, when a thought suddenly struck her.

If she wasn't getting through to him this way, why didn't she try another strategy? She wondered how he would react to being consistently brushed off as she was. They had known each other for months now. She ought to have gotten used to his unsociable and less than courteous behaviour. One minute he was talking to her, the next, completely ignoring her existence. In battle, she became something to protect, and away from it, something to be slighted.

Why did she put up with it? Why did she let it bother her so much? Why did he matter so much? He had saved her many times, but she suddenly realised that he was no more of a hero to her than her own friends who had been dragged into all of this because of her. They were all putting their lives on the line, and they were all doing their best. Zane, who had always been a fighter for reasons she still hadn't discovered, only looked cooler because he was more familiar with combat.

She shook her head, laughing a little to herself. She couldn't change the fact that she cared for Zane, but she could change her attitude toward him. Her hands relaxed and she felt satisfied with her decision. It would be hard to make a conscious effort to annoy him even more than she usually did, but she wagered that persistence would be her best weapon against his stubborn refusal to acknowledge her.

She waited for another ten minutes, and when she was sure that both the elders were busy with their meeting and Zane had left the building, she exited the room, making her way to the exit of the base. On her way up, she silently contemplated the meaning behind the harsh vision Aurion had sent to her.

* * *

They sat around a round table, notes and books and lighted candles before them.

Morgan regarded his friends gravely, hands folded neatly on the tabletop.

'As I am sure you are all aware – although we have acquired an adequate amount of guardians over the last few months, there is still much work to be done.'

Tai nodded.

'Let's look at the good points first.' He said. 'All of the Chosen have elementals, except for Zane.'

'And there's a reason why Zane hasn't acquired one yet.' Rica added, glancing at Fleck, who nodded.

'Those kids are much stronger and faster in battle now.' Bo acknowledged.

'Squall and his team have been really useful.' Harris said. 'But our main problem remains the lack of organisation within battle.'

'We're sending too many out at once.' Jez muttered in agreement. 'It's not even organised chaos when they're together.'

Morgan was glad they had all noticed the point he wanted to discuss.

'I believe it is time, my friends, to separate the party. Keeping them together at first was a sure way to allow them to grow accustomed to the battle environment, as well as offering them reassurance and time to improve their respective skills.'

Locky clucked his tongue. 'You sure it's time, old man? I mean, our lot are good, but are they good enough to form smaller parties?'

'We're going to have to split them up eventually.' Fleck replied, glancing at the young member of their group.

'If they travel within smaller groups, then they will learn to rely on their own powers to a greater extent than if they remain in the formation they currently adopt.' Morgan clarified.

'So what's the plan?' Tai went on, pen poised above a sheet of paper. 'How many shall we assign to each group?'

'Well, I've made a note of all their names, guardians and abilities here.' Rica said, pushing forward her notebook. 'I figured it might help in the decision making.'

Harris chewed the end of the pencil in his hand in thought. 'Would five per group be too much or too little?'

'Well, let's see.' Fleck replied, taking Rica's notebook and reading the stats on paper:

---------

**Children of Fate**

_Squall:_ Lion Heart - Shiva, Bahamut, Alexander

_Zell:_ Ehrgeiz - Quetzacotl, Brothers

_Rinoa:_ Shooting Star - Cactaur, Diabolos, Siren

_Quistis:_ Save the Queen – Leviathan, Cerberus

_Seifer:_ Hyperion - Doomtrain

_Selphie:_ Strange Vision - Tonberry King, Carbuncle, Ifrit

_Irvine:_ Exeter - Eden, Pandemona

Additional summons: Boko, Phoenix, and Gilgamesh

**Children of Earth**

_Ash:_ Sword – Aquila

_Lila:_ Crossbow – Tempest

_Roxy:_ Twin arm blades – Elyria, Tuvalu

_Vreya_: Pinwheel projectile – Krysta

_Sara:_ Spiked whip – Chaos

_Costa:_ Shotgun - Ignatius

_Gen_: Bladed-rod - Dragoone

_Zane:_ Sword

Additional summons: Aurion

--------

He glanced at his friend, impressed at what she had compiled. 'Hey, this is a good list, Rica. Good job.'

'Those are the stats at the moment.' Rica shrugged. 'Squall and his group tend to swap Guardians quite often, but as far as I know, that's the usual formation they settle on.'

'Getting to the point again,' Jez cut in, 'let's start with the easiest group. Vreya's.'

'Vreya.' Bo sighed. 'I guess it's pretty obvious she needs the strongest unit.'

'Zane.' Locky grinned. 'Zane's definitely gotta be with her, if only for the sparks to fly.'

Harris sniggered. 'You're too cruel, man.'

Jez glared at them, a look that told them to get serious.

'Alright, Zane and Vreya.' Tai wrote down. 'Who else?'

'Squall and Rinoa?' Rica offered.

'I dunno.' Bo said uncertainly, before looking to their oldest and wisest friend. 'What d'ya think, Morgan?'

Morgan looked deep in thought. Then, at length, he nodded slowly.

'Let us come back to this. I believe it will be easier to group the others first.'

'OK.' Fleck nodded. 'I was thinking, Sara, Selphie, Irvine and Gen.'

'That's good.' Jez agreed. 'That's a balanced combination.'

'So we've got Holy, Fire, Wind and Water there, amongst other things.' Tai scribbled.

'Lila, Ash, Zell, Roxy, Seifer and Quistis?' Locky suggested.

'What've we got there...Wind, two Lightning elements, Earth and Water, as well as Elyria, Doomtrain and Cerberus.'

'I don't think we ought to put Zell and Seifer in the same group. How about we move Seifer to Vreya and Zane's group, and put Rinoa in his place?' Rica suggested.

'Squall, Seifer, Zane and Vreya? And Rinoa with Zell?' Jez clarified.

'Squall wouldn't like that.' Locky remarked.

'OK, then Squall, Rinoa and Zell with Zane and Vreya. Quistis and Seifer will go with Lila, Ash and Roxy. Does that sound good?' Fleck asked. 'Morgan, does that balance out well?'

'For now, it seems sensible. We may always rearrange the groups according to the nature of future battle situations.' The old man replied.

'Vreya and Squall both have Ice elementals.' Harris pointed out. 'If they're going to go together, I suggest one of them gives their Ice elemental to another party.'

'Squall will have to; Vreya only has Krysta junctioned.' Tai said.

'We'll talk to Squall and see, I guess.' Rica shrugged.

'I think it's important to have Squall and Rinoa in the same group as Zane and Vreya.' Fleck stated. 'After all, Rinoa's a sorceress and she can lead by example, and reassure Vreya should she need it. And Squall; maybe he can lead by example too, and show Zane that being a Knight isn't as bad as he seems to think.'

'Zell should help lighten things up when they all want to kill each other.' Locky added dryly.

'Then it's decided. Those are the parties.' Fleck nodded in satisfaction. 'Any objections?'

Bo raised a hand slowly, coughing uncomfortably. 'Yeah so uh...what're Vreya's friends going to think when she's grouped with none of them? It's bad enough that we're separating them.'

Harris frowned. 'That's a good point...'

'They'll just have to accept it.' Jez replied curtly. 'We're doing what's best for her, and she will be safest in this formation. Squall is arguably the strongest of all the Fated Children. Along with Zell and Rinoa, and Zane's battle experience, she will be well protected.'

'It will also give her the chance to begin relying on her own abilities a lot more.' Tai agreed.

'I'd be more worried about Zane's reaction if I were you.' Locky told Bo, grinning from ear to ear.

Bo chuckled. 'I'll let Fleck handle him.'

Said man shrugged. 'I have a feeling he'll come round. Now what about us?'

Morgan spoke up.

'I suggest a maximum of 1 mentor per group. The rest of us would do well to keep out of harm's way.'

'Good point.' Rica agreed. 'I think we should rely on radio communication and let the kids move about independently. Let's use walkie-talkies. Each group can carry at least three.'

'Right. I think we've got more in the basement.' Bo said, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully.

'I don't think Squall's group will even need a mentor.' Tai remarked. 'I mean, it's maybe best we just communicate via radio, like Rica said.'

'What about Ortega and Miriam?' Harris asked. 'They're our eyes and ears in this.'

Fleck frowned in thought. 'Alright, let's just decide on which team we want hunting for information and any other guardians abroad first. We can allocate mentors accordingly. But we need to organise some form of flying transport first – an airship of sorts.'

'We should've done this earlier, would've saved considerable time.' Jez muttered.

'Well, a private helicopter simply wasn't large or sturdy enough.' Locky shot back. 'It's not easy to get hold of a flying war machine, Jez. The cops would've been on our case right away.'

'I wonder...' Morgan said softly. 'I wonder if Squall and his friends might be of assistance in this aspect.'

'Huh?' Harris regarded him suspiciously. 'What makes you think that?'

'Do you think they could get hold of an airship for us?' Bo asked, though he looked sceptical.

'I consider it best that you discuss this with Squall personally.' The old man advised.

Fleck made a mental note to do so. 'Fine, I guess we'll sort that out when we all regroup tomorrow morning. Now there was another important matter we wanted to bring to your notice, Morgan.'

The wise man met Fleck's gaze.

'In our battle earlier, we were almost overwhelmed by the amount of monsters. The kids slew countless numbers and they just kept reappearing, different kinds and varieties in their tens and twenties.'

'It was like a crazy monster hot spot.' Harris added.

'At the very end, a particularly large creature made its presence known.' Jez reported.

'Right.' Fleck nodded. 'A Ruby Dragon, from the Children of Fate's world.'

'Ah. So the monsters that are appearing are becoming increasingly more resilient and hostile.' Morgan nodded slowly in understanding. 'It is as we expected.'

'Right!' Bo affirmed. 'But, man, what we didn't expect was for a cloaked stranger to show up out of nowhere and kick its ass!'

'What?' Rica demanded in disbelief.

'Yeah, so you failed to mention that to earlier us because...?' Locky raised a blond eyebrow questioningly.

'Because we didn't quite know what to think and thought it best to consult on the matter together.' Jez censured him.

Tai shook his head. 'A cloaked stranger? What exactly did they do?'

'Like Bo said...' Harris replied. 'Showed up out of nowhere and saved Vreya from a guaranteed frying from big Ruby Dragon.'

'Well did any of you manage to get a look at this person's face?' Rica asked her eyes wide.

'Nope, the hood masked the face.' Bo shook his head. 'They just showed up, dealt their punishment and disappeared in a flash.'

There was a silence.

'That's really weird.' Locky stated at length.

'Is it possible that we've missed a Chosen child?' Fleck asked Morgan.

'I did not think we had.' Morgan replied, frowning softly at the revelation.

'Is it possible that it could've just been an ally? I'm sure there're other people fighting too; support factions if you like. Miriam reported one to us the other day, but the numbers are still small and they can't use magic like us.' Tai remarked.

'Whoever it was fought like a pro.' Harris replied. 'They fought on the level of Squall and his gang. That speed was unreal.'

'The Lost Child.' Jez put in. 'We still don't know who that is, or if they're a child of this world at all.'

Fleck's eyes lowered, but he remained silent.

'Maybe that was them?' Rica suggested. 'The Lost Child is a Chosen child too, after all. They would be drawn to the others, which could explain their sudden appearance.'

'But why would they vanish like that? If we hadn't all seen it, I would've said I'd imagined it.' Harris responded.

Nobody could think of the answer to Harris's question.

Morgan raised his eyes and met Fleck's.

'This is a perplexing development.' He said. 'Very perplexing indeed.'

* * *

Vreya had decided to take the ladder leading to the lower rooftop of the base. She climbed up, and closed the hidden hatchet door behind her, safely concealing the secret entrance into the building. Standing up, she was faced with an ominous grey sky, and a gentle wind.

Perhaps she ought to have brought a jacket, but it was too late to go back inside. Besides, there would be a chance that someone would hear her and prevent her from going outside alone again. She found that she often missed her own company; constantly surrounded by friends and mentors who were anxious to protect her meant that she didn't really get the time to appreciate being alone.

She raised her arms and placed her hands behind her head as another swift breeze rippled by her. People often complained of rain and bad weather, but Vreya found even the current sky condition beautiful. Different shades of grey merged with white and hues that appeared almost charcoal in the horizon. It would rain soon. She found that she didn't mind the prospect.

Relaxing her arms again, she walked forward, peering over the edge of the rooftop. It wasn't a high jump, and as she spied the metal piping to her left, she knew she would have no trouble making her way down. She lifted a leg over the edge and carefully climbed down her makeshift, solid rope. Once she had reached the bottom and returned to safe ground, she walked around the corner of the building, seeking a method of transportation.

She knew that the mentors, and her friends, would be furious at her for leaving the premises on her own. Perhaps what she was doing was completely stupid, but she missed being carefree and impulsive; she missed being a normal teenager. She felt a strange trill of excitement at the realisation that for once, she was truly alone, and nobody would know where she was going. She didn't even know herself. All she knew was that she wanted to be by herself for a change. It would even serve as good practice. She reasoned that it was unlikely that she would encounter anything beyond her capabilities in the nearby streets.

She was met with the sight of the reserve van parked neatly around the back. She jingled the keys she had 'borrowed' from the supplies room, a small smile of satisfaction lighting up her face as the first sprinkles of light rain began to fall.

Fleck had said they were free for the rest of the evening right? If he meant it, then there was absolutely nothing wrong with her freely taking a drive alone.

She unlocked the van and was about to climb in when a voice carried across the breeze to her ears. Caught of her guard, she almost lost her footing on the small support step by the door.

'Where do you think you're going?'

Her heart hammered deep within her. Damn it, she had been caught after all! His motorcycle wasn't here; surely he had gone! But evidently he hadn't. She wondered why in the world he was still hanging around. He was always in a hurry to get the hell away from base and them on any other day. Just her luck that today he felt a sudden attachment to the place.

Sighing in annoyance, she peered around the front of the van, seeking him out. She finally found him; the epitome of coolness, sitting on the edge of the base's second, higher up rooftop. Even from the relatively distant location he was sitting at, she could see and feel the intensity of his gaze.

She remembered her action plan, and put it into immediate motion. Ignoring his question completely, she proceeded to climb into the van, slamming the door shut for effect after her. Humming to shut up the nagging voice of regret in the back of her mind, she readjusted the faded, comfortable seat and strapped herself in. That done she placed the key into the ignition and the vehicle roared to life.

A cold draft of air assaulted her as the door to her right was thrown back with such sudden force that it made her jump. She turned her head and found Zane looking up at her with angry eyes.

She was startled and astonished by the speed at which he had made his way down from the rooftop to her side of the van.

'I _said_ - where the hell do you think you're going?' He repeated, but his glaring didn't faze her. In fact, she was rather enjoying this, even if her heart was pounding so hard and fast that she felt slightly nauseous. But at least a pissed off Zane paid more attention to her than his usual, ice-cube self. What was the worst he could do to her? It wasn't like he would physically drag her out of the vehicle.

'Like hell I'm telling you.' She retorted curtly, reaching out to grab the door and close it again.

He intercepted, cool fingers wrapping around her right wrist and pushing it away from the door handle. The instant he let go she was reaching out again.

Again, he pushed her hand away, this time more roughly.

'I thought you said you were staying put.' He accused.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. She thought she detected some form of response on his face, but apparently not, for when she glanced back it was as blank as ever, save for the mildly irritated frown that had settled on his brows.

'Just _go away_, Zane.' She told him, making sure to express her own annoyance. 'Fleck said we have the evening free. So I'm free to do what I want. Now move before I start the car.'

Zane's eyes narrowed. So that's how she wanted to be? Two could play at her little game.

She was surprised when he suddenly stepped onto the support step, resulting in his standing on higher ground, towering over her right shoulder. His left arm rested against the top of the van, ensuring that he retained balance as he leant down and directed a scorching glare at her.

'Move.' He instructed.

It was a tone of voice that expected her to give way. She snorted. Did he really think he could intimidate her? He was underestimating her as usual. Deliberately, she engaged gear and pushed her right foot onto the accelerator. The van surged forward abruptly, and the unexpected movement caused Zane to lose balance and lose grip, falling back to the ground.

Vreya bit her lower lip as she spied him in the side mirror. He had impressively managed to retained his footing despite the sudden fall. She couldn't stop the giggle that escaped her lips at the incredulous look on his face. So much for Mr. Know-It-All reading her like a book; surely he hadn't been expecting _that_.

Zane watched with disbelief as the van sped away from him. What the _hell_? Had she actually just...?

Now the intensity of his glare was such that it could have caused the next unfortunate item to cross his vision to spontaneously explosion. If she thought she had won, then she didn't know who she was messing with. Zane didn't take crap from anybody, certainly not, and _especially not_ from Vreya LillyMoore.

He quickly rounded the corner, boarding his motorcycle, not bothering to put his helmet on. His mind was completely focused on catching the van up and making her sorry. The engine roared to life and the vehicle sped forward, giving swift chase.

* * *

The soft beeping sound distracted his attention away from watching the young people fooling around in the bowling parlour. Anybody watching would have considered them to be normal teenagers; normal, until the monsters arrived.

He lifted the tracking device receiver and read its report.

The other van was moving.

She was not with this group of people; which meant she could either be at their base or on the move again – in the other van.

The cloaked young man made up his mind and slipped silently away into the shadows.

**Author's Note:**

_This is a deliberately Zane/Vreya heavy chapter. The next one will be too, because this is the start of an important story-arc concerning the two. Bwaha. I enjoy writing them interact too much!_

_Anyway so I decided to call this Interlude as it's really a sort of semi-break/linking chapter between Enigma Part I and Enigma Part 2, which will be the next chapter. I'll have Enigma Part 2 up very soon as more than half of it is already typed up lol. I was going to post Enigma Part 2 as one big chapter but it'd turn out WAY too long. The next one has monsters and action in it, I promise. Oh yeah and I'm trying to make fights more organised this time. Looking back at my earlier chapters, everything is way too disorganised. And my writing used to be atrocious LOL._

_If anybody's still reading this fic, please review XD It'd be nice to get feedback. Thanks! _


	57. Enigma: Part II

**Chapter LVII: Enigma - Part II**

Vreya was having a fabulous time. Not only was she driving her very own van, but the really fun part was that Zane was actually tailing her. It was exciting; she knew he was mad at her and had probably silently imploded when she had driven off without him. But she would only be in trouble if she got caught.

And she had absolutely no intention of letting him catch up.

The side-roads she stuck to where thankfully empty, so he couldn't gain any ground unless he took to narrower roads.

'Ooops!' She bit her lower lip as the van rocked unsteadily. She had accidentally not slowed down at a sudden drop in road.

Her driving was rather precarious. Zane could see the van swerve slightly left and right as she fought to maintain control of it. Then she seemed to get the hang of it, before the vehicle began to move to the left again, seemingly of its own will.

He hadn't granted his giving chase much thought. It had seemed like the natural thing to do; he had automatically gone for his motorbike. Now that he had had the time to get over his initial anger, he realised how stupid the entire scenario was. How had he even gotten dragged into this? Only fifteen minutes ago he had been sitting quietly on the rooftop, minding his own business. Now he was speeding after a van with a crazy girl behind the wheel.

Typically, Vreya was the cause of it all; he had meant to better her, and it suddenly became apparent that he had gotten drawn into her own personal little game instead.

_Whatever_, he pushed the thought out of his head as he smoothly manoeuvred to avoid a fallen crate on the littered street. She wasn't even allowed to go out on her own; she knew it, and he knew she knew it. What was up with her, breaking rules all of a sudden? He silently promised to get her in even deeper trouble with the mentors once he caught her up and forced her back to base.

She glanced at the right hand side mirror, and then the left. Zane was now nowhere in sight.

Uh oh. Had he decided to take a short cut? She took her eye off the road for a mere second and in that moment the motorbike appeared from a side-alley to her left, cutting directly into the van's path.

Her eyes widened in alarm.

_Oh, crap-!_ The thought raced through her mind as she rammed her foot down onto the brake pedal. The van swerved unsteadily from the sudden intense friction generated between the tyres and the road.

She spun the steering wheel to her left, attempting to regain control. Zane was still ahead of her, and her brows furrowed in irritation. Was he crazy riding his motorbike right into her path? She continued to drive forward, and again he cut into her way, this time sweeping in from the right side of the road. She applied the brake and then steered across the street, taking a sharp right turn.

The new road's surface was significantly rougher, with many uneven bumps. Vreya slowed down as she carefully continued along the one-way street. She recognised the route she had unconsciously been taking; it led to the local teenage hangout consisting of a large cinema, restaurants, arcades, a nearby shopping centre and the bowling alley where the rest of her friends were.

Zane was now nowhere in sight. She took another right turn at the end of the road, searching for him. She was just starting to wonder if it were even possible that she had managed to shake him off so easily when a blur of silver and black shot out in front of the van.

She cried out in surprise, this time thoroughly unprepared. Her feet automatically moved to engage in an emergency stop, but she wasn't quick enough and in her panic, her right food slid off the clutch as her left pressed onto the brake pedal. The van skidded wildly, steering wheel twisting violently in her grasp.

Zane had come to a stop and was powerless to assist as he watched the van swerve unsteadily. His eyes widened and he was off his motorcycle in a shot when Vreya's vehicle collided into the brick wall on the left side of the road.

He silently swore as he made his way over to the now stationary van, barely noticing the tight knots of dread that had formed in his stomach. Had he overdone it?

Stupid. She was just _so stupid_, and this was entirely her fault.

He was surprised by the sheer magnitude of relief that flooded through him as he reached the front passenger side of the white van. He promptly stomped it out and let fury replace the uncomfortable feeling.

Vreya was holding her forehead, looking a little dazed, but appeared to be otherwise unhurt. Zane practically tore the passenger door open and stepped up onto the faded old seat.

Vreya's vision cleared, and she turned her head to find herself staring into intense, dark green eyes that were blazing with anger.

She groaned as she closed her eyes and rested her spinning head back, sensing a verbal whiplash. Zane didn't usually say much, but he tended to possess a surprisingly large and generous vocabulary when it came to letting somebody know that they had pissed him off. Maybe it had been a bad idea. She didn't think she had ever seen him so annoyed and angry at once – about anything.

'Are you fucking crazy?!' He demanded.

She would have just gotten out of the vehicle. But there was no way for her to exit the van on her side; the door was obstructed by the brick wall into which she had so haphazardly driven.

Her eyes flew open, and she was instantly on the defensive. 'Me?!' She breathed. 'You're the one who cut into my path deliberately like some, some...maniac!'

He stared at her incredulously. _He_ was the maniac? A sudden, insane and utterly inappropriate urge to release a sharp laugh bubbled up within him but he resisted it; she was the one who had snuck out of base, 'borrowed' the van she had now wrecked and led him on a less than merry chase – and she was calling _him_ a maniac?

She was impossible. She was the most insane, frustrating, annoying girl – no – _person_ he had ever had the misfortune of meeting and - and...

And he had had more than enough of this nonsense.

Shaking his head, he reached out and grabbed hold of her slender arm, tugging forcefully.

'Get out.' He snapped at her, furious at her for forcing him into the chase when he could have been at his house at that very moment, catching up on some much needed sleep.

She decided not to push her luck as she allowed him to pull her out. She awkwardly manoeuvred over to the passenger's side, still feeling a little shaky. Zane had gotten out of the van and now stood glaring up at her. She did her best to glare defiantly back. She was determined not to let him win, despite things having gone out of plan.

_The silent treatment, Vreya_, she reminded herself determinedly. _Silence and sarcasm; mirror his stupid, infuriating, immature behaviour and you'll-_

Her right foot slipped clumsily on the step and she gasped as she toppled less than graciously forward. Dread and instant embarrassment filled her.

It happened so suddenly. Zane silently vouched that if he had only been given a mere extra second's worth of notice he would have stepped nonchalantly out of the way and allowed her to fall flat on her face in an act of satisfying vengeance. But even time conspired against him and he just so happened to be standing in a very appropriate position to catch her.

Completely out of line with her stubborn mind's wishes, she felt the blood rush to her cheeks as he broke her fall. He set her down quickly and instantly withdrew physical contact. But the brief instant in which his arms had closed around her waist and hers had awkwardly wrapped around his shoulders, she had felt her heart skip a beat and quicken.

_Real smooth, Vreya. _Her own mind mocked her mortified self.

Stepping away from him and turning her back swiftly lest he see the tinge of embarrassed pink on her face, she set her shoulders back and marched away from him with as much dignity as she could muster.

God, she was screwing up - _badly_. How uncool had this all turned out? What if he thought she had slipped deliberately? Horror filled her at the thought. She wasn't like that! Surely he knew by now. But it was a wonder that he wasn't laughing his head off at her. Or perhaps not; after all Mr. Ice-Cube never laughed at anything. He was probably afraid his face would crack.

He stood, motionless, watching as she stomped away from him. Not even a 'thank you' as usual? She had obviously forgotten her manners today. Anyway, where was she going to now? He had a home to get to, damn her.

He began to walk after her, still glaring heatedly. Again, he thought how ridiculous the entire situation was. Why was he always the one to get caught up in her crazy mood-swings?

He really didn't feel like talking to her – really. He honestly didn't, but the silence was dragging on and they were walking toward nowhere in particular. More to the point, they were walking further and further away from his motorbike.

'Vreya.' He called out to her at length. When she didn't stop, he did and repeated her name in a louder, more irritated tone.

'_Vreya!_'

'You're an asshole!' She replied, continuing to walk. Zane didn't do 'gaping', although at that moment he came precariously close to allowing his mouth to drop open in disbelief at her uncharacteristically dismissive behaviour.

It suddenly occurred to him that she might be doing it deliberately. But to what end? He wasn't sure, and he sure as hell didn't want to know. Whatever game she was trying to play wouldn't work.

If she thought he would let her have her own way she was seriously wrong.

'I'm heading back and you're coming with me.' He stated curtly making sure his tone left no room for debate over the matter.

She did stop at that, and turned to face him now that her blush had completely disappeared.

So that insult had bounced right off his brick wall of a head. It figured; after all, he was called the offensive term often, especially by Costa. She searched her mind for more, determined to get some form of reaction other than anger. Heck, she'd even take anger over his artless skills of blanking any day.

'It's leisure-time, Zane. Do you even know what that is?' She feigned a serious look of consideration, tapping a slim finger to the base of her chin. 'Hmm, nope, I guess not.'

He opened his mouth to fire back a sarcastic reply, but she was going on.

'Why are you following me? Leisure-time is out of hours, right?' She placed her hands pointedly onto her slender hips as she raised a shapely brow. 'Or are we doing overtime now?'

Whoa. Where had the courage to say _that _come from? She knew he hadn't expected her to be so upfront, but to her disappointment and increasing sense of frustration, his expression remained unreadable.

As unpredictable as she was trying to be, she couldn't deny the fact that he was much more volatile. Butterflies fluttered into her stomach as he began to stalk forward toward her. His striking eyes, which, in the dull, dark grey sky's light appeared a mesmerising shade of deep forest green, were positively smouldering.

She told herself that she could have easily turned away again at that moment. She told herself that she only remained in place because her legs didn't feel like moving.

Her mind agreed. Her foolish heart simply pounded.

It was impossible to know what he was thinking as he drew ever closer. When he stopped a mere metre away, he regarded her silently for a few seconds, eyes scanning her face intently.

Then he blinked, and dead-panned,

'If this was overtime, I wouldn't be here with _you_.'

She tried to ignore the harsh sting of his words. But her concrete thoughts were becoming undone. Her hopes deflated and her shoulders slumped; still the same responses, the same rebuttals, the same rebukes. Her head bowed a little and she gritted her teeth tightly.

_Don't be upset_, she told herself. _It's not worth it. He's not worth it. I'll save the world, and then I can just forget about him. We'll go our separate ways and I'll find a guy who appreciates me, who doesn't think that I'm hopeless and pathetic; someone who won't put me down all the time._

'I guess so.' She replied softly. 'We're both just pawns on a chessboard.'

_What?_ He wondered impassively. She wasn't making sense – not that it was a change to the usual.

Her head rose again, and she spoke up clearly once more.

'Fleck told us we could chill out until tomorrow morning, right? I'm not doing anything crazy. I'm just being a teenager. It's what I am – what we both are. Don't you know how to have fun, Zane? Can't you ever lighten up even a little?'

The blank look on his face told her that 'fun' was a word that didn't exist in The Dictionary of the High and Mighty Zane Language.

She threw her hands up in the air, releasing an exasperated sigh, unable to hide her frustration any further.

'God, for once in your life, could you just stop acting as if you're 600 years old?!'

Her words were deliberately exaggerated for effect, but they crept into his mind, and settled. Almost unconsciously, his eyes lowered from her face to a spot on the unevenly surfaced ground.

Inexplicably, insanely – he didn't know what it was about her last statement that bothered him. She was just speaking rubbish, and yet...

His mind grasped at fleeting ends of fading lines of thought. Something in the farthest depths of his consciousness something that whispered...

No; there was nothing but emptiness.

She was surprised to see that she had finally gotten another reaction other than anger or nonchalance out of him. His eyes had lowered and he was staring at the floor with a strange, unreadable look on his chiselled face. She had trouble pin-pointing the expression he wore. He almost looked as though he were deep in thought.

'Zane...?' She asked, much more quietly, hating the instant concern that made itself known in her heart. His eyes rose and met hers. His face was expressionless once again.

'Are you done?' He asked, and a terrible aching filled her at the quietness of his voice in turn. He seemed to be truly unbreakable. No matter what she did, how hard she tried she couldn't break those defences down.

Rinoa had been so wrong about Zane; he was absolutely no Squall. He still acted as if they had only known each other for a day, rather than many months.

He seemed to sense that she wouldn't argue any further, for he turned away and began to walk back toward his motorcycle. She felt utterly miserable at her failure. It had all started out so well and here she was again, back on square one. The heavy sigh that longed to escape her chest remained locked deep within as she moved to follow him.

The ground seemed to move. Had the car crash disorientated her more severely than she had first thought?

She opened her mouth to call after him when the ground suddenly shook violently and she knew it wasn't her head. She heard an awful cracking noise and a split second later the floor before her had erupted, sending huge slabs of broken concrete into the air. Vreya raised her hand, casting Protect. As the blue shield materialised before her she hoped that Zane, whom she was unable to reach, had managed to find cover.

The dust and debris cleared and the gasp caught in her throat as she found herself gazing up at one of the most hideous monstrosities she had come across yet.

It was a malevolent – _face_. It had glaring, glowing amber dots as eyes and its yawning mouth was large enough to swallow her whole. Horror overwhelmed her, and the _stench_ – dear God, the stench of it was unbearable.

Another eruption to her left and right brought two giant hands into view. The fingers clenched at the air, and both face and hands were covered in wrinkly, stripy green and white skin.

What in the world was it?!

Over the sound of the head's terrible, inhuman groaning, Vreya was distinctly aware of Zane shouting out to her, but the creature took up the entire width of the relatively narrow road. What she could only assume were its hands stood between her and the green-eyed youth like great big pillars of hell. There was no way to get to Zane, or for Zane to get to her.

They didn't have backup. Zane couldn't summon magic or elementals. This time it was up to her to save them both.

She held out her right hand, casting Scan on the hideous head.

The monster's face was called _Vysage_. It held Haste, Bio and Esuna spells. Its weakness was...was...

She couldn't read any weakness.

She instantly drew a Haste spell, casting it on herself to save her own stock. Then she quickly stocked a few more copies of the spell, although she knew she was already close to the maximum holding capacity for the speed enhancing magic. She drew precious Esuna, ignoring the Bio spells.

She progressed to scan the hands – Lefty and Righty, and realised that Lefty was the far more dangerous of the two. She first drew Regen from it and stocked some copies, before casting it onto herself to nullify any damage that might befall her. An intense pink-white circle of health regenerating magic formed around her, rising and filling her with a strange sense of light-headedness as it faded away. She then drew Demi from Lefty and cast it onto Vysage.

The dark, gravitational magic attacked the malicious head and it roared in fury. Lefty's fingers suddenly clenched together, and then Vreya felt a physical, almost painful pull in her mind. Before her very eyes, bright blue magic dispelled into the air before her, and she blinked in confusion. What had just happened?

There was another unpleasant pull and this time, pink magic scattered before her, flying into the clutches of the left hand. A sinking sense of realisation settled in and she frantically searched her stock of spells to find that her supplies of Protect and Shell had depleted.

Alarm filled her. That left hand was stealing her magic! Her mind raced as mapped out her options, cycling through the spells she possessed.

But the right hand was moving, and it was rushing directly toward her.

'...!' She braced herself as the hand came down over her. Sparks of bright blue flew into the air as the protective shield she had cast earlier absorbed half of the physical damage. As the hand lifted away, the Regen spell instantly tended to the crushing sensation in her bones by steadily healing her.

The head was now teaming up with its hands to direct an ominous ball of black cloud her way. Her hands flew up and she attempted to dispel it. When that failed, Lefty directed another spell her way – Stop.

She barely managed to cast Reflect in time. The spells directed back toward the hand but missed its target. So Lefty used status spells? Countering with Silence was her best bet. She dispelled Reflect and cast Silence on both Vysage and Lefty. The spell took instant effect, preventing Lefty from stealing anymore copies of her precious magic. Vreya replaced her stolen stock with copies of Shell and Protect from Righty, which moved toward her again. But she wasn't interesting in fighting it anymore – she needed to reunite with Zane and make sure that he was alright.

On the other side of the monster, Zane was firing round after round of bullets but to little affect. The shots seemed to bounce harmlessly off the unnatural enemy's tough looking skin. To his frustration the butt-ugly creature was paying him absolutely no attention. He could glimpse the light of magic ahead, which undoubtedly belonged to Vreya who was fighting the hellish being alone.

He needed to get to her and they needed to get out of here fast, before any other freaks of nature showed up.

There was a small opening to his right, leading to a narrow side-alley. But it was located next to one of the monstrous hands; could he make it through safely? He really couldn't afford to take a hit; he only carried two potions in his pocket and he didn't have any magical backup apart from Vreya, who couldn't assist him directly.

He had to take the risk. It was either that or standing around uselessly. Zane moved, tearing toward the opening. It was just his luck that the oversized hand chose to acknowledge his existence at that exact moment.

It came crashing toward him, fingers outstretched to grab him in a choking, crippling hold. He dove into the alley, scrambling to get away from danger in the nick of time. The hand clawed after him, but was far too large to fit through the narrow gap. Zane ran, taking a left at the end of the side-street, calculating that it would lead him straight to Vreya. The route ought to have taken him to her, but upon reappearing on the other side of the groaning giant he was shocked to find that she was nowhere in sight.

_Shit!_ Dread knotted in his stomach, now impossible to ignore. He then spied another smaller alleyway on the other side of the street the monster had set up shop at.

She had gone that way. She must have. There was nowhere else for her to go. Zane bolted forward, running back out before the creature and racing into the other alleyway. The ground rumbled beneath him and the sound of thundering hooves made him throw a look back over his right shoulder. Three amethyst-bodied horse-like creatures with snowy white manes and long, bladed horns were giving chase. Their glowing yellow eyes were menacing.

_Where the hell did they come from?!_ He wondered. They had seemingly appeared out of nowhere!

He took a right, eyes frantically searching for Vreya. Where was she?! Why couldn't she have just stayed put and saved him a whole lot of trouble?

A left turn took him out onto a main road, where somebody's car had just skidded off the road. His eyes widened as they rested on yet another monster. This one looked like a mutated form of a grizzly bear. It possessed four arms and in the place of paws were razor sharp, curved claws. About a dozen red bats fluttered about and the few humans who had been walking down the street were screaming and running for cover.

Zane raised his gun and shot down two of the bats who were harassing a hysterical woman. The pounding of hooves behind him made him abandon his noble cause as the strange horse-like creatures bounded out of the alleyway. One lowered its head, piercing horn aimed directly at him, meaning to impale and maim.

He fired two rounds. One bullet embedded into the attacking creature's shoulder and the other into its hind leg causing it to fall to the floor, writhing in agony. Zane raised his hands to take out the next one but the sound of an empty click of the barrel alerted him to the fact that his ammo had run out.

_Fuck!_ He silently cursed. This wasn't going well at all. Why hadn't he thought of bringing his sword along? The answer was that he hadn't meant to get involved in any monster confrontations. Vreya was entirely responsible for the predicament he found himself in.

The horse-creature was thundering right toward him. He stood his ground, and dove out of the way at the last moment. Getting back to his feet he searched his pockets for any extra ammo.

His heart plummeted in realisation. He was out.

Too many monsters and no magic or weapons; only a lunatic would stay put. Thankfully all the other humans had run for cover, which was exactly what he planned to do. He had to get back to his motorbike. Then at least speed would be an effective weapon in his search for Vreya. He turned and disappeared into another alleyway, running as fast as he could.

* * *

The cloaked figure grinned at the chaotic sight on the street below him. The green-eyed young man had retreated. This would work out well.

Turning away, he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, preparing his twin blades to do some serious damage. As he moved along at an astonishing speed, his green-eyed gaze scanned the surroundings on lower ground, seeking out his target. As he leapt gracefully onto a lower rooftop, he came to a sudden stop as he finally found what he was looking for.

The explosive lights of spell after spell being cast were an impressive sight to behold. He could tell she was a skilled magic user. But when a new wave of enemies attacked, she would be overwhelmed. He crouched in his position, waiting for the next group of monsters to attack. Timing was now everything.

* * *

Panic was beginning to settle in. How many different kinds of monsters had she taken out up to this point? She couldn't keep this up alone – all she could worry about was Zane. Was he alright? What if he was lying somewhere, hurt? She had seen no weapon in his hand when she had been with him earlier.

If anything happened to him, it would be entirely her fault. The sense of guilt was crushing.

_No_, she thought angrily. Zane was strong. He would manage. In fact, he was probably looking for her right now. All she had to do was head back in the direction she had come, although she knew he could be anywhere. So she had no choice but to keep running, searching and fighting off any enemies that crossed her path.

She ran into another alleyway, shaking her aching arms. Her veins and fingertips felt like they were on fire from the constant spell-casting she had been doing. She rounded another corner and stopped, breath catching in her throat.

A large number of aggressive looking creatures stood crammed into a circle, feeding over something. Nausea overwhelmed her when she realised it was most likely a dead human.

She backed away, but the crunching of her low boot heel on crumbled rock alerted the monsters to her presence. Three lifted their bloodied faces and with menacing growls took after her, seeking another fresher meal. And this human's blood smelt deliciously appetising.

Her heart leapt violently as she stumbled away. She needed Krysta! In order to summon her, she needed to stop and focus. But stopping was absolutely not an option. As she rounded another corner, she spotted an unsteady looking metal ladder hanging high up from the walls of one of the side buildings. It led to a rooftop, where she could look for Zane more safely.

Ahead of her were monsters. Behind her, even more. There was nowhere else to go but up. But how could she get enough of a boost to make it?

_Vreya_, Krysta's voice spoke in her mind. _Summon a wind spell before you. Leave the rest to Mother Earth._

She was relieved to hear her elemental; it reminded her that she was not alone. She held up a hand and summoned an Aero spell before her. The concentrated area of spinning air howled. Lifting herself from the ground as far as she could she jumped straight into the wind spell. An invisible force harnessed the powerful energy and ensured that it gave her a much needed boost up. It worked. Vreya was able to grab hold of the lowest rung of the ladder and she proceeded to pull her body up.

The snarling below her made her heart hammer with fear. The ladder felt so unstable and precarious. If she fell, it would be straight into the waiting claws and jaws of the monsters below her. She reached out to pull herself onto a higher rung when the weaker one supporting her left foot suddenly fell away beneath her weight. The ladder shook threateningly and she cried out, feeling herself beginning to fall.

A strong grip on her right wrist made her turn her face up. Her eyes widened. A cloaked individual was on the rooftop above her, but before she could seek out a face beneath the hood she had been hauled up and pushed away from the edge. She watched, astounded, as the figure dove to lower ground and proceeded to slice away at the three monsters in wait with twin blades.

Vreya's heart skipped a beat. How long had the person been there? Had they seen her use magic? It _had _to be the same person who had saved her earlier! The stranger wielded the same weapons and wore the same cloak. He, and somehow she was sure her saviour was male from his build, had little trouble putting the hellish creatures down. But more monsters were approaching and she called out to him in warning.

'Behind you!'

The mysterious figure spun at her shout, catching sight of the four horse-like creatures that stood ready to charge. One of them galloped forward, and he avoided its bladed horns, side-stepping and then changing direction to lock its greatest weapon between the twin sword blades. He then cut down, cleaving the horn cleanly in half. Drawing one of the swords back he delivered a slaughtering blow to the monster. It fell lifelessly to the ground and he turned to deal with the other.

Vreya was impressed. He was very fast. Fumbling for her necklace, she checked what she ought to have done the first time he had assisted her. She glanced down at the small Earth stone she now wore as a pendant and the air left her lungs.

It was glowing softly.

Her eyes moved back to the stranger in disbelief. It wasn't possible – Morgan and the elders had told them that all the Chosen had been discovered. Could it really be that this was a final addition they had failed to find beforehand? Did that explain coincidentally running into the person for the second time in one day? After all, Chosen were drawn to one another.

He had disabled two more of the creatures but the final one appeared to clip him in his left side with its piercing horn. The stranger pushed one foot against the wall and flipped over the monster, slashing a death blow to its rear. Vreya watched as all four fallen bodies disappeared in a puff of black smoke. She blinked, eyes moving back to the cloaked figure. Shaking her head, she scrambled back over the edge of the building and back onto the ladder. Although it felt very shaky, she managed to climb down a few rungs before jumping off, landing safely behind the stranger. He turned slightly at the sound of her joining him on level ground.

Then, abruptly, he moved as if to make off.

Her eyes widened. No! He wasn't getting away this time, not before she got some answers.

'Wait...!' She called after him, raising her right hand as if to stop him. She darted forward a few steps and then caught herself when he stopped retreating.

'Are...are you hurt?' She asked. 'I could...'

Her words trailed off as he hesitantly turned back to her, but his face was still obscured in shadow.

She took another step toward him. He shifted uncertainly, as if cautious of her. As Vreya opened her mouth to address him again, a familiar voice called out her name.

'Vreya!'

The cloaked figure instantly took off as Zane appeared in the opening of the alleyway behind her.

'No – please, wait!' She cried out again, rushing after him, but by the time she had reached the opening that adjoined the street to another he was out of sight. Frustration bubbled up within her as she turned back to glare at Zane. Although she was glad to see him unhurt, he seriously had rotten timing!

'Where the hell did you go?!' He demanded angrily. He had parked his motorcycle on the main street behind them and had happened to stumble across Vreya by pure chance.

'You and your stupid timing!' She snapped back.

'What...?' He questioned, frowning in turn.

She threw her hands up in exasperation. 'Ugh! Nothing! Let's just finish whatever monsters we can find here and go.'

He watched incredulously as she marched past him. She had some nerve throwing a strop at him. This was entirely her fault! He bit back a response, but he was infuriated by the ease at which she could make him angry. And worried. And confused. And all the things he never usually felt around anybody.

_Damn her_, he thought bitterly, glaring death at her back.

As they rounded the corner they were greeted by more monsters roaming the area. Vreya stopped, horrified. Just where had they all come from?

It was like walking into a nightmare.

She sensed Zane beside her, and heard his annoyed remark.

'This is entirely your fault.'

She looked at him, gaping. How were the monsters her fault? They were Lorne's fault!

'I didn't make them appear!'

'You're the reason why we're here!' He snapped.

She noticed that he used the plural form, rather than referring solely to himself. That was certainly interesting. But she saved the thought for later, and pointed angrily at him.

'I never told you to follow me, Zane!'

'Do I look like I had a fucking choice?!' He snarled back.

Fury made her see red. He only ever criticised and exasperated her. Anger made her blurt out the first thing that came to her mind.

Vreya was not a mean, insensitive girl by nature. But she had had enough.

'As if you're any use to me!' She retorted. 'You can't summon and you don't even have a proper weapon!'

His eyes were livid with fury. Like it was his fault he couldn't yet summon! If she didn't shut up _right now_...

'I'd have been better off if I didn't have you to protect!' She followed up, and then turned away and ran toward a small cluster of three monsters. As she moved away from him, she bit her lower lip. What had she just said? Had she been too mean? She pushed away the regret and channelled the anger to deal with the enemies before her.

Zane stood back, watching as she took out the creatures. They were smaller monsters and she had little trouble defeating them alone. Light in all colours of the rainbow flared from her hands as she cast spell after spell.

Two vans screeched onto the road at that moment, and the back of one flew open to reveal Rinoa and Lila, both holding out their hands to her.

'Get in Vreya, quick!' Rinoa called to her, strands of caramel streaked raven hair blowing into her almond slanted eyes.

'This place is crawling with monsters!' Lila added her face anxious with worry as she reached out for her best friend.

Vreya glanced behind her and was surprised to see that Zane had already boarded his motorcycle and was taking off. She ran to the van and let her friends pull her up. Squall reached over and slammed the door shut and the van swerved before racing off.

Vreya tried to calm her pounding heart as she took a seat beside Zell.

'S'up.' He greeted, peering at her closely. 'You OK?'

'I'm fine.' She replied breathlessly.

'Shit, he's doing triple the speed-limit.' Costa remarked, as Zane's bike raced before them. He rolled the window down and yelled out at the green-eyed youth.

'Hey, asshole, slow down!'

'What were you doing out here?' Squall questioned Vreya, and although his face was stern, his tone was cool and even.

Rinoa and Lila exchanged sly glances that were lost on Vreya. She shook her head.

'It's a really long story.' She offered, hoping it was enough. But Ash, who was driving, glanced at her in the rear-view mirror.

'We've got time.'

'Was Zane giving you a lift home? Did you get attacked on the way?' Rinoa asked innocently.

'Ugh, no! It wasn't like that!' Vreya waved the question off. 'I'll tell you later. Let's just get back to base safely.'

'The hell he's going?' Zell wondered out loud, as Zane took a sudden left off the main road.

'Home probably.' Ash replied, as he continued on ahead toward base.

Guilt filled Vreya as she stared out at the front window. He was mad at her, she knew it for certain. Suddenly her master plan of frustrating him seemed like a very poorly considered move. She had been downright cruel in her choice of words – and she worriedly wondered if she had really offended him beyond reconciliation.

_What's the big deal? He probably doesn't even care_, she tried to reassure himself, but then felt worse. Zane was human, even if he tried to act as if he were an unfeeling robot. Then her thoughts moved to the cloaked stranger and she pushed regret over Zane out of her mind. He would probably act like nothing had happened and treat her as coldly as ever, she predicted. She had to focus on getting back and telling the elders exactly what she had found.

**Author's Note**

_Another chapter done! More Zane and Vreya goodness! Anyway hope all you who still read this enjoyed the latest instalment! : )_


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